 
" _[Y]our book, BLUE . . . was refreshing! . . . Your explanations are clear, simple, and practical. The book explains the substance that brings people peace better than any book I've read. I really enjoyed it. I mean, really."_

\--Mike Pelletier, Evangelist

" _I really appreciate what you've written."_

\--Dawn Hunter, Missionary

BLUE

A Graduate's Guide to a Meaningful Life

by

Mark A. Absher

SMASHWORDS EDITION

Copyright © 2010 by Mark A. Absher

Franklin, Tennessee

Curiously, this ebook is more enjoyable to read in dark BLUE font, if available on your reader device.

Except as otherwise noted, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holman Christian Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003 by Holman Bible Publishers, Nashville, Tennessee. All rights reserved. Used by permission.

Cover Image: Derivative of "Blue Rose" by Pixomar at FreeDigitalPhotos.net.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

Introduction

Preface

BELIEVE GOD

Why Believe God?

A. He created you.

B. He loves you.

1. He gives us an amazing environment.

2. He gives us a choice.

3. He gives us an opportunity to live eternally with Him.

How to Believe God

A. Trust what He says to receive salvation.

B. Follow His Instruction for Living.

1. Don't worry.

2. Be Giving.

3. Rest.

Results of Believing God

LOVE PEOPLE

Why Love People?

A. We are commanded to love people.

B. People are the only thing you bring to heaven.

How to Love People

A. Tell them about Jesus.

B. Become a Servant.

C. Do good to people who aren't so good.

D. Do not judge people.

Results of Loving People

UNSHACKLE SIN

Why Unshackle Sin?

A. God tells us to avoid sin.

B. Sin hurts you.

C. Your sin hurts others.

How to Unshackle Sin

A. Through the work of Christ

B. By faith

C. By engaging your mind and your will

D. With good works

Results of Unshackling Sin

ENJOY LIFE

Why Enjoy Life?

How to Enjoy Life

A. Appreciate the day.

B. Focus on the positive.

C. Ask God for blessings.

D. Remove bitterness from your life.

Results of Enjoying Life

Conclusion

Postscript

Dedication

Acknowledgements

Bio

* * * * *

Introduction

Several years ago I received a telephone call from the superintendent of my high school alma mater in Kankakee, Illinois. He called to invite me to speak at the commencement ceremony of the graduating class. Because of my already scheduled vacation plans, I had to decline the invitation. However, after the call, I began to wonder what I would have said to the seniors if I actually did give the commencement address. It struck me that the task is monumental, because most seniors who are about to graduate can really care less about what some random older person has to say to them at their graduation. They are principally interested in walking out of the school, diploma in hand, never to return again. All of the commencement speeches are, therefore, nothing more than impediments to their moment of freedom. I, for one, confess that I recall nothing from any of the commencement addresses given at my graduations from high school, college and law school. The real problem with this state of affairs, of course, is the fact that, as seniors who are about to graduate, the audience is in desperate need of advice—but many of them just don't know it, and they don't care that they don't know it. Thus, the audience is unquestionably challenging.

Then, supposing that you accept the challenge of the audience, the critical mission becomes the substance of what you are going to say. You have one shot in twenty minutes to give a very important message to this very anxious group. What will you say? This question captivated me to the point that I began thinking about it and jotting down miscellaneous thoughts regarding the best advice that I could give to graduating seniors. I began supposing that I would, in fact, be giving the commencement address. Ultimately, I had a smattering of thoughts—none of them really knit together, but all of them wanting very much to be somehow simplified and unified.

A couple of years later, I received the invitation again. This time, with my schedule free, I was able to accept the invitation. I developed and refined my notes and considered my approach. I decided to get the graduates' attention through the use of a PowerPoint presentation—something that just isn't done at a commencement ceremony. I resolved to keep it simple and memorable. And I prepared to pack those 20 minutes full of the very best advice that I could give.

Having immersed myself at various times over those two years in thinking about that which really matters in life, I isolated what I believe to be the essential underpinnings of a life marked by peace, joy and a sense of fulfillment, which are the goals of real living, the goals that these seniors truly needed to apprehend. My desire for simplicity in conveying my understanding led me to an acronym—spelling the word BLUE. BLUE is simple as a word in that it has only four letters, and it also identifies itself with a meaning that most people find appealing—a color that imbues the heavens as well as the waters that grace our planet. It is the color of coolness and calmness as reflected in a clear sky, yet it is also the color of intensity and power as reflected in crashing waves and thunderous storm clouds. Because the color presents itself to us every day, we have a regular reminder of the word, which I hoped would translate into a regular reminder to this group of seniors of four essential imperatives that can bring meaning and significance to life. B stands for Believe God; L, Love People; U, Unshackle Sin; and E, Enjoy Life. There it is—four simple guidelines for living arranged into a single, memorable acronym.

The most interesting and unexpected outcome of my experience in giving the BLUE commencement address is the fact that, after the ceremony, it was the parents and the grandparents of the graduates who sought me out to express their appreciation for the words that I had shared. The confirming words of those who have travelled the road of life validated the significance of the message for young people who are preparing to enter independence.

It is my hope that, having considered what you are about to read, you will accept the value of the imperatives of BLUE and incorporate them into your life. I am confident that in so doing, you will be able to benefit from what a man who, as a Christian for over 40 years, husband, father, teacher, Bible student, and lawyer for over 20 years, has learned about life thus far. I wish that I had recognized the significance of and followed such principles when I was stumbling my way through life, so that perhaps I could have avoided some pains and gained some benefits from their application. It is my further hope in this regard that each time you see or think about the color or the word BLUE, you will be reminded to Believe God, Love people, Unshackle sin and Enjoy life. May God bless you as you live your life—meaningfully and hopefully in a manner that is consistent with the principles set forth in this simple BLUE guide.

Preface

Imagine that it's a mid-summer afternoon. You're all alone at home. You just fixed yourself a plate of your favorite edible delights. You sit down, planning to relax and watch a movie that you've been waiting to see. Life is good. You start the movie. Just when you've taken your first bite, there's an urgent, sharp 4-tap knock at your front door. You set down your plate, pause the movie, and fairly quickly proceed to the front door. You are particularly curious about the urgency of the knock. You open the door, and before you stands a man. He's clearly older than you are. He seems friendly enough, but he also seems a bit hurried and very intent. The man says your name.

"Yes," you answer. Now your curiosity is even more aroused.

"I know that this is going to sound crazy, but you are about to go to some places that I have been to. I don't have time to give you all the details, and I don't have time to tell you who I am. But I managed to jot down some notes. Listen. You need to trust me on this. Things can go very, very bad for you, or things can go very, very good for you. It all depends on some very critical choices that you will have to make. These notes will help you. Look at me."

You look the man in the eye.

The man looks you in the eye and says, "Someday, you will be like me—standing right here. You will see what I see, and you will then know that I was right about what I say in these notes. I know that you don't understand right now. But, if you follow these notes, things will go very, very well for you."

The mysterious visitor hands you a small, blue book and suddenly, without explanation, he disappears.

You look down and open the cover of the blue book. You see the words written below.

BELIEVE GOD

One day when I was in sixth grade, my English teacher, Miss Woods, gave our class one of those typical English class assignments: write a poem. I was bummed. Writing a poem was not an assignment that I relished. But, of course, I had no choice. Now it just so happened that our science class, taught by Mrs. Beasley, was in the midst of a substantial, several week study of birds—ornithology—I still remember the word. We studied the unique characteristics of a host of birds and were in the process of compiling a little compendium of one page reports on each type of bird that became the subject of our study. So, I was somewhat knowledgeable, at that time, about birds. I had birds on my mind. Accordingly, I opted to write my poem about birds. I remember writing the poem at my kitchen table as my mother was busy working in the kitchen, cleaning up and putting supper together. The assignment took me about half an hour, and I couldn't wait to get it done, so that I could get outside and hang out with my friends. I wrote it, read it to my mother, and secured her satisfaction of it, so I was good to go.

The next day, we were to read our poems aloud in class. When it was my turn, I fell upon a very awkward experience. After I read my poem, my teacher asked, "Did YOU write that poem?" "Yes," I replied, not really understanding why I had been asked this curious question.

"Are you sure that YOU wrote that poem?" Ms. Woods was starting to sound upset, and I was getting even more baffled.

"Yes," I again replied.

"Bring it here." Ms. Woods was growing impatient.

"Okay." I brought her the poem. She started looking it over. Then she read a couple of lines out loud.

"You wrote that?" Her voice was getting very strained.

"Yes."

"Are you sure that you didn't copy this from somewhere? How come I don't see any erase marks?"

I pointed to a place on the paper where I knew that I had erased a line, but Miss Woods couldn't, or didn't want to, see it.

"I've heard this poem before," she insisted. "You must have copied it. Do you have a book at home that contains this poem?"

"No. I just sat down at my kitchen table and wrote it. You can call my mom and ask her." I was defensive and becoming very distressed. I realized that Miss Woods didn't believe that I wrote the poem. I thought that somehow I was going to get into trouble. Interestingly, although I'm sure the poem was only "sufficient" in quality, I had this curious sense of accomplishment—I had written a poem that, to Miss Woods, was so good she thought it belonged in a book of poems. Wow—I had become a poet, although one who was about to get into trouble for a crime that he did not commit.

Then, the notorious action that stunned the class: Miss Woods tore the poem in half, and then tore it in half again. You could have heard a pin drop. I could feel the class siding with Miss Woods. She wouldn't have torn the poem unless she was confident of my evil act. I began to wonder if it were possible to have accidentally replicated a poem that had already been written without ever having seen the original work. I concluded that it was impossible, given the length of my poem at nearly a page long. A sentence could be duplicated—maybe, but not an entire poem. I was becoming comfortable with the idea that no one would ever be able to find any work anywhere that matched my poem.

"Come with me to the office, young man," Miss Woods demanded.

Now, I knew things were about to get ugly, although I figured that my mother would bail me out; she was there when I wrote the poem. However, it occurred to me that they may not believe her either. I was on the brink of being a convicted plagiarist.

We walked to the office and went straight to meet with the principal. "Mark Absher claims that he wrote this poem, but I am fairly sure that I have heard it before," Miss Woods laid the pieces in front of the principal so that he could read it.

"Hmm," the principal read the poem and then asked me, "Did you write this poem?"

"Yes. I wrote it at my kitchen table yesterday after school. You can ask my mom. She was right there." I was really leaning hard on my objective, third party witness. My mom was an adult—a particularly useful witness for a junior high kid. However, again, her objectivity was suspect, being a close family member and all.

I was escorted into another office and told to sit for a while. I didn't know if they were going to call my mother or prepare papers for my expulsion or both. It was a very unusual feeling. I could not believe that people didn't believe me. I felt amazingly at peace knowing the truth, but it did hurt to know that I wasn't believed.

The bell rang, and I knew that my class was leaving English and going into science class. My predicament was spilling over into another hour. About 15 minutes later, into the office walked Mrs. Beasley. She looked at me with a curious grin and went straight to the principal. She asked if she could read the poem. With the principal standing by, she read the poem and smiled. "Mark, you wrote an excellent poem! I love it." She explained to the principal that we were studying birds, and some of the thoughts expressed in the poem had been the subject matter of our study of birds. "He wrote this poem. Now, can he come to class?" Mrs. Beasley had always been revered as a superior teacher, but she became extraordinary on that day. She believed me and defended me against the hostile world. It was such a relief to be believed.

In moments like these, when we are not believed, we get a taste of how God must feel a billion times over every day. It must be stunning to have so many people disbelieve you so much of the time. Ironically, all things considered, it is utterly absurd that we should ever not believe God.

Just so we're clear; I'm not talking about believing in God; I'm talking about believing God. In this regard, I note that when people tell me that they believe in God, I say, "So what?" My response seems to take them by surprise. But it shouldn't. Believing in God is elementary. James writes, "You believe that God is one; you do well. The demons also believe—and they shudder" (James 2:19). Have you ever wondered why the demons shudder? I have. I think I know why they shudder, and I don't think it's because they believe in God. After all, they can see Him, and, for the rational, seeing truly is believing. Further, the Bible doesn't indicate at any point that angels, who also clearly believe in God, shudder. I think demons shudder because they believe God. Demons, as immortal beings, have had the opportunity to witness, through many millennia, the fulfillment of the declarations of God. And inasmuch as they are also familiar with the Word of God regarding their final destiny (Rev. 20:10-15), the demons, if they believe God, have good reason to shudder. And shudder they do.

Thus, it is not my objective, here, to persuade you to believe in God. I am assuming that you already believe in God. Of course, I do not make this assumption lightly. One of my good friends is an atheist, so I am sensitive to discussions regarding the existence of God. My friend and I have engaged in many discussions regarding the existence of God, and it is my prayer that he will one day come to know and accept Jesus Christ as both God and Savior. However, notwithstanding the fact that he does not believe in God, my friend would readily acknowledge the significant additional faith that it would take for a person who believes in God to then simply believe God. You can, for example, believe in me without ever believing a thing that I say. Thus, while I appreciate the fact that you believe in God, I am suggesting that you take your belief a substantial step further.

I think the distinction between believing in God and believing God is significant to God as well. Of course, God wants people to believe in Him. Indeed, His Word says, "the one who draws near to Him must believe that He exists and rewards those who seek Him" (Heb. 11:6b). But He is particularly interested in having people believe what He says. As Jesus poignantly inquired of a skeptical and hostile audience, "Why don't you believe Me?" (John 8:46)

Before you read further, I want to make the point that I consider believing God to be the most foundational element for living such that if you only focused on one element of BLUE it must be this. If you sincerely believe God, I have great confidence that you are already on the track for living a great and meaningful life. Therefore, I strongly encourage you, at every turn and opportunity in life, to believe God.

Why Believe God?

I have a daughter who recently left her teenage years, so I have an idea as to how teenage girls think. To me, it's scary—at times. The interaction between teenage girls and their parents is fascinating. I have, for instance, according to my daughter, "ruined" her life so many times that I have actually lost count of her lives. Perhaps more interesting, though, is the interaction insofar as it relates to boundaries. In discussions with my teenage daughter, I could inevitably expect to hear the following, simple responsive question: "Why?" In fact, she could emit a "Why?" before I could finish the imperative "Be home by _____"; you can fill in the blank with any time—it doesn't matter. The conversation would typically trail along these lines:

"Be home...."

"Why?"

"I didn't even finish the sentence."

"I know, but why?"

Of course, the next line could never be "Because I said so." That would have been a total cop out, and she knew it, and, more importantly, she was happy to point it out to me. For my teenage daughter, nothing would suffice in response to "Why?" except the very best of reasons. In fact, I was usually a little shocked when the very best of reasons did suffice. It was my regular experience, however, that even the very best of reasons fell short in her estimation.

Although those teenage years proved challenging, I could take comfort in the fact that my daughter was, at least, searching for reasons. I believe that people who ask "Why?" are searching for meaning, and the search for meaning, in and of itself, creates a framework for the development of an intense life.

Thus, it strikes me as completely respectable that people would inquire as to why they should believe what God says. I have come to understand through my experience (and I would think that everyone should come to the same understanding through similar experience) that there are sound and significant reasons to believe what God says. Perhaps no book, other than the Bible, is capable of explaining all the justifications for a person's believing God. And in this section of this book, I absolutely make no effort to exhaust or even state most of the reasons for believing God. In fact, it is likely that I have missed the best reasons for believing God. I do, however, state a few reasons that I believe scream for our attention. Though modest in its detail, I hope that the paradigm set forth below will give you at least a framework on which to develop your further understanding of why you should believe God.

A. He created you.

Perhaps the first and foremost reason that you should believe God is the fact that He created you. You exist, because He enabled you to exist. Because He created you, He knows how you work best. He knows what you need and why you need it. In fact, He created existence as we know it. So not only does He know how you work best and what you need, He also knows how you work best and what you need in the very circumstances into which you have been placed.

Understanding the significance of God's creation of you and your environment requires a bit of reflection on existence itself. And what I am about to share with you about your existence is a bit deep, but just walk with me through this thought, and I believe that God will become a bit bigger to you as a result.

Our existence, as we see and understand it, is comprised of only four basic physical components: time, energy, space and matter. Sounds a bit Einsteinish, doesn't it? Actually, Einstein's mass-energy equivalence formula, E=mc2, includes these components. These physical components of our existence, however, do not by themselves interact in any manner that makes sense. Even the most random confluence of these components could not yield a result that has any particular meaning. However, when we add four basic non-physical elements to the mix—information (truth and non-truth), intelligence (the ability to apprehend, process and communicate information), personality (the ability to make choices with regard to information) and meaning (the reason for a thing or action)—our reality becomes complete.

It occurred to me one day as I looked at my list of 4 physical and 4 non-physical components of our existence: time, energy, space, matter, information, intelligence, personality and meaning, that my reduction of all existence to these eight components has been presented to us by God in Genesis 1:1—"In the beginning (time) God (personality) created (energy) the heavens (space) and the earth (matter)." Thus, in introducing Himself to man, God explained that He is the one who derived our existence. The statement itself is information, its presentation requires His intelligence of expressing and our intelligence in receiving the information, and in so producing our existence, God necessarily yielded meaning for our living. The significance of that meaning is fleshed out in the balance of His Word.

I am fascinated that such a simple expression as is found in Genesis 1:1 could be so full of meaning, capturing all aspects of our existence. Interestingly, too, it seems that the more we learn about our environment and how it is comprised, the more amazed we should become upon contemplation of the simplicity and yet thoroughness of Genesis 1:1. Similarly, the more we study Scripture, the more we are likely to recognize the amazingness of His Word. As David recognized, "The words of the LORD are pure words" (Psalm 12:6). The Word of God is a perfect synthesis of explanation, meaning, motivation, inspiration, release and intellectual stimulation—a well of life to the very life to which it provides guidance. It is no wonder that Paul writes, "reality . . . is found in Christ" (Colossians 2:17) who is the Word of God, the revelation of God to mankind, cast into the form of man (John 1:1, 14).

In discussing existence, a friend once told me that he has always been amazed by the fact that everything we see is comprised of moving matter—atoms consisting of protons and neutrons with electrons spinning around them. I share his amazement in something that is challenging to explain—that is, how do decillions of electrons all simultaneously pursue their orbits in such a manner and at such speeds that everything doesn't simply explode into oblivion? And then, perhaps more amazingly, the electrons hold their perfect arrangements in a manner sufficient to comprise us in our environments with our minds, enabling us to recognize that they are, in fact, comprising us in our environments with our minds. Scientifically, it is difficult to explain. Spiritually, it is less challenging to understand. God's Word explains that "by Him all things hold together" (Colossians 1:17). Certainly, the one who created existence should be able to maintain existence, and He does. The author of Hebrews writes, "The Son is the radiance of God's glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word" (Hebrews 1:3a). The same powerful Word said, "'Let there be light,' and there was light" (Genesis 1:3). Think, for just a moment, about the power that can create light by the mere command that it be brought into existence.

But, I presented all that to say this: The fact that God created and maintains the existence of you and everything in your environment is reason enough to believe Him. If His words can create light and hold it and everything else—including you—together, don't you think you should maybe pay attention to His words about how you should live your life? As Peter writes, "you will do well to pay attention to it" (2 Peter 1:19).

Perhaps to more practically understand this concept, consider the following example: Suppose you were given (as a wonderful and exciting graduation gift) a brand new (of course, BLUE) Corvette. Wow! That car would be your baby. Suppose, further, that after reading the owner's manual for your new car, you decide that you will ignore some of the instructions and, instead, take care of your new baby in the manner that you decided best. For instance, instead of putting dangerous, smelly gasoline in the tank, you decide to use rubbing alcohol; after all, if you can put rubbing alcohol on your body, and it is combustible, it should be perfect for your beautiful new car. Further, suppose that instead of pouring messy, dark 10W30 oil (and we really don't know what those numbers and letters mean anyway) in the engine, you elect, of course, to use baby oil; after all, it is oil, and it smells nice, the car is your baby, and the baby oil is clear and clean.

We all smile at the thought. Who in the world would ignore basic instruction by the manufacturer for the brand new Corvette? No one—in his or her right mind! The risk of loss is far too great.

Yet, how often do we ignore the manufacturer of our existence? How great is the risk of our loss of the essence of life itself? God, the very Author of Us, tells us how to live in order that we can get the absolute most out of life, but we shirk His instruction, taking matters into our own hands, thinking that our way is best. In reality, when each of us follows his or her own path, we are no less ignorant than the one who would put rubbing alcohol in the gas tank and baby oil in the engine of the new Corvette.

We should never ignore the simple fact that we are made by God. Moses asked, "Didn't [God] make you and sustain you?" (Deuteronomy 32:6c) David, a prominent king of Israel who loved God, acknowledged that God made him:

"For you created my inmost being;

you knit me together in my mother's womb

My frame was not hidden from you

when I was made in the secret place.

When I was woven together in the depths of the earth,

Your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me

were written in your book

before one of them came to be" (Psalm 139:13-16).

The Psalmist also declared, "Your hands made me and formed me" (Psalm 119:73a). Job, in nearly identical words said, "Your hands shaped me and formed me . . . You clothed me with skin and flesh, and wove me together with bones and tendons. You gave me life . . ." (Job 10:8, 11-12a).

Similarly, Elihu, the only person who spoke to Job and whose words God sanctioned (Job 42:7-9), declared to Job:

"The Spirit of God has made me; the breath of the Almighty gives me life" (Job 33:4).

The Apostle Paul, in giving a notable speech to a crowd in Athens, Greece, asserted that God "Himself gives everyone life and breath" (Acts 17:25) and "in Him we live and move and exist" (Acts 17:28). These five great men, Moses, David, Job, Elihu and Paul, acknowledged their origin in God. They recognized that they owed their very existence to their heavenly Designer. We should do no less, for we have been knit together by the same breath that brought these saints into existence.

We should also recognize that our environment was spoken into existence for our benefit. As the Psalmist exclaimed,

"The heavens were made by the word of the LORD, and all the stars, by the breath of His mouth.

He gathers the waters of the sea into a heap; He puts the depths into storehouses.

Let the whole earth tremble before the LORD; let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of Him.

For He spoke, and it came into being; He commanded, and it came into existence" (Psalm 33:6-9).

Further, having acknowledged God as the originator of us and our environment, we should then consider the significance of following His instructions for us. God revealed Himself to us through His Word. We should not ignore it. On the contrary, we should be ripping through its pages every day, considering it to be the essence of meaning for our lives.

In sum, God made you and your environment; therefore, He knows what is best for you. He holds you together by His powerful Word, so He knows what will cause you to get the most favorable results out of life. This reason should, itself, be sufficient to prompt you to trust God. But God gives us more.

B. He loves you.

A second compelling reason for you to believe God is the fact that He loves you. Because He loves you, you can trust His plan for you. God's words to you stand in stark contrast to the words of most people. A car dealer, for example, talks to you, and recommends that you take action to purchase a vehicle. However, the car dealer does not love you. The car dealer loves the car dealer. The car dealer wants money, and you have money. So the car dealer tells you what you should do, and often quite convincingly, in order to gain access to your money. Your action is a means to the car dealer's end. The purchase of that car may be exactly the worst thing that you do at that particular time, but your best interests are not important to the car dealer.

God, however, has nothing but your best interests in mind. He needs absolutely nothing from you, because He gave you everything that you have. Therefore, you do not have to second-guess His motives in providing guidelines to you for living. You simply need to accept that He wants you to live a meaningful and enjoyable life.

I understood love in a real and interesting way when I found the girl who would eventually become my wife. Yet, I think I came to understand more clearly the type of love that God has for us when I became a parent. When you fall in love with the person who eventually becomes your spouse, you really only begin to taste love. I say "taste" because the marital relationship is highly reciprocal. Each spouse gives but also gets from the other. So, in many respects, a person learns to expect things from his or her spouse, and such expectations can, if allowed to do so, actually suppress true love. To develop the kind of love in the marital relationship that tempers expectations with a servant's attitude takes time and spiritual transformation.

It's not quite the same, however, with children. Children are love and attention sponges. They will accept all the love—tangible and intangible—that you give them, but they will not necessarily provide anything in return. Interestingly, though, parents just accept the fact that they will not get as much—if anything—in return from their children. As a parent, I can tell you that I don't really care that my children give me anything in return, because I am more concerned with their well being than my own—that's love.

One of my college professors, Dr. Walter Fremont, described love as "an unselfish desire to meet another's highest good." As a parent, I want the very best for my children, and I will often do extraordinary things on their behalf—for their highest good—at the expense of my bank account, my emotions and my comfort. As a parent, I begin to more fully appreciate and understand the love of God. God gives us so much, knowing full well that we are incapable of giving Him anything of value in return. He has an unselfish desire to meet our highest good. Thus, God epitomizes love.

The evidence of God's love is manifested through His gifts to us. God's gifts to us are amazing in both their quality and their quantity. His giving is unsparing. As you closely examine each gift in detail, you see only more gifts. You see only the purest of motivations. You see His genuine concern for us. You can see that He wants us to enjoy life. Consider the magnificence of just a few of His gifts.

1. He gives us an amazing environment.

Our environment is perhaps the most tangible of the gifts that God has designed and provided for our benefit. Indeed, it is unreasonable to suggest that God created the universe solely for His own benefit. Having the power to create such a universe, He most certainly could have folded it up after several days and started a completely new project for His own enjoyment. Instead, however, after creating the heavens, the earth and the animals, God created man—in His own image—and placed him in the center of the splendor. Man was the culmination of the universe. Thus, God must, therefore, have created everything for us—for our enjoyment, for our satisfaction, for our fulfillment. And when you take the time to consider the uniqueness and variety of our environment, a sense of awe will eventually overtake you and may well, at times, leave you breathless.

I don't think that it's possible to articulate the magnitude of the wonder of our environment. In fact, it seems as if each day I find myself saying "Wow!" about some new aspect of my environment. As a child, I remember every spring seeing a new insect that I had not seen before. I remember thinking, "Where has this bug been all my life"—as if I had lived a long time. The curiosity of "new" insects just popping into my environment has since become so commonplace that I now fully expect, each year, to see some bug that I have never seen before.

However, while the seeming introduction of new insects has been interesting, I am stunned by other factors of our environment. One of the wow considerations, I think, is the fact that aspects of our environment can be categorized according to various features—features that, in and of themselves, are quite breathtaking. Again, I can only note a few.

Symmetry

One of the more curious of the features of creation is symmetry. I have been amazed by symmetry now for nearly three decades. It started in a college biology class when a professor discussed bilateral symmetry as a characteristic of animals. Before that class, I hadn't given the reality of symmetry much thought at all. Bilateral symmetry is the characteristic, she explained, that one side of an animal looks like the other side. One half of a creature is the mirror image of the other half of the creature. I have since learned (although it's obvious to even the casual observer) that some creatures manifest radial symmetry—which is bilateral symmetry from every side view and bilateral symmetry from a top view. Jellyfish, starfish, and octopi, for example, demonstrate this characteristic.

Having been so introduced to the concept of symmetry, I began considering the application of that feature across the range of creation. It occurred to me that practically every living thing demonstrates a host of symmetrical features. Even the inanimate world presents a panoply of symmetry. To summarize my amazement of symmetry, I wrote a poem. I could explain the concept in text, here, but somehow, I think my poem will say it better:

The Scream of Symmetry

A spinning sphere, its halves the same, glides through silent space

in perfect orbit teaming with other planets screaming

that their symmetry of shape and path has a source in something more than chance.

In fact, this symmetry extends to every place

from the very microscopic to the reach of the expanse,

quietly declaring with a breadth quite overbearing

that each whole is halves—each half alike

in nearly everything that matters.

Is it for matter's sake

that such symmetry flatters

such quirky things as the fishy shapes of clams and stars,

stingrays, whales and pike

as well as coral, shrimp, anemones, manatees and gars?

The forms of viruses and germs,

and the parts, the whole, the half, and the path of every snake,

the contour look of spiders, moths and gnats,

beetles, flies and worms,

and a billion other bugs that hide in dirt or share the skies

with other symmetric creatures

having halvish sameness aspect features

like finches, terns and hanging bats

or birds of prey,

whether soaring, diving or even perching quiet—all say

quite a lot aloud without a word about the symmetry they share

with our selves and cells and fingers, teeth and lungs,

our veins and ribs and ears and heels and tongues

and even tears sneaking

from and past each configured part of our very balanced faces, speaking—

with drops of mist in clouds and fountains

or as frozen flakes each alone

or combined in colored spectral bows that display

in each arching tone

with each atom making either dust or mighty mountains

as well as with the roots and stems and leaves of plants

in everything with legs or wings or DNA

its twisted ladder shape with every wave or bolt or spark

of light or sound—

a simple truth that's quite profound:

This common feature isn't happenstance

or the result of some explosion;

nor is it an evolving growth or some fortune quirk of time and motion;

it is rather—its uniqueness stark—

a glorious and clever, clearly loving maker's perfect mark.

Thus, symmetry is pervasive. It is distinctively marvelous in its provision of beauty and its functionality. Symmetry provides for smooth and balanced movement. The more you consider the nature and extent of symmetry, the more astonished you will likely become. You should also become more open to the need to accept what that glorious Maker has in mind for you.

Color

The wowness of our world doesn't stop with symmetry. I think symmetry is just the beginning. Symmetry is the signature of God. However, his signature has flair expressed in other features as well. Color is a relevant example. Color is the ink in the signature of God. Color is particularly appropriate, of course, given the title of this book. It is no coincidence that I consider blue to be the crown of color. In the Postscript to this book, I took a little time to write particularly about blue. And, once again, I have to admit that I have been thinking about color for some time, so I, of course, wrote a poem about it. As it turns out, I think the poem again captures my thoughts about color better than text alone:

This Color Thing

Why can we see color? Why is it here?

If everything were shades of gray

wouldn't every image be as clear?

But instead we see a spectrum—a wide array

of light—striking everything that can be seen

with multi-variations that make our sight

a visual elation of something more than white.

Consider, wow, the atmospheric blues that in a saturating expanse

lift forming clouds

to a lavender height that turns orangish red at night,

while on the ground sagacious jade enshrouds

leafy plants whose tinctures sometimes dance

with just a change of glance.

Within these aspects, too, other chromas luster paint

our garden foods, and blushing taint

floral weeds with yellows, plums and pinks

(to begin the list),

while mutely clothing certain beasts like bears and minks

with grays and browns, and spraying deeply seas with aqua teals,

as, although most will likely never see,

tiny rainbows blink within the turns of shells and pearls—

both at once adazzle dim like beryls.

(Can you get the gist?

How can violets be, or creams?)

The cast of brilliance also screams from other living things—

the achromatic black of bats and seals,

for instance, stark contrasts like dreams

against the iridescent wings

of each bug and bird

the shades of which are like the dyes

and hues of other things that just "occurred"

with colors' names—

like gold and silver, peach and lime,

copper, wine and indigo,

and gooish greenish slime.

You can almost touch and taste the reds of cherries

and the purple tints of other berries

that share their colored hems with emerald and ruby gems

as well as with the lilac tones that walk in petals

and also flash through flames

and splash on glossy metals.

This panoply of radiance demands an explanation;

it's convincingly all over in multivarious names.

In fact, the optic experience is so intense

that we cannot help but sense

it isn't chance

our eyes can see the finer

tinges of this presentation.

No, this color thing must be caused by a designer

who values our sensation.

Are you starting to get the picture? God is an awesome designer, and He made this world in all of its beauty for us to enjoy. It is His gift to us. I think He is satisfied each time we say, "Wow," because He knows that, in each such moment, we start to get it. We start to understand Him. I say "start" because symmetry and color are just the tip of the iceberg of the awesomeness of nature.

Proportion

Consider also the concept of proportion. I've thought about this concept only within the last decade. (I haven't written a poem yet, but maybe I'll get to it in about 5 years.) When someone first mentioned the uniqueness of proportion to me, I immediately recognized that the concept takes symmetry to another staggeringly high level. Mathematicians and artists have considered proportion for hundreds—if not thousands—of years. There are varying degrees of proportion, and, in truth, probably everything that exists demonstrates multiple forms of proportion.

One of the more fundamental and widely discussed aspects of proportion is what has been described as "divine proportion" or "Phi." It is denominated as divine, because it is so pervasive and yet so simple that it is deemed to have its origin obviously in God. In any event, it can, in essence, be described as follows (this is a mouthful and, therefore, a brainful, but try to get this, because the simplicity of it is so wondrous—although a bit difficult to explain in a sentence): divide a line in a place such that the ratio of the length of the longer part of the line to the length of the shorter part of that line is equal to the ratio of the length of the entire line to the longer of the two parts. If you prefer to consider this concept graphically, note the diagram below:

____________A____________._______B_______

In the diagram, supposing that lines A and B each represent parts of the line A+B, the divine proportion is the ratio such that A/B = (A+B)/A. Stated another way, B is to A what A is to A+B. That ratio, which is always 1.618, is particularly interesting because it is so universally applied. For example, the length of the last segment of your fingers multiplied by Phi yields the approximate length of the next segment of your finger. Again, the length of that segment of your finger multiplied by Phi yields the approximate length of the next segment of your finger. And, interestingly, that's just the start of the application of Phi to a multitude of measurements applied to various parts of your body. In essence, not only are we bilaterally symmetrical; we are also divinely proportioned.

It's no wonder the Psalmist writes, "I will praise You, because I have been remarkably and wonderfully made. Your works are wonderful, and I know [this] very well" (Psalm 139:14). But the evidence of divine proportion is not limited to our bodies. It is as expansive as symmetry—it's everywhere. Every creature bears numerous marks of proportion. Those who have studied proportion explain that it also exists in sound waves, music, the rhythm of a heartbeat, and other interesting facets of our existence. In fact, were scientists to dedicate research time to the study of proportion, we would likely find a universe so amazingly proportional that it would literally make our minds pause in a reverent appreciation of our Designer.

Branching

Branching involves the extension of the scope or delivery of a structure or system through division into small components. Like symmetry and proportion, branching is also pervasive. When we think of branching, we typically think of trees—and most particularly the portion of the tree above the trunk. However, trees also exhibit branching below the trunk in the root system—a bit symmetrically, I might add. Rivers and streams branch as do blood vessels, lightning bolts, nerves, veins in leaves, and portions of plants. The fingers on the hand and toes on the feet evidence branching. Government systems and business organizations also function more efficiently with branching. Family units develop in a branching pattern—i.e., the "family tree." Interestingly, Jesus, himself, is referred to as both a vine from which branches emerge (John 15:1-5), and the "branch" (Isaiah 4:2, 11:1; Jeremiah 23:5, 33:15; Zechariah 3:8, 6:12).

The applications of the function of branching are diverse, while the purpose is singular. Thinking about the concept of branching should draw you to an understanding that, considering its pervasiveness and functionality, branching is the product of design—by a powerful, intelligent and loving creator.

Flow

Flow is interesting in that it is accomplished successfully in relation to branching. Water flows in rivers and streams, which branch. Blood flows in our veins. Electrical impulses flow naturally through our nerves and are evidenced through lightning bolts. Management flows through government and business structures. Air flows.

The Bible includes some interesting statements regarding "flow"—many of which relate to eternal life:

Of course, numerous verses describe God's promised land as a land "flowing with milk and honey" (e.g., Exodus 3:8, Leviticus 20:24, Numbers 13:27 and Deuteronomy 11:9).

In describing his vision of the Lord, Daniel noted that "[a] river of fire was flowing, coming out from His presence. Thousands upon thousands served Him; ten thousand times ten thousand stood before Him. The court was convened, and the books were opened" (Daniel 7:10).

In Amos, God declared that His people had forsaken righteousness, and He called for change: "But let justice flow like water, and righteousness, like an unfailing stream" (Amos 5:24).

The prophet Zechariah declared that on the day of Lord's reign on Earth, ". . . living water will flow out from Jerusalem, half of it toward the eastern sea and the other half toward the western sea, in summer and winter alike" (Zechariah 14:8).

Describing the spiritual regeneration of believers, Jesus said, "[t]he one who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, will have streams of living water flow from deep within him" (John 7:38).

John, in describing his vision of the future as revealed to him, noted that the angel showed him "the river of living water, sparkling like crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb" (Revelation 22:1).

Flow is a symbol of life and abundance, and we experience it every day in a number of ways. Flow permeates our existence like so many of God's other syntheses. Flow directs us to God because it demands our reason to consider sources and destinations as well as movement with purpose.

In sum, our environment is extremely amazing. It bears the marks of symmetry, color, proportion, branching and flow—to name only a few of its captivating and unifying characteristics. Each of the aspects of creation was designed to provide both aesthetic pleasure and functionality, again, for our benefit. Who or what else benefits from the glory of the Earth besides us and God? The application of such power and intelligence on our behalf is both humbling and awe inspiring and should prompt us to a sense of worship of the Creator. But most of all, it should cause us to recognize that God has a profound love for us. There simply is no other sound explanation for the existence and provision of such beauty throughout our life experience.

2. He gives us a choice.

I remember several years ago being driven through some crowded streets in India. I was with a co-worker, and we were there to visit several orphanages in various cities. As we were driving along, our guide, Padma, a great woman who was responsible for directing one of the orphanages, was explaining to us the fact that, in many families, the marriages of sons and daughters were arranged by the parents; the children had no say in the matter. I had a difficult time appreciating this unusual marriage tradition. To me, choice of a spouse is everything in the marital relationship. It is precisely because I can choose my spouse, and she can choose me that I know we love each other. We have rejected other options in favor of each other.

I think that God would agree with me. In addition to giving us an amazing environment, God also gives us a choice. He does not require that we choose Him, for He says, "Choose for yourselves today the one you will worship"(Josh. 24:15). God wants us to have the opportunity to reject Him. He gives us this choice because He loves us. He wants us to have independence and freedom. Such choice was instituted as early as the Garden of Eden. The Bible states that "[i]n the middle of the garden were the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil" (Genesis 2:9). And God thereby created the choice: "'You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die'" (Genesis 2:16b-17). By giving Adam and Eve a choice, God allowed them the freedom to believe Him or to reject His admonition.

King David made a number of poor choices in his life. Ultimately, though, he learned the benefits of good choices. In one of his Psalms he wrote, "I have chosen the way of truth; I have set Your ordinances [before me]" (Psalm 119:30).

It is interesting that the same choice that is given to us in love is the choice that allows us to demonstrate love towards God. God wants us to believe Him, but rather than compelling us to do it, He allows us to learn the truth of His Word through our own experience. We can choose to ignore Him or to believe what He says. We can choose our own destiny. We can choose to love Him. And when we choose to love God, God can delight in our choice—a decision not made out of compulsion, but out of freedom. The gift of choice is simply another demonstration of His love for us.

3. He gives us an opportunity to live eternally with Him.

Perhaps most remarkable of all His gifts, God also gives us an opportunity to live with Him forever. John writes, "And this is the promise that He Himself made to us: eternal life" (1 John 2:25). Paul writes, "The gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord" (Rom. 6:23). The Bible states that "this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son" (1 John 5:11). It is interesting that not only did Jesus give Himself for us as a sacrifice so that we could have eternal life (John 3:16), but he is also referred to as eternal life itself: "He is the true God and eternal life" (1 John 5:20c). Peter acknowledged that Jesus was the source of eternal life: "You have the words of eternal life" (John 6:68). Jesus declared Himself to be the source of eternal life: "I give them eternal life" (John 6:40, 47; 10:28).

Thus, the gift of eternal life originates in God Himself, and He imparts that life—Himself—to us. God did not have to give us the opportunity to experience eternal life. It could have been his plan that our physical death marked the end of our existence, but He, again, just wanted to benefit us. He offers us the highest good available through the greatest act of selflessness—a sacrifice of His own life on Earth—the termination of His own human existence so that we could experience glorified, spiritual and eternal existence. Such a gift could only have been prompted out of love.

Therefore, inasmuch as God has given you life on Earth, and in so doing, placed you in an amazing environment, and then gave you eternal life at His own expense, there is no question that He loves you. You can trust Him, because He is your manufacturer. He knows how you function far better than even you could ever know. He has your best interests in mind. He has confirmed His desire for your greatest good through repeated acts of selflessness. Thus, when He gives you an instruction to do something or to avoid something, He is trying to help you get the most out of life and to avoid harm. He has made it abundantly easy to understand exactly why you can believe Him. The only question is whether you will believe Him.

How to Believe God

Believing God should be simple. We should take one look at the universe into which we have been placed and say, "If He can do that, then I will believe Him," and then search His word to see what He says. For whatever reason, though, it seems that we, in our various states of understanding who God is and what He's done, fail fully to embrace His word. We either fail to comprehend His magnificence, attribute His magnificence to something or someone else, get used to His magnificence, omit or decline to read His Word or refuse to believe what He says.

The prophet Isaiah writes, "No one calls on Your name, striving to take hold of You" (Isaiah 64:7). David states that "God looks down from heaven on the human race to see if there is one who is wise and who seeks God. Everyone has turned aside" (Psalm 53:2-3a). Thus, we are not inclined to believe Him. However, our failure to believe Him is our loss. God offers so much to those who will believe that we miss the best He has to offer through the negligence of disbelief.

Perhaps it's just that we are a bit too human to act consistently with principles that we know are right. In those glorious moments when we do get it, though, it is hard to understand why we would ever not believe God. And in those moments, when we embrace His Word as truth, we tap into his fountain of living water (Jeremiah 2:13), and streams of living water flow deep within us (John 7:38).

A. Trust what He says to receive salvation.

The most fundamental thing that we can do to demonstrate our belief in what God says is to believe the most fundamental thing that He wants us to believe. God wants us to be forgiven and to have eternal life. He created us to live forever, and He wants us to live forever with Him. However, to live forever with Him, God wants us to do one thing: believe what He says. When we do, God rewards us immensely. He wants to be believed.

Abraham provides a perfect example of such belief. Abraham complained to God that he had no descendants and that his slave would be his heir (Genesis 15:2). God responded with some unbelievable news: "'This one will not be your heir; instead, one who comes from your own body will be your heir.' He took him outside and said, 'Look at the sky and count the stars, if you are able to count them.' Then He said to him, 'Your offspring will be that [numerous]'" (Genesis 15:4-5).

The news was unbelievable because Abraham knew his own age and the age of his wife, Sarah (Romans 4:19). He knew that people his age were not able to have children. Yet, because Abraham knew he could trust God, the Bible says that "Abram believed the LORD" (Genesis 15:6a). It was so simple. Abraham just believed God. He didn't remind God of his circumstances. He didn't try to tell God that his wife was beyond childbearing age. He just believed God. The amazing thing, though, is what God did in response to Abraham's belief. The Bible says that God "credited" Abraham's belief to Abraham "as righteousness." God appreciated Abraham's trust so much that He rewarded Abraham by considering him righteous. Righteous—despite the fact that Abraham was a sinner. In so believing, Abraham became recognized as "the father of all who believe" (Romans 4:11). He became a hero of faith by his example of belief. Recognizing the power of God, Abraham "believed in God, who gives life to the dead and calls things into existence that do not exist" (Romans 4:17b). As Paul, in Romans, explains, Abraham "did not waver in unbelief at God's promise, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God, because he was fully convinced that what He had promised He was also able to perform" (Romans 4:20-21).

God has also promised a credit of righteousness to us. God never told Abraham that he would be the recipient of righteousness for his belief, but God does promise righteousness to us. The same righteousness bestowed on Abraham for his belief is offered to all who believe in what God says. As Paul further explained, the phrase, "'it was credited to him' was not written for Abraham alone, but also for us. It will be credited to us who believe in Him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead" (Romans 4:23-24).

God has made very clear and very simple his offer of righteousness; it is contingent on our belief in Jesus. John, a disciple of Jesus, writes, "Now this is His command: that we believe in the name of His Son Jesus Christ" (1 John 3:23a). Paul summarizes the opportunity by stating, "If you confess with your mouth, 'Jesus is Lord,' and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. With the heart one believes, resulting in righteousness" (Romans 10:9-10a). Jesus, himself, told Nicodemus, "that everyone who believes in [Jesus] will not perish but have eternal life" (John 3:16).

Thus, like Abraham, if we believe what God tells us to believe, we will be credited with righteousness and thereby rewarded eternal life with Him. As Jesus said, "'I assure you: Anyone who hears My word and believes Him who sent Me has eternal life and will not come under judgment but has passed from death to life'" (John 5:24). Despite the fact that God is a holy God in whose presence sin cannot stand, we, with our credit of righteousness as a result of our belief in Christ, will be able to "stand in the presence of His glory, blameless and with great joy" (Jude 24). What an opportunity!

When I was 7 years old, I was introduced to this truth by my mother. She explained to me that the whole idea of Jesus' death on the cross was so that my sins could be washed away and my heart made clean, and I could also thereby live forever in Heaven with God. When she asked me if I wanted to tell Jesus that I believed in Him, I didn't hesitate; I knelt by my bedside and thanked Jesus for dying for me and taking away my sin. I acknowledged Jesus as God and my source of eternal life. When I did that, I immediately felt like a new person. My expression of belief in what God said about Jesus erased my sin and granted me eternal life with God, and I knew it. I couldn't wait to tell other people about it. My first grade class heard about it in "Show and Tell" (although I'm not sure that my teacher knew exactly what to think about it).

Thus, our first step in believing God is to accept what He says about salvation. When you believe what God says about salvation, you inherit righteousness and eternal life. And that's just the beginning of the journey of blessings that we can enjoy when we place faith in what God says.

B. Follow His Instruction for Living.

Believing what God says about salvation addresses our eternal life with Him. If that weren't enough, God has also seen fit to reward our faith for living day by day. When we trust what God says about living, we can experience the fullness of life—the best that it has to offer. God's word is literally overflowing with divinely ordained guidelines for living. You can read from any of its 66 books and find truths for living a most enjoyable and meaningful life. I note just a few for your consideration.

1. Don't worry.

I have some friends who seem to enjoy worrying. I say that, because some of these friends seem to worry a lot about a lot. For example, some worry about their health and about the health of each member of their families. Some worry about the economy. Some worry about the educational path of each of their children. Some worry about their jobs. Some worry about their houses. Some worry about their cars. Some worry about different relationships. Some of them even worry about worrying. Sometimes I even join in and worry about various things too.

Despite the fact that there is much that can be worried about, the Bible tells us, "Don't worry about anything . . ." (Philippians 4:6a). Isn't that refreshing? It's so simple and so straightforward. Just don't worry about it! Yet, it's our nature to worry. We want to control our destinies. We want to control our pleasures. We want to control our circumstances. We want control over everything. So, when something unexpected arises, when something throws off the perfect maintenance scheme for our lifestyles, the only reasonable thing to do, it seems, is worry about it.

But God recognizes our weakness. He understands that we are inclined to worry and become distressed when things go wrong. He tells us exactly how to respond to such unexpected events: "Don't worry about anything." "Anything" is a big word; it encompasses—everything. In fact, the verse goes on to say, "but in everything, through prayer and petition with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses every thought, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus" (Philippians4:6b-7). God wants us to recognize that our futures are in His hand—under His control—and that it is our faith in Him that allows us to rise above the unexpected. And it is certainly fair to say that if the Author of the Universe tells you not to worry about something, you probably don't have to worry about it.

Medical researchers tell us that those who live a carefree life suffer less from physical ailments and enjoy longer life. They are simply confirming the benefits of what God has understood all along. You can trust God with the unexpected. You can embrace His truth and make it your own. You can cast your worries on God and be carefree because God told you to do it. "Cast your burden on the LORD, and He will support you" (Psalm 55:22).

You can trust God. Take God at His Word, and don't worry.

2. Be Giving.

You should also believe what God says about giving. Giving is so unlike us, isn't it? It is our nature to be selfish. We want as much as we can get for ourselves. It's funny to listen to people order food at a fast food restaurant. I've heard many people say (and now you have to ask yourself, "What do I say when I order?"), "Give me a . . .," or "I'll take a . . .," or "I want a . . . ." Amazingly, we get to "order" someone to give us something, and it makes us feel good or perhaps slightly powerful. Finally, someone allows us to make a demand and watch that demand get fulfilled before our very eyes. And so, it only makes sense that we would say, "Give me a . . . ."

I thought about this long ago and decided that the least offensive response—which I actually consciously state when I "order"—is to state what I'd like, "I'd like a . . . ." At least in this manner, I am not so much ordering as I am expressing a desire—giving them a choice as to whether or not they elect to fulfill the request. At the end of the day, though, I am "ordering"—consistent with my nature and the nature of my fellow earthlings, I am demanding that something be given to me.

We all know that children understand this concept too well. In fact, I think teenagers perhaps understand "wanting" more than children, because they appreciate more the things that are not immediately available to them. They accordingly and regularly complain about the need for more clothes, more shoes, a car, a net book or iPad, a new smart phone, more technological toys, more money for eating out with friends, and the list is nearly endless. As adults, we—or at least most of us—have come to accept that not everything will be given to us at our beckon call, so we are a bit more resigned to the fact that we cannot have everything. The truth, however, is that if we could have anything we wanted, we'd probably go ahead and place our order.

The amazing thing about giving is that it is so contrary to our nature. But God is a God of opposites. Once again, He is testing our faith in His word as opposed to believing our own reason. God says, "Give, and it will be given to you; a good measure; pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be poured into your lap" (Luke 6:38). It's just so hard to believe that releasing our possessions could possible result in our increase. But it does. God said it would, and we should just accept His truth.

3. Rest.

Our lives are generally marked by hurry and busyness. So many of us live from one activity to the next. We fill our lives with so much busyness that we hardly have time to sleep. Is that really living? I don't think that it is. I confess that I, shamefully, have led a busy life. As a lawyer, I have often worked a full time job, while taking cases and other legal matters "on the side" as sort of a hobby. However, the "hobby" has at times consumed me. Jesus was right when He said that "No one can be a slave of two masters" (Matthew 6:24). When I would come home from work and then begin working on the cases and other legal matters, I lost the "down time"—the time to relax. Both of my masters wanted my full time attention, and as a result, my life became pressed.

Twice in my life, too, I have undertaken the overwhelming task of finishing a basement. Those who have ever tackled such a task can appreciate the magnitude of the effort involved. Of course, this work was completed after "work." So, on the evenings when I worked on the basement, which was nearly every evening for a period of a year or so, the work would typically engage me until late in the evenings. I continued the work on the weekends as well. And, of course, there were those times where I had "hobby" cases after work while I was also trying to finish a basement. Of course, too, there were church activities and kids' school activities demanding my time. I think that in those times of excessive busyness I hurt myself physically, emotionally and spiritually.

God knows that many of us are prone to excessive activity. That's why He encourages us to rest. In fact, in the Ten Commandments God directed people to "remember" or commemorate the Sabbath day. The remembrance was to be effected through rest. Isn't it great that God commands us to rest! Can you imagine going to work and having your boss say, "I'm glad you're here; now go and take a nap"—at a mattress company maybe, but for most of us, work is a place to work. There is no rest at work.

But God, knowing what's best for us, tells us to rest. He wants us to rest one day per week. One day each week God wants us to cease from our labors and just sit back and relax. For those who would say, "God isn't as interested in our resting as He is in our honoring Him by going to church" are missing the point. Aside from the fact that the Sabbath is Saturday and we typically attend church on Sunday, it is important to recognize that we honor God when we rest in accordance with His instruction. When you rest, having the attitude of "I'm going to rest now because God wants me to rest," you are trusting and resting in God. You are believing God, and you will be blessed in accepting what God knows you need.

Jesus said, "The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath" (Mark 2:27). He was confirming for us that God wants us to rest not for His benefit, but for our benefit. Thus, as with all of God's commands, He has our best interests in mind.

God also wants us to rest spiritually. There is no need for us to exhaust ourselves trying to do good works. Indeed, we are told that we are saved "not by works of righteousness that we had done, but according to His mercy" (Titus 3:5). In this regard, Jesus said, "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light" (Matthew 11:28-30). Jesus doesn't want us to wear ourselves out trying to impress Him. He just wants us to rest in what He has done for us. He wants us to enjoy our spiritual lives, allowing the Spirit to work through us, rather than having us labor. The Gospel means "good news"; the message is good news because Jesus took care of our sin; there is nothing left for us to do except believe in Him and accept what He did for us. So, take Jesus at His word; rest in Him. Honor Jesus with your rest.

Results of Believing God

If you will believe God and embrace what He says by living consistently with His directives for life, you will experience peace, joy and a sense of fulfillment. You will find meaning for life. Ultimately, these are the things that matter. Wealth, fame and power are meaningless ends; they are neither the source of, associated with, nor the outcome of peace, joy and fulfillment. Believing what God says about Jesus Christ will bring salvation—forgiveness of sin and eternal life—the culmination of life itself. Embracing His guidelines for living allows you to taste the flourishes available in life. As King David encouraged everyone, "Taste and see that the LORD is good" (Psalm 34:8a). Begin right now. Decide that you are going to believe God. Search His word for directives as if they were buried treasure and then apply yourself to them and then sit back and enjoy the results. Synchronize your soul with the plan of God, and you will begin to appreciate the simplicity and meaning available to you in living life.

LOVE PEOPLE

People are very valuable. People are very important. God considered people so valuable that He died for them (John 3:16). Yet, too often I think we all demonstrate that we do not sincerely recognize or accept the value of people. If we truly thought that people were important—say, more important than things—would we not be very willing to forego possession of stuff so that other people could have stuff—maybe even food? Yet, we walk past the bell ringers at Christmas—knowing full well that they are raising money to help the poor—and we go into the stores and buy more stuff for ourselves. We buy not just stuff, but better stuff. We buy better dishes, better computers, better cameras, better phones, better shoes, better games, better watches, better jewelry, and doesn't the list go on and on? Yep. Even though we have stuff, and other people do not have stuff, we walk past the people who don't have stuff so that we can get our better stuff. And, sadly, the people with better stuff walk past the bell ringers to buy the best stuff.

Suppose just one of those times, when we walked past the bell ringer, he asked us what we were going to get. Suppose further that the bell ringer were Jesus. Would you be delighted to provide the details—"Why, yes, I'm going to get myself a new pair of jeans; my current ones are getting a bit too faded; they do not really match the expectations of my peers; I think that they expect me to be wearing the latest. Oh, and I'm also going to buy myself some of those Godiva chocolates; after all, I deserve it. Maybe I'll give you one of those orange flavored ones on my way out; I don't like the orange flavored ones. And look at this old Coach wallet; isn't that a scuff mark on there; I need to see about a new one." I think our explanation—to Jesus—would make us want to crawl into a hole.

Also, what do we do when we are done with our stuff? Many of us try to sell it at a garage sale. Don't we get excited about taking the stuff that we don't want or need and seeing if we can get other people to give us money for it? After all, it's a simple and interesting way to make a few extra bucks. But what about taking our stuff that has some value and giving it to Goodwill? Why not give it away so that others can benefit from it without our trying to extract the last bit of value that we can. We are reluctant to do so because we are more interested in ourselves.

I don't need to advocate, here, that L means "Love Yourself" because I am fairly certain that you are likely to do just that most of your life. On the contrary, I want to encourage you to do the challenging. Focus on others. People are more important than things, and, sometimes, other people are more important than us.

Why Love People?

There are some pretty good reasons to love people. I will address only two—the two that I think are most important. In considering these reasons, you should notice an irony. The irony of loving people is that in exercising true love for others, we end up benefiting ourselves; it's an irony designed by God.

A. We are commanded to love people.

The first thing that I tell you in this book is to believe God. I tell you to find out what God says and then do it. Now, here's some good news. You don't have to look too far to find God's commands, because the rest of this book will detail a few of them for you. Loving people isn't just a point on which you should focus your life. It is also a command of God. John writes, "Now this is His command: that we . . . love one another as He commanded us" (1 John 3:23). We know that because John was writing to "my dear children" (1 John 2:1), he was directing his God given word to believers. Isn't it interesting that God would have to command believers to love one another? God knows full well that people—even Christian people—forget the fundamental principle of putting others first, so He makes it very clear by commanding us, not encouraging us or suggesting to us, but ordering us to love one another.

God knows that people are important, and He wants us to know it too. God has ordained us to be His fingers—touching the lives of people with all that we can give them.

Even in the Ten Commandments, God is urging us to consider others. We are instructed to act with integrity towards our neighbors, not harming them, not taking from them, and not even wanting the things that they have (Exodus 20:12-17). Jesus tells us that the second most significant commandment is to "Love your neighbor as yourself" (Matthew 22:39). In one of his letters to believers, Peter, a disciple of Jesus, writes, "Above all, keep your love for one another at full strength" (1 Peter 4:8). John, another of Jesus' disciples, writes, "For this is the message you have heard from the beginning: we should love one another" (1 John 3:11).

Now, if you accept the proposition that you should believe what God says, then, simply on the basis of the fact that He commands that you should love others, you should love others. But you can be confident that God is actually giving you the instruction to help you. So, you can help yourself by helping others.

Depression, which seems to be the plague of our time, ultimately has its origin in our failure to love others. In our consumption of the technological revolution, with the provision of more precise and immediate information and the availability of variety coupled with the attendant craze to get the latest upgrade to everything, we have become intoxicated by the rush of pleasing ourselves. We have learned to appreciate and desire both the most current version of everything and the version that is most uniquely suited to our desires. As a consequence, we have become desensitized to the needs of others. It has taken devastating natural disasters such as a Tsunami and a hurricane to remind us that—"Oh yeah, there are people with needs." But it's fair to say that there are mini tsunamis and mini hurricanes everywhere—causing people to lose all that they have, including their hope. And there are very few people who are willing to make themselves or their funds available to help.

When we turn our eyes from ourselves to others in need, however, depression seems to fade. The simple acts of changing our focus from our own circumstances to the desperate conditions of others and then attempting to meet the needs that we are capable of meeting provide an interesting sense of fulfillment that usurps depression. Such selflessness gives depression little room to make itself at home in our minds.

God knows this about us. And He wants us to be fulfilled and not to be overtaken by depression. He wants us to be filled with joy. He wants us to experience meaning. Hence, He commands us to love others. Demonstrate to Him that you believe what He says. Find meaning through benefiting others. Take the initiative to love others, and enjoy the personal transformation that will result—the benefit of your faith in the words of the Author of you.

B. People are the only thing you bring to heaven.

To help yourself consider the value of people, ask yourself this question: "What will I bring with me to heaven?" The question is a simple one, but it will help you look a bit further down the road and consider what is truly important. Ultimately, you will realize that the only thing you bring with you to heaven is people. You don't bring your house, your job, your car, your mutual funds, or your audio/video equipment or communication systems. In fact, I don't think you can bring the Internet with you to heaven. People, though, are a different matter. You can tell people how to get to heaven, and if people accept the truth, and you are the instrument that delivered the truth to them, then you are, in essence, bringing them to heaven. It's a wonderful and yet a sobering thought.

When you realize that people are the only thing that you bring with you to heaven, you should begin to adjust your priorities. You should re-evaluate how you will proceed through life. How do you touch people emotionally and spiritually each day? Are you caustic and rude? Or do you recognize people as eternal beings that you can invite into everlasting habitation with the Founder of the All?

I have attended many funerals in my life. Two, in particular, stand out. Both funerals involved young women. Both of these young women loved God, and their love for God was evident in many aspects of their lives. Perhaps the most poignant and most significant evidence, though, was demonstrated by their love for others. In both funerals, testimony after testimony was given as to how these young women touched the lives of so many people. People were important to these young women. Though they left this world so early in life, though neither was truly given enough time to accomplish great works or accumulate wealth, each of these young women lived enough life to impact intensely through love the lives of a number of people. I have never been more convinced of my own need to love and touch people as I was as a quiet attendee at these funerals. I remember thinking that anyone would be considered a complete success to have left the legacy that was left by these young women—a legacy of love and investment in people.

Dr. Kenneth N. Taylor, who paraphrased the Bible in his work, The Living Bible, and who founded both Tyndale House Publishers and the Christian Booksellers Association, died at age 88. At age 87, he agreed to write an article for the Autumn 2004 edition of the Wheaton Alumni magazine. He elected to write "On Aging." I read the article with interest, because the words of a great saint provided at the end of life are extremely valuable—the refined product of experience and a life well lived. In the article, in which he shared some thoughts on aging, he wrote: "One of those thoughts is that when I am laid to rest in the next two or three years (or will it be weeks?), not many people will give it more than a passing thought other than to say, 'Sorry to hear it.' This is a reminder to me that we do not live for praise but to help others, so whatever needs doing must be done now." Thus, this aged saint advises us that we live to love people.

When you see people as God sees them, you understand the importance of their eternal well-being. Your desire to share the Gospel with them becomes more innate. But think about the outcome. If you love people into heaven, an eternity from now, you will have people expressing their appreciation to you. Just as Gabriel heralded the arrival of Christ to Mary and had his name recorded forever in the Word of God as the one who brought such good news (Luke 1:26-38), so you will become the Gabriel to others—remembered and loved forever for bringing the good news of salvation that resulted in an eternity with Jesus.

How to Love People

Loving people involves meeting their needs at your expense. Sometimes the needs of people are staggeringly substantial; other times the needs of people are simple and easily remedied. Sometimes your expense is truly costly, while other times your expense is minimal. When you sincerely love people, though, you find that you fail to consider the expense. You consider only the benefit to the person of what you have to give.

A. Tell them about Jesus.

Speaking of expense, for most of us, telling people about Jesus costs extremely little. At most, it may perhaps cost a bit of your pride in disclosing yourself as "one of those born-agains," a portion of your reputation for being "objective" (an ideal of our society that should, in this case, be sacrificed for a greater prize), a bit of your time—but that's about it, unless you live in a community that proscribes and punishes proselytization. At the end of the day, for most of us, evangelization is very inexpensive. Particularly, considering the magnitude of the outcome: a soul is transformed from condemnation to salvation, from death to life—eternal life. All things considered, telling someone about the salvation available through Jesus is about the best deal available for us as Christians: the greatest reward for the least cost.

Not long ago, I was standing in the parking lot of a bank in Cool Springs, Tennessee, near Interstate 65. It may have seemed a bit odd, because it was about 9:30 p.m., and the lot was completely empty. However, I considered it the best place to meet Ted Marvin, a friend who was travelling from Illinois to meet with me in Franklin, Tennessee. I wanted to show him a few things before we went to my house, and I thought the bank would be the most convenient place to meet with Ted. While I waited, I found myself enjoying the summer evening—no wind, perfect temperature. As I stood there in the night, another car drove into the lot. As the car drove slowly by me, an older African American gentleman in the car looked at me; I waved, and he waved back. He then parked his car on the edge of the bank parking lot. As I watched him park his car, I was literally overwhelmed by the fact that I was to tell this man about Jesus. He got out of his car and started towards me. I was thinking, "How curious is this, that a man would walk towards me at night in an empty bank parking lot?" I considered it to be a God ordained meeting. We had a friendly greeting, and then he asked, "Do you know where I could find a hotel around here? I am really tired." I learned that he had travelled from Ohio, and he was headed south. Without hesitation, I asked him whether he knew Jesus. He told me that he had gotten far away from Jesus. We had a great discussion. Then, Ted arrived. Ted is a youth pastor. Ted joined us in the discussion as if he had been there all along. A short while later, Ted and I joined this gentleman in prayer. He declared his faith in Jesus and became a changed man before our eyes. It was an extraordinary meeting. It was easy to tell him about Jesus. Not many encounters will be like the encounter I had that night, but I know that we all benefitted from introducing this gentleman to Jesus.

I think it's important to note that telling people about Jesus is not a competition to be won. Contrary to the world's understanding, it is not about getting converts. It is not about increasing Christianity. It is not a crusade. It is not a conquest. It is not a means to suppress other religions. It is not about criticizing other religions. It is simply introducing people to the truth that the Architect of Reality has offered to mankind.

Of course, if we are the recipients of the Great Commission, then we are commanded to tell others about Jesus. Jesus told his disciples to "go and make disciples of all nations" (Matthew 28:19). In this regard, God offers to us an amazing opportunity to be an agent of the Gospel. Certainly, He could have proclaimed the Gospel through angels. He could have told everyone through a great sign in the sky. He will eventually do it through His own presence when He sets up a kingdom on earth. However, He gives us the opportunity to be the messengers of the good news to those living at this point in time. We are, now and therefore, both agents of giving and beneficiaries of having been given the good news.

But, more importantly, what greater gift could you give someone than a drink from the fountain that will never run dry? When Jesus asked the Samaritan woman for a drink of water, the account never tells us whether Jesus ever got His drink (John 4). It does tell us, though, that Jesus introduced the truth to this woman. "Jesus said, 'Everyone who drinks from this water will get thirsty again. But whoever drinks from the water that I will give him will never get thirsty again—ever! In fact, the water I will give him will become a well of water springing up within him for eternal life'" (John 4:13-14).

What Jesus knew—that this was the one and only opportunity he would ever have to share with her the good news—is something that we should also know. And more than something we know, it should be something we live. We should consider our lives as being lived to help others find salvation.

If you had a lifetime to consider the matter, you would, I am confident, conclude that telling others about the forgiveness of sins, the peace and freedom, and eternal life with God that are available through belief in the work of Jesus Christ is the single most important thing you could do with your life—both for you and for other people. Unfortunately, however, you do not have a lifetime to contemplate the matter. Fortunately, however, you really don't need to consider the matter that long. God made it simple for everyone who is willing to take Him at His Word. He, like the Nike commercial, in essence simply says, "Just do it" when He says, "love your neighbor." You can trust that He is urging you to declare the truth for your benefit as much as it is for those who believe. As Paul told the Thessalonians to whom he declared the Gospel and who accepted the message of truth, "For what is our hope, our joy, or the crown in which we will glory in the presence of our Lord Jesus when he comes? Is it not you?" (1 Thessalonians 1:19) Paul recognized the significant benefits of being the bearer of the truth of Jesus. It is the hearer's "highest good" to live eternally with God. And each believer becomes the messenger's source of joy and reward. Thus, telling people about Jesus is the best and most fulfilling way for you to demonstrate that you love people.

B. Become a Servant.

It simply is not enough, though, to tell people about Jesus. It is up to us, then, to be Jesus to them. Paul said that "Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus . . . taking the very nature of a servant . . ." (Philippians 2:5-7). Being a servant is so contrary to our nature. We want other people to cater to us. We want people to expend themselves on our account. We love attention. We love being pampered. We love comfort.

But God wants us to look beyond our own comfort and consider the needs of others for comfort, for attention, for food, for clothing and for shelter. Jesus looked into the future at the time when He would reign and explained that, as King, he will reward those who cared for others. He said, "I assure you: Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of Mine, you did for Me" (Matthew 25:40). In explaining the "least of these," Jesus said, "For I was hungry and you gave Me something to eat; I was thirsty and you gave Me something to drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you took care of Me; I was in prison and you visited Me" (Matthew 25:25-36).

Evaluate how you are doing: When was the last time that you fed the hungry? When was the last time you gave a thirsty person a drink? When was the last time you housed a stranger? When was the last time that you clothed someone? When was the last time that you took care of a sick person? When was the last time that you visited someone in prison? Of course, you can do some of these things by providing money. Are you recalling dates when you did these things? If not, you need to re-evaluate your eternal perspective, and consider the eternal significance of meeting the needs of others.

As a child, except for a couple of years in middle school when my school was miles away, I used to walk to school nearly every day. I was already very thin, and the exercise, added to my already active life, strengthened my stamina, and helped me become a very fast runner. I was always one of the best runners in my grade.

One day, near the end of the year of one of my elementary school years, the school administrator directed my entire class to go outside to the front lawn of the school to do some relays. I don't really remember why we were doing it, and it seemed very unusual that we were doing it. I just considered it another extended recess. Part of the relays involved races that I knew I could win. But, for some reason, I decided to be contrary and tried to get laughs by running backwards and sideways and running to the finish line and stopping just in time to let another person win—basically doing everything that no one would have expected me to do—totally blowing my chances to win any of the races. I was truly having a good time.

Much to my surprise, however, the next day the school administrator hosted an assembly and awarded beautiful trophies to all of the winners of those races. With mouth open in shock, I watched people that I knew I could outrun walk past me and up to the platform to get a trophy amidst the applause and cheers of the entire school. The newspaper was even there taking photos. Now, here I am decades later remembering that moment.

How different will that experience be from when we get to heaven? As I write these words, I have a sinking feeling that I am going to stand before God someday and watch, with my mouth wide open in shock, as people with less opportunity than I go and receive awards from the Almighty amidst the cheers of heaven. And as I watch, I will picture myself on Earth, having a good time, running sideways and backwards, running up to the finish line and stopping. I will see myself passing by strangers with no limbs as I am on my way to buy myself a donut. I will see myself paying my Internet bill while throwing away a request for money to feed the hungry at the local rescue mission. I will see myself flying by the stranded roadside stranger to get home to start my grill.

Are you identifying with me? Well, I have good news for you and me both: IT'S NOT TOO LATE! There are many more races to go—many more opportunities to be a servant. Isn't that great? I am confident that each week for the rest of our lives we will be given the opportunity to participate in a new race—a new person to shelter, a new person to feed, a new person to visit, a new person to love. Each time you beat someone else to the provision, you win!

I sometimes think that God allowed me to experience that failure in elementary school so that I could have a gloriously early glimpse into the reality of the temporary vs. the eternal. I can only now hope that I, and I hope you, will learn from my mini-missed opportunity and really seize the day and the life by helping others. Being a servant to people is an eternal opportunity. Plan now to love people in this way, and hopefully we'll see each other in the trophy group in heaven.

C. Do good to people who aren't so good.

Perhaps even more challenging than being a servant to someone in need is to be good to those who just don't deserve it. Despite the fact that it's hard, Jesus said, "But I tell you who hear me: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you" (Luke 6:27-28).

Actually, many of us have very few examples of what we would classify as "enemies"—those that would like to kill us. For that, we can be very grateful. However, all of us have experienced persons who we could say have acted with hate towards us, cursed us or mistreated us. (Hopefully, it's not because we have done something ill to them to cause them to respond to us in this way.) It is in these extreme situations that we are given a perfect opportunity to embrace the words of God.

If you can want the highest good for the person who mistreats you, then you are demonstrating true love. This is exactly the love shown to us by God; Paul says, "While we were enemies, we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son" (Romans 5:10). It's amazing. While we were shaking our fist in the face of God, He was planning to send Jesus, His perfect and only Son to die for us. As Jesus said, "For He is gracious to the ungrateful and evil" (Luke 6:35).

It's our natural response to people who curse us or mistreat us to respond in kind. After all, they deserve it, right? We sometimes even insist that God drop a lightning bolt on them right then and there and just get it over with. We'd prefer that God act on His sense of fairness as opposed to His mercy.

Imagine the temptation facing Jesus as He was being whipped, spit upon, struck, and cursed. Imagine what He could have done to the persons who were pounding the nails in His hands and feet. With the word of His mouth, He could have declared the instantaneous physical implosion or nonexistence of each of His enemies. Yet, He tolerated all of it and said nothing negative in response. Instead, He said, "Father, forgive them, because they do not know what they are doing" (Luke 23:34). Jesus practiced what He preached. He gave us the perfect model in Himself.

Hopefully, none of us will ever have to face circumstances similar to what Jesus faced. However, when you consider His example, can you see how the principle could be applied when someone cuts in line at the grocery checkout line, when someone at the self-checkout doesn't understand how to scan a bar code, when someone cuts you off on the road causing you to stop for the red light, someone spills grape juice on your new carpet, someone lies about you at work so that they can get the promotion, someone scratches your new car, someone overcharges you for a purchase, someone breaks a contract or even your marriage, someone abuses you, or someone harms one of your family members.

As challenging as these circumstances can be, they are opportunities to do exactly what Jesus wants you to do--to demonstrate love to your enemies. If you succeed, if you demonstrate that you believe Jesus, then benefits await you.

D. Do not judge people.

One of the greatest temptations for Christians is to pronounce judgment on those who do wrong. It's remarkably easy to say, "He should be punished; he is involved in a pretty serious sin." "I don't associate with her; she is an adulteress." "I heard that he is a homosexual. I always knew something was wrong with him." "She deserves to be fired; she stole from her employer." "When I heard the kind of music they listen to, I told my kids to stay away from them." "He was asking for it." "He cheats on his taxes." "I don't think they tithe; no wonder they can get a nice car." "She is promiscuous; just wait; she'll get hers." "Their kids are evil; there must be something wrong in their lives." We somehow begin to feel pretty good when we get to drop the gavel and declare the deficiencies of others. It feels good just to bask in an environment of righteousness that we have painted with our own words.

Yet, Jesus, considering everything, says, "Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven" (Luke 6:37). Jesus understood our temptations to judge others. Amazingly, though, in addition to telling us that we should not do it, He also offers a very special promise—we will not be judged, we will not be condemned, and we will be forgiven. What a fantastic promise! Just by avoiding the pointing of our finger, we keep fingers from pointing at us! It's a promise worth claiming. It's a promise that is beneficial to us and to others in our claiming of it. It's the design of a win-win God.

It is perhaps on this point that one of my atheist friends becomes most troubled with Christians. He, unfortunately and on many occasions, has been confronted by "Christians" who apparently felt duty bound to declare to him that he is going to burn in Hell. I, like my friend, just don't understand the point of such comments. Such comments are devoid of love and are the epitome of judgment. Do you think the people who nailed Jesus to the cross believed in Him? Quite to the contrary, I think they not only rejected Him, but they also enjoyed nailing Jesus to the cross. To them, Jesus was little more than a delusional terrorist. Yet, in spite of their clear rejection of Jesus as even a tolerable human—much less the God whose very breath held together the nails that were piercing His hands—Jesus forgave them. Jesus loved them. He could have said, "You are going to burn in Hell!" and certainly if He said it, it would be true. But Jesus said, instead, "I love you." In so doing, Jesus taught us to love even those who flatly reject Him.

Of course, this is not to say that we should avoid confronting people about sin. Indeed, we are encouraged to confront fellow believers who sin against us (Matthew 18:15-22), to try to restore, in a spirit of gentleness, fellow believers who are caught up in sin (Galatians 6:1), and otherwise to try to turn sinners from the errors of their ways (James 5:19-20). But accusing a person behind his or her back, gossiping about another person, or pronouncing a person's fault without considering your own sin and without gently and lovingly attempting to guide the person back to right living is judging the person, and we shouldn't do it.

Given the sinfulness that was at least once our lot in life, we simply have no room for judgment. Thus, as you go through life, regularly review your thoughts and actions towards others and make sure to build solid habits of encouraging others and refusing to judge and condemn them. Seek to build up and not to tear down. Decline to listen to gossip, judgment and condemnation, instead sowing words of encouragement into negative conversations. You will begin to experience the blessings that fall in the path of those who truly love people.

Results of Loving People

When you love people, you will witness peace, joy and a sense of fulfillment in your life. People are extremely important to God, so they should be extremely important to you. God makes eternity available to people, so when you love people, you get a sip of eternity. And if you love people enough to tell them about the salvation offered by God, you may very well someday enjoy the expressions of appreciation from those people, who will declare you to be the godsend of their eternal existence.

One of the first steps to loving people is to remove judgment of others from your life. Some of the most loving people I know are also the most accepting and forgiving of others. When you begin replacing judgment of others with forgiveness and acceptance, you will find yourself becoming a people magnet. People will be drawn to you because you are exactly what they need—a respite from the condemnation with which Satan and this world whip the lost. A good friend of mine said that the reason people followed Jesus was precisely because they didn't see judgment in His eyes. All they saw was acceptance and love. I think my friend is right. Jesus was engaging in His love. And I think we need to be exactly like Jesus with people.

Many things that we pursue during our busy lives at the expense of others will be missing in eternity, but people will be there. So start loving them now and get a head start on the blessings of eternity.

UNSHACKLE SIN

I once had a high school student ask me the meaning of the word "unshackle." My initial surprise at the question dissipated as I began to consider the fact that the student probably—and perhaps fortunately—had no occasion to encounter the word. Prisoners, on the other hand, are probably quite familiar with the word, and they would most certainly appreciate its application to them.

I suspect that the word entered my vocabulary as a result of the famous radio drama program produced by the Pacific Garden Mission in Chicago. I remember listening to a number of the "Unshackled!" programs as a young teen growing up in Kankakee, Illinois. Each episode portrayed some lost person's experience in finding release from the bondage of sin. To the originator of that program and to me the word "shackle" succinctly captures the essence of sin's effect on a person. The effects of sin are confining and heavy. Ironically, the person who hopes to experience freedom by engaging in sin is ultimately restrained—shackled—by sin's consequences.

In suggesting that you need to "unshackle" sin, I am not necessarily assuming that you are shackled by it. However, it is fair to say that there may have been times in your past and there may, indeed, be times in your future when sin will take a hold of you. You know that sin has control of you when you take some action that helps you sin, and at the time you are doing it, you know that you are sinning. I have been there myself, so I know how it works. Like Robert Frost, I can say, "I have been one acquainted with the night." So I know that when you are in that ugly state, you cannot sincerely believe God, love people, or enjoy life, so it seemed fairly appropriate to add unshackling sin to the list of life essentials on which we should focus if we want to have a meaningful life.

It is, of course, my hope that you will never find yourself in such a state. I have known a few people in life who, perhaps because of the overwhelming power of the Spirit of God in their lives, seem to have been quite successful in defeating sin and temptation. But such people, I am fairly certain, are few. For the rest of us, who are too slow at times to escape the large and ugly predator, I offer this imperative: "Unshackle sin and temptation from your life!"

Why Unshackle Sin?

At first blush, most people would say that a person shouldn't sin because sin is wrong. Of course, the fact that sinning is conduct that is wrongful should be enough to dissuade us from sinning. However, the recognition that sin is wrong somehow just doesn't provide sufficient motivation for most of us to stop sinning. We want to know why it is bad—what makes it bad? Regrettably, however, even those who know precisely what makes sin "bad" still sin.

Sin is a formidable nemesis that we should seek to expel from our lives. Though we will never succeed in defeating sin until we are blessed with a glorified body, we should, in the meantime, adopt a very aggressive attitude towards sin—daily confronting and endeavoring to conquer each temptation to sin.

A. God tells us to avoid sin.

To assist us in our efforts to avoid and conquer sin, we have the admonition of the Creator of the universe. God knows that sin is adverse to us, so He pleads with us to turn from it—not simply for the sake of turning from something, but for the sake of our pleasant existence. Remember that God loves you and wants the best for you, so when He tells you to stop sinning, He is giving you instruction for your benefit—for your pleasant and enjoyable life.

I referred to Adam and Eve as an example, above, but their circumstances provide a useful example here as well. Shortly after God created Adam and Eve and placed them in the Garden of Eden, He gave them a strict admonition: "You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die" (Genesis 2:16b-17). God wanted Adam and Eve to enjoy their lives in the garden. Indeed, He said, "You are free . . . ." However, as part of giving them freedom—true freedom—He also gave them an opportunity to sin. With the opportunity to sin came a caution about the risks associated with the wrong choice. God admonished them that eating from the tree results in death. Of course, Adam and Eve succumbed to the temptation to eat from the tree, and they faced the consequences of being cast from their perfect existence and, ultimately, death. Had they not eaten the fruit of that tree, Adam and Eve would probably still be enjoying the Garden today.

God also personally encouraged Cain to avoid sin. Just before Cain murdered his own brother, God told Cain, "If you do right, won't you be accepted? But if you do not do right, sin is crouching at the door. Its desire is for you, but you must master it" (Genesis 4:7). God knew the consequences of sin, and He knew the author of sin. As John writes, "The one who commits sin is of the Devil, for the Devil has sinned from the beginning" (1 John 3:8).

God was trying to protect Cain from Satan and the destructive consequences of making the wrong choice, but, like his parents, Cain ultimately succumbed to his fleshly desire and was defeated by sin and Satan, and he paid the penalty. He was condemned to be a "restless wanderer on the earth" (Genesis 4:14). Just as God warned Cain, He warns us to beware of sin. God wants us to avoid the pitfalls and harm that sin naturally awards those who contend for it. He wants us to enjoy our lives and get the most out of it that we possibly can.

The Bible's record of the nation of Israel is stunning in its repeated accounts of the nation's falling into sin. Time after time, God warns his chosen people to avoid sin, and time after time they continued to chase after it. Perhaps the most egregious instance occurred with the manufacture of the golden calf. Think about what the Israelites had just experienced in the months preceding the making of that idol. God had just performed breathtaking miracles against the Egyptians who had enslaved the people of Israel. Further, as a result of the miracles, the hard-hearted Pharaoh eventually agreed to allow the nation to leave the confines of Egypt. When Pharaoh then decided to pursue the Israelites, God parted the Red Sea so that the Israelites could escape through the walls of water (Exodus 14:22). When the Egyptian army followed them, the Israelites witnessed the water walls collapsing on the army—leaving no survivors.

Shortly thereafter, God led the Israelites through the desert with a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night. The Israelites were fed manna and quail by God while they were in the desert. They witnessed water springing forth from a rock to quench their thirst. Only 3 months after leaving Egypt, they came to Mount Sinai. At the foot of Mount Sinai, the Israelites witnessed thunder, lightning, a thick cloud and a trumpet blast at the mountain top. The experience was such that "all the people in the camp shuddered" (Exodus 19:16). Moses gave the Israelites strict instructions not to ascend the mountain or they would die. Then, while God was telling Moses on the mountaintop that the Israelites are not to make gods of gold and silver (Exodus 20:23), and to make an altar for the sacrifice of cattle (Exodus 20:24), the Israelites were at the foot of the mountain, making a golden calf and declaring it to be their god.

God was concerned for his people. He knows that worship of other gods leads to destruction, so He told them not to worship other gods. God wanted the glory of His righteousness to be clear to the world so that the world would find Him. He did not want the world to believe that salvation was available through demons. And despite His overwhelming presence—never before or since experienced by the Israelites, they nevertheless committed an offensive sin against God, giving His glory to a false god.

God is also concerned about us. He doesn't want us to experience destruction, and He wants us to be a light to the world. Jesus said, "let your light shine before men, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven" (Matthew 5:16). God knows that when we sin, we do not reflect his radiance.

God's admonition to us to avoid sin is pervasive. Throughout scripture we are warned to rid our lives of sin. Note the following imperatives:

"Do not sin any more" (John 5:14).

"Everyone who commits sin is a slave of sin" (John 8:34).

"Should we continue in sin in order that grace may multiply? Absolutely not!" (Romans 6:1b-2a)

"Consider yourselves dead to sin" (Romans 6:11a).

"Do not offer any parts of it to sin as weapons for unrighteousness" (Romans 6:13a).

"For the wages of sin is death" (Romans 6:23).

"For sin, seizing an opportunity through the commandment, deceived me, and through it killed me" (Romans 7:11).

"Flee from sexual immorality! 'Every sin a person can commit is outside the body,' but the person who is sexually immoral sins against his own body" (1 Corinthians 6:18).

Become right-minded and stop sinning" (1 Corinthians 15:34a).

"Do not sin" (Ephesians 4:26b).

"Therefore, put to death whatever in you is worldly: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desire, and greed, which is idolatry" (Colossians 3:5).

"But now you must also put away all the following: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and filthy language from your mouth. Do not lie to one another, since you have put off the old man with his practices and have put on the new man, who is being renewed in knowledge according to the image of his Creator" (Colossians 3:8-10).

"Stay away from every form of evil"(1 Thessalonians 5:22).

"Publicly rebuke those who sin, so that the rest will also be afraid" (1 Timothy 5:20).

"Don't share in the sins of others. Keep yourself pure" (1 Timothy 5:22b).

"Let us lay aside every weight and the sin that so easily ensnares us, and run with endurance the race that lies before us" (Hebrews 12:1).

"In struggling against sin, you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood" (Hebrews 12:4).

"By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter and chose to suffer with the people of God rather than to enjoy the short-lived pleasure of sin" (Hebrews 11:24-25).

"Abstain from fleshly desires that war against you" (1 Peter 2:11).

It is impossible to say that God just didn't give us enough warning about sin. God could not have been clearer on the matter.

I am always a bit surprised to hear some people say that God is merely a killjoy and just wants us to live in a boring box—not allowing us to experience the "exciting" (i.e., sinful) things in life. Such statements are emitted from the mouths of those who do not know God or who have not yet otherwise met the consequences of sin. Certainly, the one who knows God should be wise enough to recognize that God is simply trying to spare us from the ugly disappointments that attach to sin. Similarly, one who has tasted the results of sin quickly loses an appetite for sin.

God is so concerned about our suffering from the consequences of sin that He may, from time to time, allow a person to be refined—to experience certain challenges in life such that we become spiritually enabled to defeat sin. God announced through the prophet Jeremiah to the nation of Israel, for example, that they were about to suffer the destruction of their nation by Babylon because of their sin—in order to bring them to a place of restoration: "Therefore this is what the LORD Almighty says: 'See, I will refine and test them, for what else can I do because of the sin of my people?'" (Jeremiah 9:7)

The process was also described to Daniel when God detailed the challenges facing people in the tribulation: "Some of the wise will fall so that they may be refined, purified, and cleansed until the time of the end, for it will still come at the appointed time" (Daniel 11:35). God told Isaiah to speak to Israel and tell them, "See, I have refined you, though not as silver; I have tested you in the furnace of affliction" (Isaiah 48:10).

I myself have tasted the refiner's fire at various points in my life. While I was pleased with the result of unshackling sin from my life, I can tell you that the ride was rough. I encourage you to listen to God before you have to face the refiner's fire. If you are shackled by sin as a believer, I think this process is inevitable for you. The author of Hebrews writes, "My son, do not take the Lord's discipline lightly, or faint when you are reproved by Him; for the Lord disciplines the one He loves, and punishes every son whom He receives" (Hebrews 12:5b-6). God will not stand by and watch you hurt yourself. Jesus said, "He prunes every branch that produces fruit so that it will produce more fruit" (John 15:2).

God's easy way is so much more enjoyable than the hard way that we might choose for ourselves. If you truly want to demonstrate that you believe God, and if you want to get the most out of life, without facing the refiner's fire in your life, you should take Him at His word, accepting His admonition to keep sin out of your life. Unshackle sin simply because God tells you to do so.

B. Sin hurts you.

One of the most personal and noticeable consequences of sin is the harm that befalls you. I have suffered consequences for my sins, so I speak from experience. For whatever reason, I failed on many occasions to accept the truth of God, and I engaged in sin. Or perhaps I should say that sin engaged me. As Paul writes, ". . . do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires" (Romans 6:12).

Sin has the amazing ability to take control of a person. When you obey the evil desires of your body, you become a slave to those desires, and fleshly desires are not a master worth serving. I sincerely hope that you will avoid making the same mistakes that I have made and thereby avoid the consequences that have overtaken me.

To impress on my children the ugly outcome and personal harm that results from sin, I have analogized temptations to be like very pretty, very sticky ropes that sit along your life's path. As you are walking through your life, if you dare make the mistake of grabbing a hold of one of those ropes, you could find yourself being pulled away from the path that you should be or want to be on.

Eventually, you may find that you can't let go of the rope. That rope may have been very inviting and attractive at one time, but now you seem stuck to it—even though you would gladly let it go. And worse yet, the farther you are pulled from the path, the more you begin to realize that great danger is about to overtake you. At some point you may even be able to see that you are being pulled towards a canyon. And if you can look far enough ahead, you can see that the rope extends to the other side of the canyon, where a creature more grotesque than the Predator is pulling you as furiously as he can to your death. The puller is Satan.

I think the analogy is fairly valid. The one with wisdom can, when he sees temptation, picture the Predator on the other end of the rope and take evasive action. The one devoid of wisdom will simply grab the rope and dare the consequences to ensnare him.

Fortunately, the analogy is not perfect. Sometimes a person will recognize the mistake of sin, and even though he or she grabbed the rope, by the power of God, he or she can release it. I'll talk more about that in the section regarding how to unshackle sin. Even for that person, though, sin's toll can remain. I have witnessed many people who have suffered severe consequences of sin. I have heard the testimonies of many persons who readily acknowledge that their sin was a dangerous trap that ultimately snapped shut on their beings. I have witnessed people lose jobs and the ability to keep jobs, lose business opportunities and reputations, suffer the breakup of their families, and completely lose any sense of direction for living as a result of sin.

I have also witnessed people die as a result of sin. I was a pall bearer at the funeral of one of my good friends. It's difficult to express how troubling it is to carry the coffin of one who was both a close friend in high school and too young to die. He had, even while we were in high school, indulged himself deeply in pornography and, eventually, homosexuality. A few months before his death, he acknowledged to me that his lifestyle literally overtook him. His lifestyle ultimately cost him his life. Paul writes, "For if you live according to the flesh, you are going to die" (Romans 8:13). This principle is fundamental in scripture. There are numerous stories provided in scripture that detail the adverse outcomes of persons who and nations that sin. In Colossians, Paul writes, "after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin, and when sin is fully grown, it gives birth to death" (James 1:15).

In Judges, we read about Samson, appointed by God even before his conception to be a Nazirite, set apart for the purpose of delivering Israel from the Philistines (Judges 13:3-5). God gave a unique and strict admonition regarding this great, chosen leader: "'You must never cut his hair, because the boy will be a Nazirite to God from birth'" (Judges 13:5). Samson became fearsome and demonstrated great feats of physical ability. However, Samson was attracted to Philistine women, and eventually succumbed to the temptation of one, Delilah, telling her the secret of his strength—the fact that his hair had remained uncut. She used the information against him, and Samson's hair was cut by the Philistines. When Samson lost his strength, the Philistines bound him, blinded him and made him a slave (Judges 16:18-21). Ultimately, it brought Samson to his death. The violation of a simple command of God, facilitated by Samson himself, resulted in the loss of his strength, his status, his pride and his life.

It is precisely because of adverse personal consequences that God tells us to avoid sin. God knows that sin will hurt us. Because He loves us, He doesn't want us to face such harm. If you want to avoid harm to yourself, accept God's admonition and unshackle sin from your life. Embrace and enjoy the great freedoms available to those who elect to live free from sin.

C. Your sin hurts others.

It's bad enough that we have to suffer the consequences of our own sin. Perhaps worse, however, is the fact that others suffer from our sin. If a man or woman dies as a consequence of sin, for example, he or she could be leaving a spouse and children behind. The example isn't hypothetical; I know a person who, overtaken by sin, eventually took his own life. Although I never spoke with him about his sin, I am confident that he simply saw no light through the depths of his sin. Death became the remedy of choice for his condition. When he died, he left a family behind.

I know of another person who was overtaken by the very drugs that he thought were making his life more pleasing. He was eventually divorced from his wife and separated from his children. His family suffered consequences from his sin.

One of my college acquaintances was overcome by sin and ended up in prison. He hurt an innocent person in the process of fulfilling his desires.

In Joshua, we read the account of Achan's sin. At the conquest by Israel of Jericho, God gave the Israelites specific instructions. He told them that "'the city and everything in it are set apart to the LORD for destruction. . . . But keep yourselves from the things set apart, or you will be set apart for destruction. If you take any of those things, you will set apart the camp of Israel for destruction and bring disaster on it'" (Joshua 6:17-18). Despite the strict admonition, Achan took a coat, some silver and some gold from the spoils of the city and hid them in his tent (Joshua 7:1, 21-23). The temptation to gather a few of the spoils was simply too overwhelming for him. He probably thought that his secret act could not possible affect anyone. As a result of his sin, however, the Israelites faced subsequent defeat by the Amorites at Ai. The covetousness of a single person resulted in the death of 36 Israelites and the complete loss of the nation's morale (Joshua 7:4-5).

King David's sins also resulted in harm to others. Following his action of lusting after and committing adultery with Bathsheba, David tried to hide his infamous act and her resulting pregnancy by making it appear as if her husband were responsible (2 Samuel 11). When Bathsheba's husband, Uriah, demonstrated integrity and innocently failed to comply with David's scheme, David chose to place Uriah in the front of a battle line, where David knew Uriah would meet his certain death. Thus, Uriah, though completely innocent, became a victim of David's sin. In addition, the son born to Bathsheba and David died as a consequence of David's sin.

David also committed a less notorious, although more profoundly damaging sin when he ordered the troops of Israel to be counted (2 Samuel 23). David proceeded despite the urging of his own commander, Joab, not to offend God. As a result of David's offense, 70,000 men died.

Each day various news channels provide story after story of persons who commit robberies, burglaries, rapes, molestations, assaults, batteries and the list goes on. In each instance, an unsuspecting person is victimized. Sin so overtakes a person that the concern for the well being of others simply becomes irrelevant. Thus, the consequences of sin can reach far beyond the life of the sinner—affecting the lives of innocent bystanders. For those who have even a hint of mercy in their lives, the adverse consequences to others should be a sufficient reason to abstain from sin.

Law students consider it fairly important to get a particularly good job during the summer following their second year of law school. If the student performs well in that job, he or she can fairly count on an offer of employment following the third year of law school—which means a strong start to a legal career. I had a good job waiting for me after my second year of law school. I was very excited about the job. It was going to be with a premier, boutique bankruptcy law firm in Chicago. I had developed an interest in bankruptcy and had even conducted an externship with a bankruptcy judge whose courtroom was based in Chicago. It was the recommendation of that bankruptcy judge that got me the job. I could see my career path beginning to unfold. On the Friday before my first official day of summer associateship with the bankruptcy firm, I received a very disheartening phone call. One of the attorneys from the bankruptcy firm told me that the FBI was at the offices of the firm as he was calling me. The FBI agents were taping up filing cabinets and directing the lawyers to leave. It appeared that the lead name partner of the law firm had abused his role as trustee of debtors' estates. He embezzled substantial sums of money from those estates and lost a significant portion of the money on poor investments. The attorney's wrongful actions ruined his stellar reputation and destroyed his law firm. All of the remaining attorneys and staff of the firm had to find other employment, and, since the embezzling attorney had not yet met me, he probably didn't even realize the fact that he negatively affected me as well. It was too late in the season for me to secure a comparable replacement job. My career path took a dramatic turn on that day.

As we go through life, it seems that sin is always at the door. I can almost envision Satan's demons stationed at every threshold of our world—trying to trip us, trying to get us to yield to sin. Yet God tells us to "master it." God wants us to avoid the consequences to ourselves and to others as a result of sin. God wants us to experience victory, joy and peace—none of which are the fruit of sin.

How to Unshackle Sin

One of the most fascinating things to me about scripture in relation to sin is that it repeatedly admonishes us to conquer sin in our lives. The admonition is interesting because it implies that Christians sin, which is somewhat comforting in and of itself, because it's nice to know that we are not alone in our fight against sin. I have, at times, thought that I was the only one who had a problem with sin, and I thought that something was wrong with me. Why would I keep sinning if I am indeed a Christian? And then I realized that nearly every admonition in scripture to avoid sinning is written to Christians.

But perhaps even more interesting is the fact that the scriptural admonition to stop sinning also implies that we are capable of defeating sin. And if God says we can, we can. God would not ask us to do something that we are not capable of doing. Can you imagine God's admonishing us to drink the ocean or to transform ourselves into pumpkin seeds? Of course not. God tells us to do what He enables us to do. Thus, we can take comfort that we can have victory over sin.

A. Through the work of Christ

Mastering sin is not accomplished, though, by sheer will power or by careful plans. Sin is conquerable only through the power given to us through the work of Jesus. As Paul writes, "through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death" (Romans 8:2).

The power of Christ in relation to our struggle with sin is tied to His atonement for our sins. It is precisely because we have forgiveness that we are empowered to overcome sin.

I remember on one particular day in my life as I was driving to work. I was thinking about the monotony of life—something like Solomon described in Ecclesiastes when he wrote, "For what does a man get with all his work and all his efforts that he labors with under the sun? For all his days are filled with grief, and his occupation is sorrowful; even at night, his mind does not rest. This too is futile" (Ecclesiastes 2:22-23). As I often did and sometimes still do, I began thinking about what I could do with my life that would be meaningful. "Should I try to do something different in terms of my employment? Is there something more fulfilling? Could God use me to accomplish something significant?" As I was thinking along these lines, I suddenly became aware of the fact that I am a sinner. I began thinking, "Wait a minute; God can't use me for such purposes; after all, I'm not righteous enough. God uses people who are righteous. I am a Christian who sins from time to time. In fact, I don't think that God will ever use me."

As I was thinking about how unusable I was, at that particular moment—right there on Interstate 65—I suddenly said to God out loud in my car, "God, I am a sinner. I know that I am a Christian, but I am a lousy one. Am I useable for anything?" Amazingly, I had no sooner completed my diatribe when I looked to my left to see this very interesting vehicle. It was a beautiful, long, black limousine. It was polished and spotless—traveling next to me at 70 miles per hour (the speed limit, by the way), slowly passing me as I was preparing to exit the interstate. Curiously, it had mirrored windows.

I was in awe of that vehicle because of its shine and impeccable maintenance. And then, and it shouldn't have been a surprise, I noticed that along the string of back passenger side windows of this long vehicle (as I began to exit the interstate) was a single word, elegantly written in very large, white script letters—it was the word "FORGIVEN." Wow! I will never forget that experience. It was clear to me that God had placed that car next to me at that very moment in time—just to answer a question that He knew was going to be troubling to me. Sure, I could have read it in the Bible, but I didn't have the Bible with me at that time; I was driving to work. God was lovingly, conveniently, appropriately and simply reminding me of what His Word screams out—for the one who believes in Jesus, God provides forgiveness.

Forgiveness is indeed the beautiful answer to sin. And the answer was wrought through the death of Jesus. In Revelation, John writes that Jesus "loves us and has set us free from our sins by His blood" (Revelation 1:5b). At the Last Supper, Jesus told His disciples, "For this is My blood [that establishes] the covenant; it is shed for many for the forgiveness of sins" (Matthew 26:28).

It is amazing to me that forgiveness is afforded at the moment we acknowledge a belief in Jesus. As Peter declared, "All the prophets testify about Him that through His name everyone who believes in Him will receive forgiveness of sins" (Acts 10:43). Paul similarly explained that God "has rescued us from the domain of darkness and transferred us into the kingdom of the Son He loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins" (Colossians 1:13-14). Thus, in Jesus, we not only gain eternal life, but we also secure forgiveness.

The work of Jesus in providing our forgiveness is perhaps best understood in the context of two passages of scripture. In Isaiah 6, the prophet Isaiah describes a time when he saw the throne of God. He describes his experience as follows:

"In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord seated on a high and lofty throne, and His robe filled the temple. Seraphim were standing above Him; each one had six wings: with two he covered his face, with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. And one called to another:

'Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of Hosts;

His glory fills the whole earth.'

The foundations of the doorways shook at the sound of their voices, and the temple was filled with smoke.

Then I said:

'Woe is me, for I am ruined,

because I am a man of unclean lips

and live among a people of unclean lips, [and] because my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of Hosts'" (Isaiah 6:1-5).

In this passage, we can innately identify with the prophet Isaiah. It seems extremely appropriate that, in the presence of God, we should fully declare that we are woeful because of our sinful condition. Yet, consider the following passage in Jude: "Now to Him who is able to protect you from stumbling and to make you stand in the presence of His glory, blameless and with great joy." Do you see the difference? Instead of saying "Woe is me" in the presence of God, we are STANDING . . . BLAMELESS . . . WITH GREAT JOY. Wow! What a difference! The difference is Jesus. Because of the sacrifice of Jesus, we no longer have to suffer the bondage of sin's chains of guilt and shame.

B. By faith

The work of Christ cannot simply be understood as something written in the Bible; it must be embraced in our lives through faith. Faith is our counterpoint to the work of Christ: it takes both to rid our lives of the plagues of and struggles with sin.

This point was brought home to me by an article I read several years ago by David Wilkerson, who, at that time, was the pastor of Times Square Church. In the article Pastor Wilkerson advocates that sin has to be confronted by faith. He supports his proposition by reference to Jesus' instruction to His disciples, "For I assure you: If you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you will tell this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you" (Matthew 17:20). On the same theme, Jesus said, "'If you have faith the size of a mustard seed,' the Lord said, 'you can say to this mulberry tree, "Be uprooted and planted in the sea," and it will obey you'" (Luke 17:6).

I agree with Pastor Wilkerson that sometimes sin can be like a mountain even in a believer's life. Sin can be so prominent that it is the only thing the world can see. Sin can also be like a mulberry tree—with its roots deep into your heart and soul. The good news is that it takes only a mustard seed of faith to cast the mountain from your life. The same faith can uproot the most deeply rooted sin. Jesus wants us not only to pray for deliverance but also to believe that our deliverance will happen. Faith is the expectation of the result.

Isn't it amazing that people are saved by faith? By faith we believe that our sins are completely forgiven and that we are awarded eternal life. We fully expect the result, because we believe in the promise of God. Yet, when it comes to ridding our lives of sin, we fail to believe that the sin will be cast from our lives. The problem is that we trust ourselves to get rid of the sin instead of trusting in the work of Jesus Christ.

By faith, tell your sin to leave you, and expect, by the power of the Lord, that it will in fact depart. Ask God to remove temptations from your life and then expect them to cease. Ask God for deliverance and then expect to be delivered. Don't wonder if it will happen. Know that it will happen. I encourage you to exercise your faith both to accept the forgiving and atoning work of Christ and to see sin as defeated and removed from your life.

C. By engaging your mind and your will

Determination definitely plays a role in overcoming sin. To defeat sin you must engage your mind and your will, which are two key components of your soul. You need to get your soul into the act of enjoying life. You must decide to take action. In Colossians, Paul writes, "Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things" (Colossians 3:2).

Sin starts in the mind. James states that "each person is tempted when he is drawn away and enticed by his own evil desires. Then after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin, and when sin is fully grown, it gives birth to death" (James 1:14-15). Because sin starts in the mind, you must engage your mind to overcome sin. With your mind you refuse the desire and you elect, instead, to recognize the work of Christ in purchasing your salvation with His blood, and you believe that you can overcome temptation and sin through faith.

Peter writes, "Therefore, get your minds ready for action, being self-disciplined, and set your hope completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ" (1 Peter 1:13). The self-discipline needed to confront and defeat sin requires a mind that is saturated with the Word and a will that is prepared to apply the Word in everyday living.

Paul also writes, "Become right-minded and stop sinning" (1 Corinthians 15:34), and "Do not be conformed to this age, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may discern what is the good, pleasing, and perfect will of God" (Romans 12:2). "For those whose lives are according to the flesh think about the things of the flesh, but those whose lives are according to the Spirit, about the things of the Spirit. For the mind-set of the flesh is death, but the mind-set of the Spirit is life and peace. For the mind-set of the flesh is hostile to God because it does not submit itself to God's law, for it is unable to do so" (Romans 8:5-7). Repeatedly in scripture we are admonished to prepare for and proceed through battles with our minds. So set your mind in the right direction. Fill it with scripture, and plan to win the battle.

I can think of two friends whose lives met with repeated problems simply because they allowed evil to take root in their minds. Neither of these men took action to engage their wills and make decisions to overcome sin. They were both completely overcome by sin. I believe their lives would have been dramatically different had they only acted definitively to arrest sin in their lives.

You should not think that you are fighting the battles without any support. Paul tells us that "it is God who is working in you, [enabling you] both to will and to act for His good purpose" (Philippians 2:13). If God is working in you, don't you think you can defeat sin? God enables you to act for His good purpose, and it's not His purpose for you to sin.

If you have sinned, it is, of course, important to engage your mind to acknowledge your sin to God. Don't act as if nothing happened. When David sinned and did nothing to acknowledge it, he suffered as a result. "When I kept silent," he wrote, "my bones became brittle from my groaning all day long. . . . [M]y strength was drained" (Psalm 32:3-4). He found release when he acknowledged his sin to God. "Then I acknowledged my sin to You and did not conceal my iniquity. I said, 'I will confess my transgressions to the LORD,' and You took away the guilt of my sin" (Psalm 32:5). As he noted at the outset of the Psalm, "How happy is the one whose sin is forgiven, whose sin is covered!" (Psalm 32:1) Be sure, therefore, to lay your sins before God, so that you can free your mind and body from the burden of sin.

God wants you to succeed in every way. God wants you to defeat sin. All you need to do is connect with Him and enable His spirit to empower you. We are told that if we "walk by the Spirit" we "will not carry out the desire of the flesh" (Galatians 5:16). Walking by the Spirit involves filling our minds with and meditating on scripture. So begin incorporating scripture into your life—into your pattern of thinking and living, and you will witness your desires changing—becoming more godly.

D. With good works

Do you realize that you can take affirmative action to defeat sin in your life by practicing good works? I was raised with the engrained understanding that good works do not get you into heaven. Of course, my understanding was well founded. Paul writes in Titus that "He saved us—not by works of righteousness that we had done, but according to His mercy, through the washing of regeneration and renewal by the Holy Spirit" (Titus 3:5). He also writes in Ephesians that it is "by grace you are saved through faith, and this is not from yourselves; it is God's gift—not from works, so that no one can boast" (Ephesians 2:8-9). Of course, Jesus also said that salvation is a gift of God (John 3:16).

However, the fact that good works are not a component of our salvation does not mean that good works should not be a part of our lives. To the contrary, good works are valuable for our spiritual well-being and should be exercised at every opportunity. Paul writes in Romans, "Do not be conquered by evil, but conquer evil with good" (Romans 12:21). By doing good works you can actually conquer evil in your life. Thus, if you sense that evil has taken a foothold in your life. Take some immediate action to do something good for others. Start being more giving to others. Look for people to help and help them. Give people your time and your energy. Ask people what you can do to help them and then do it. Let good works define you. When you do good works, you not only "give glory to your Father in heaven" (Matthew 5:16), but you will also be transforming yourself into a person of character and integrity, a person who can be described as "righteous"—a person unshackled from sin.

Results of Unshackling Sin

Sin is a burden. Sin weighs our lives down and causes our spirits, our souls and our bodies to wither. As David writes, "there is no health in my bones because of my sin" (Psalm 38:3b). Ezekiel similarly writes, "The person who sins is the one who will die" (Ezekiel 18:20a). Thus, it goes without saying that removing sin causes the opposite of illness and death. Are you feeling the ill effects of sin in your life? Is some wrongful habit, lifestyle, motive, action or inaction impairing your ability to experience meaning and fulfillment in life? Acknowledge and unshackle that sin. It may be a process that takes time, but it's better to start today than to wait and allow the sin to continue its toll on your life. Unshackling sin from our lives will promote healing and life.

When you exercise your faith to accept the forgiveness available through Christ and victory over sin, you will experience joy, peace and fulfillment in life. You will begin to taste meaning in life. As God says in Jeremiah, "Yet I will certainly bring health and healing to it and will indeed heal them. I will let them experience the abundance of peace and truth" (Jeremiah 33:6). Take steps now to unshackle sin from your life and replace the death with goodness.

ENJOY LIFE

I shouldn't have to tell people to enjoy life. People should want to enjoy life. But I know that it sometimes takes effort to enjoy life. I can tell you from experience that it's easier to enjoy life before you're emancipated as a college graduate. And it's even easier to enjoy life when you're in high school. The typical high school student is not yet burdened with the responsibility of a full time job, does not have a spouse and children to live with and to support or help support, and, at the same time, experiences the financial benefits provided by parents or guardians. All in all, life is pretty good for a high school age person—particularly a junior or senior, who has the freedom afforded through a driver's license and an available vehicle.

As you get older, however, responsibilities begin to mount until someday you realize that a number of people are relying on you to get up and go to work. And then, not only do you realize your responsibility, but you also have to wake up to the same responsibilities day after day, week after week, month after month, year after year. If you allow it to do so, the realization of that burden can begin to drag your soul and spirit into a dull, lifeless mediocrity. It is at points like these that you need to think about the E in BLUE.

Why Enjoy Life?

Life is worth enjoying. To be able to experience family and friends, work and rest, hunger and food, thirst and drink, hot and cold, babies and elders, loud activity and quiet restfulness, and the list goes on, is extravagant. God designed our lives to be filled with variety and meaning, and the elements for making a life great and enjoyable are available to those who want to develop it as such.

I think one of my greatest regrets in my life so far has been my failure to embrace the fullness of life. I have always, it seems, been busy with—and, yes, focused on—some mundane task such that I have neglected to soak up the best that life has to offer. I have learned, though, that it's never too late to begin enjoying life. You can start today. Even if you are 100 years old and you have lived a completely boring or miserable life, you can decide that you are going to start enjoying life today, and you will.

People who enjoy life are happier, healthier and more enjoyable to be around. I enjoy being around enjoyable people. I admire enjoyable people. I want to be enjoyable people. Don't you? I think enjoyable people are responsible for most of the sales in this world. They enjoy life, and they enjoy what they do, and their joy translates to a variety of aspects of their lives, including the sale of whatever it is that they are selling. In fact, studies have shown that one of the characteristics that marks most CEOs is the healthy optimism that seems continuously to well up within them. Their optimism is typically so engaging that people want to follow them. People want to believe that things are going well, and they are ready to follow the person who sincerely believes that things are going well. The optimistic CEO may not be 100% correct in his or her understanding, but to that CEO, being 100% correct simply doesn't matter. It is the positive outlook that matters. Thus, it is optimism that transforms an otherwise ordinary person into a leader.

Enjoying life is an attitude. It's the glass half full—glass half empty thing. As long as you are alive, you should make every effort to try to enjoy life.

How to Enjoy Life

It is actually a privilege to enjoy life. It's one of those tasks that is not so much a task as it is an opportunity—an opportunity to bless yourself and others. There are a host of ingredients to enjoying life. I'll mention a few to give you the flavor. It's up to you, though, to take these ingredients and make something out of them.

A. Appreciate the day.

I think one of the secrets to enjoying life is to take it a day at a time. When you take life a day at a time, you can have a down day here and there, and it doesn't have to destroy your whole week, month, year or life. At most, you lose a day. The secret is scriptural. The Psalmist writes, "This is the day the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it" (Psalm 118:24). Isn't it interesting that we are urged to rejoice in a day? But it makes sense, considering that God made the day. In fact, He denominated it as such. Moses writes that "God called the light 'day'" (Genesis 1:5). Paul writes in Thessalonians, "you are all sons of light and sons of the day" (1 Thessalonians 5:5). Therefore, inasmuch as we are "sons of the day," we should make the most of each day.

To appreciate the day, just take a good look at one. Every now and then, and on a regular basis, when you wake up, take a moment to step outside and really look at the world. Jeremiah declared that God's mercies "are new every morning" (Lamentations 3:23). David sang that "there is joy in the morning" (Psalm 30:5). So, in the morning, take a look at the sky, the trees, the grass—and if you're blessed to be so situated—the water. As David writes, "I will meditate on your wonderful works" (Psalm 145:5 NIV). Look at any creatures that have already started making their ways into the day. Look at other people making the most of their day. Recognize that you're alive.

From time to time, experience and consider the coolness or heat of the outside air and the warmth of the sun. Thank God that you can feel. Sense the fact that, as Isaiah noted, "the shade of a cloud [cools] the heat of the day" (Isaiah 25:5). God made us so that we can touch and sense the subtle changes in our environments. Enjoy your ability to sense the changes.

Notice the fascinating smells of the world. God designed us such that we can smell things, and, of course, He did this because He also designed things to emit fragrances and odors. Just as "the smell of water" makes a tree bud (Job 14:9), so will we thrive when we begin to enjoy the smells that God created. He wants us to enjoy them. Consider the amazing variety of smells and the ones that you most enjoy. If you're like me, you'll likely appreciate the fragrances of coffee, chocolate, a greenhouse, living rosemary, cedar, pine, mesquite and the ocean. And don't forget roses. When people say "Stop and smell the roses," the statement is both literal and figurative. Enjoying the scents of things is something that we can either take for granted or appreciate as one of the benefits of life.

Further, as you proceed through your day, listen to the sounds of life—even the sounds of cars and horns, which express the movement and life of people. Listen to people talking. Communication is amazing and so full of variety that it can spark joy at a host of moments. Reflect on the fascinating interaction of people with other people and with their environments. Listen to the sound of a breeze as if it were "the sound of the LORD God walking" (Genesis 3:8). Pay attention to the sound of a storm, perhaps "a sound from heaven like the sound of cascading waters and like the rumbling of loud thunder" (Revelation 14:2, 19:6), perhaps the voice of God (Revelation 1:15).

Take another moment to enjoy some food. Savor your first bites of the day. Reflect on how interesting it is that God enabled us to experience food. God designed us to eat. He wants us to taste the wonder and variety of the foods that He has placed before us.

Then, to add an exclamation point to your sensual experiences, take some time to read a passage of scripture; fill the belly of your soul with the words of the Almighty. Consider His magnificence. Let your spirit be sated with the flavors that God provides. As the Psalmist writes, "How sweet Your word is to my taste—[sweeter] than honey to my mouth" (Psalm 119:103).

When you have done these things, you will begin to appreciate not only the day placed before you, but you will also enjoy life itself. You'll begin to recognize that life offers a panoply of opportunities that are as little and noticeable as a sight, a sound, a smell, a taste or a touch. As you seize upon each one, the series of victories will weave itself into another day that you can add to the list of days that comprise your great and meaningful life.

B. Focus on the positive.

Another secret to enjoying life is to focus on the positive. Many books and articles have been written on this subject, which is also based on scripture. God knows that your body and spirit will follow your mind, so it's important to direct your mind on things that are uplifting. Paul writes in Philippians, "whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable—if there is any moral excellence and if there is any praise—dwell on these things" (Philippians 4:8). Elihu, who is the only friend of Job that God did not speak against, said "Stop and consider God's wonders" (Job 37:14). If you are dwelling on these things, you will begin to transform your emotions and the rest of you in a favorable direction.

One day when I was dwelling on the positive, thinking about the grace of God, I felt compelled to write a poem to express my thoughts about the beauty of it:

In Grace

[You can be]

Swimming, fresh inhaling,

laughing, never failing

always moving

in the pleasure

of its rush ensuing space—

without measure

peace and stillness,

soft, serene, sight unseen—

Living, basking in the soothing,

warm surrounding

ever bounding depths

of green release

that is found in boundless grace.

Just reflecting on the attributes and provisions of God can lift your spirit. "Those who look to Him are radiant with joy" (Psalm 34:5).

There is an energy that surrounds people with positive attitudes. I have a friend who is renowned for her positive attitude. She just cannot seem to be depressed about anything. Despite the ugliness of the facts about a matter, she does not get discouraged. Instead, she looks for and discusses the positive considerations. As a result, she emanates light, and people are drawn to it.

My brother also has this gift. He has endured a lengthy series of hardships from employers and business partners, yet he keeps moving forward, always speaking about the possibilities that are "just around the corner." He could dwell on and get lost in the adversities that have been handed to him, but he chooses, instead, to look at the good things that "can be." My brother's attribute of always looking at the future with a positive attitude makes him enjoyable to be around. When you are around people with such attitudes, you become spiritually energized.

In the same way that you should focus on the positive, you should avoid thinking and speaking negatively. We are also told in scripture to "do everything without complaining or arguing" (Philippians 2:14). When you think and speak negatively, your life will be molded accordingly. Therefore, it is important to discipline yourself to focus on the positive and remove the negative from your thinking and vocabulary.

When I was a child, I experienced the power of negative thinking. I remember times when I would say to myself, "I think that I am not feeling well. I think I'm going to be sick," and within a matter of hours I would actually get sick. I allowed my mind to dwell on the negative, and the negativity overcame me to the point of enveloping my body in illness. I really wasn't sick; I know this because I could bring myself to this place psychologically on nearly a moment's notice. I really didn't even understand the concept of psychosomatic illness, but I was certainly a victim of it. The way that I overcame these thoughts was simply ceasing to dwell on them.

Positive thoughts can actually engender the opposite result. Positive thinking can help an ill person feel better. John writes, "Dear friend, I pray that you may prosper in every way and be in good health, just as your soul prospers" (3 John 1:2). Your mind is part of your soul, so as your mind goes, so goes your health and well-being. The Psalmist writes, "My soul, praise the LORD, and do not forget all His benefits" (Psalm 103:2). Considering the benefits of God is perhaps the most positive thing we can do.

Thus, as you are going through your life, enjoy it by taking some time each day to dwell on the positive things—the things that God wants you to think about. Make it a habit to reflect on positive things. If you are at a loss for such thoughts, begin meditating on the last 30 chapters of Psalms. Even reading and reflecting on positive thoughts like those expressed by the Psalmist will lift your spirit, which can begin to transform the rest of you in a favorable way.

C. Ask God for blessings.

A couple of times in my life, I have had the opportunity to teach a college Bible study class—each time for a number of years. In one particular class, I asked how many in the class had ever asked God to bless them. Not a single hand was raised. I was shocked. When I asked them for a reason, I got a variety of answers—all of which seemed to be based on a single theme: "How can I presume upon God to give me something?" I have to tell you that the answer made me even more speechless. Ultimately, though, I think the college students were just lacking in two key areas: their understanding of God and their faith in God. I also think the college class response is characteristic of most people.

I don't claim to have a sufficient understanding of God or enough faith in God, but I do know who He is—the Originator of Everything, who also created me and died for me. I can tell you that such facts alone are enough for me to know where to go for blessings. If I need something that I cannot get for myself, and no person can get for me, I simply don't consider it presumptuous to call upon the Alpha and Omega of all to come to my aid or to give me a blessing. In fact, I have, for years, asked God for blessings. I actually cannot recall a day in nearly the last decade when I did not ask God to bless my family and me.

I remember years ago reading the fascinating little passage in scripture about Jabez, the biblical character more recently made even more famous as a result of Bruce Wilkinson's book, The Prayer of Jabez. Sandwiched in a genealogy in I Chronicles, is a brief description of Jabez. Four things are told about him. The first two are that he was more honorable than his brothers, and that his mother named him Jabez (meaning "he causes pain") because she said, "I gave birth to him in pain" (1 Chronicles 4:9). But more interesting to me are the last two facts: "Jabez called out to the God of Israel: 'If only You would bless me, extend my border, let Your hand be with me, and keep me from harm, so that I will not cause any pain.' And God granted his request" (1 Chronicles 4:10). When I first read Jabez' prayer, I thought, "That sounds like me."

There is nowhere else to go and no one else to whom you can turn for blessings except God. James writes, "Every generous act and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights; with Him there is no variation or shadow cast by turning"(James 1:17). In fact, even abilities come from God. When God, at Mount Sinai, was giving Moses instruction regarding the building and ornamentation of the temple, He told Moses, "'Look, I have appointed by name Bezalel . . . . I have filled him with God's Spirit, with wisdom, understanding, and ability in every craft to design artistic works in gold, silver, and bronze, to cut gemstones for mounting, and to carve wood for work in every craft. I have also selected Oholiab son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan, to be with him. I have placed wisdom within every skilled craftsman in order to make all that I have commanded you'" (Exodus 31:2-6). Further, before the Israelites entered into the land promised to them by God, Moses reviewed the Ten Commandments with them and he admonished them to remember the Lord who had brought them to the land. He reminded the Israelites about the source of their goodness. "'You may say to yourself, "My power and my own ability have gained this wealth for me," but remember that the LORD your God gives you the power to gain wealth . . .'" (Deuteronomy 8:17-18a).

Thus, God is a God of blessings and perfect gifts, including talents and abilities. Don't be afraid to ask Him or presume upon Him for blessings. There is no limit to His energy, His ability to provide, His ability to forgive, His ability to love, or His ability to bless you.

You are a child of God if you believe what He says about salvation. So, as a child of God, enjoy the relationship. Ask Him to bless you and see what He does in your life.

D. Remove bitterness from your life.

If you want to enjoy life, there is no question that you should remove any and all bitterness from it. In the book of Acts, Luke describes an encounter between Simon, a Samaritan sorcerer who had become a believer, and the Apostle Peter. Simon asked Peter if he could purchase from Peter the power to give the Holy Spirit to people. Peter declined Simon's request. Peter recognized that Simon's request was offered with improper motives. Interestingly, Peter said to Simon, "'I see you are poisoned by bitterness'" (Acts 8:23). Bitterness is, indeed, a poison. Bitterness sinks deep into the soul of a person and corrupts and clouds the mind of its captive. In Simon's case, bitterness clouded his ability to see the real needs of people and caused him to focus, instead, on power and personal recognition.

In Romans, Paul quotes from Psalms as he details the nature of the sinful person: "Their mouth," he writes, "is full of cursing and bitterness" (Romans 3:14). Bitterness is ugly. It is, as Paul aptly notes, a characteristic of the wicked. It should not be a part of our lives. I believe that bitterness is the root of many of the psychological ills that ensnare people today. I have met many people who carry grudges against family members, friends, co-workers, employers and even against God. Sometimes the offense is a simple matter that should have been overlooked. Other times, it seems that the grudge is founded on an offense that would trouble anyone. However, it is not for us to carry an offense against anyone.

The author of Hebrews writes, "See to it that no one falls short of the grace of God and that no root of bitterness springs up, causing trouble and by it, defiling many" (Hebrews 12:15). When the root of bitterness becomes planted in your soul, it will defile every aspect of you. I have witnessed bitterness stealing joy, peace and even physical health from people. Bitter people become inconsiderate and offensive themselves. Bitterness spills out of their mouths at even the slightest bumps in life.

Paul writes in Ephesians, "All bitterness, anger and wrath, insult and slander must be removed from you, along with all wickedness. And be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving one another, just as God also forgave you in Christ" (Ephesians 4:31-32). Perhaps the best way to uproot bitterness from your life is to forgive your offenders. Consider every single offense waged against you and declare your forgiveness. Simply say, "God, this person and that person committed these offenses against me. I hereby forgive them of their offenses." Lay it all out before God, and then give it up. Truly and sincerely forgive the offenders and forget their offenses and begin to sense the rush of healing and refreshing fill your soul—replacing the gangrene of bitterness that has been eroding your spirit.

Are you harboring bitterness against God? If so, it's time to let go of your bitterness. If you are a child of God and believe Him, then, if you consider the matter sufficiently, you should conclude that God never needs your forgiveness and that any bitterness you harbor against Him is unwarranted. It is impossible for God to harm you. God has only your best interests in His heart. He completely loves you. He has no need to be selfish with respect to you. You may, however, perceive that He has offended you, simply because you do not have enough information. If you could see the past, present and future as only He can, if you could consider all facts and circumstances as only He can, if you could love you as only He can, you would see that what appears to be an offense is nothing less than a demonstration of pure love.

Can you picture the mother who declines her child's request for a cookie, knowing that a tasty, multi-course, healthy dinner is only a half hour away? Can you picture the father who takes a dangerous power tool from the hands of his curious child? Can you picture the mother who refuses to allow her child to have a friend over for the night, knowing that the child is in desperate need of a good night's sleep? In each instance, no doubt the child will reply with bitterness, distraught because a perceived need was not met or a delight was removed. In each case, however, the parent knows what is best for the child—all things considered—and acts purely from a desire to benefit the child.

Any bitterness that we could ever harbor against God is little different from that of the child in these examples. While our troubles may seem desperately intense and unfair, we suffer from the confines of an individual and finite perspective. Thus, when we believe that God has harmed us, we really need only consider the facts of the magnitude of His love for us and the limitations of our understanding to conclude soundly that any "harm" is not from the hand of God and is otherwise nothing less than the wrapping paper through which we must tear to disclose a blessing—a gift from the Almighty.

Bitterness is a poison that will hinder your ability to enjoy life. So, at each and every instance wherein bitterness creeps into your soul, cut it off early. Cancel it with forgiveness. Recognize that God will not harm you and has only your best interests in mind. Free your soul of the grasp of bitterness and start again to enjoy life.

Results of Enjoying Life

The amazing thing about enjoying life is that the more you enjoy life, the more you enjoy life. It's an upward spiral. God wants you to enjoy life. If you will begin to focus each day on the goodness that life has to offer, meditating on God and His magnificent works and Word and the blessings available to you, you will begin to sense a flow of peace, joy and fulfillment taking over your life. Your life will begin to find new meaning, and you can smile on your journey upward. Your spirit, your soul and your body will be refreshed as you calibrate and focus your mind to accept and embrace the panoply of daily glories provided to you by your Heavenly Father.

Focus on the positive. Cast negative thoughts and emotions aside. Replace them with thoughts that merit your attention.

Ask God for blessings. God is the source of blessings, and His blessings are available. Don't consider yourself presumptive to ask the Source of good and perfect gifts to give good and perfect gifts to you.

Abandon bitterness. Don't let it creep into your life. It is like a kudzu that will overtake you. Uproot it immediately. Replace bitterness with forgiveness.

When you do these things, you will begin to see light flooding into your life, leaving joy and peace in the wake of your soul.

Conclusion

A meaningful life is attainable. It is not the result of a mystical feat. It is not a collateral benefit to the rich, the talented or the famous. It is not bestowed upon you through the accolades of humanity. It is a result of your embracement of and living according to simple, time-tested principles—provided to you by the very One who ordained existence.

Believe what God says. The primary focus of your life should be on the words of God. He has created you. He is your manufacturer. He wants you to get the most out of life. He has your best interests in mind. In addition, God loves you and has given you so many things. He has given you an amazing environment. He gives you a choice to accept or reject Him. He has given you the opportunity to live with Him forever. Therefore, you can rely on Him and trust that what He tells you to do is good for your life.

Love people. Recognize that people are the only things in this life that matter. The only things that you are capable of bringing with you to heaven are people. You will make a difference in eternity only to the extent that you invest your time, talents, energies and love in people.

Unshackle sin from your life. Sin wants to strangle you and escort you to Death. You must fight against it and the wiles of Satan by embracing the forgiveness and freedom granted to you through the death of Jesus Christ. Exercise your faith to believe that you can unshackle sin from your life. Engage your mind and your will and determine to overcome sin. Acknowledge your sin to God. Do good works for others, and watch those works serve as your stepping-stones to escape sin's grasp on your life.

Enjoy life. God has blessed you with existence. Savor each day and exercise the senses with which God has blessed you in order to more fully comprehend the great value of living. Focus on the positive things in life. Meditate on scripture, and let it transform your thinking and being. Remove all bitterness, replacing it with forgiveness.

If you follow these simple principles for living, you will begin to experience peace, joy and fulfillment, which are the essence of a great life. You will be sewing a legacy that will grow richly in the hearts and minds of others. You will be satisfied. You will find meaning for living.

May God bless you as you seek to pattern your life on the principles of BLUE, and, as you commence from here, may the pleasure of blue and meaning saturate and fill your life refreshingly.

Postscript

I love the color blue. I couldn't be more pleased to have the color mentioned in the title of this book. It's hard to explain why the color is so enjoyable, but it doesn't matter. Blue simply is to enjoy. It's obvious that God likes blue. It's not just that He designed the heavens and the oceans to express the color. God's throne, it appears, is blue. The prophet Ezekiel saw the throne of God on two occasions and both times noted the fact that the throne was like sapphire (Ezekiel 1:26, 10:1). In Exodus, Moses describes an instance in which he and Aaron and others saw pavement beneath the feet of God, and it too was like sapphire (Exodus 24:10). If you haven't seen a sapphire lately, make sure that you do. Sapphires are beautiful because at once you can see myriad shades of blue. I can certainly see why God would use the color for His throne.

Note, too, that in the temple construction, God directed that the color blue be used in a number of aspects of its design (Exodus 25-28). In addition, as to the robe to be worn by the priest that entered into the Holy of Holies, God said, "'You are to make the robe of the ephod entirely of blue yarn'" (Exodus 28:31). God provided similar directions with respect to the cloth that was to cover the table of the Presence (Numbers 4:7), the lamp stand (Numbers 4:9), and the gold altar (Numbers 4:11). Perhaps most interestingly, God also wanted the color blue to note remembrance of His commands and works; He told Moses: "'Speak to the Israelites and tell them that throughout their generations they are to make tassels for the corners of their garments, and put a blue cord on the tassel at [each] corner. These will serve as tassels for you to look at, so that you may remember all the LORD's commands and obey them and not become unfaithful by following your own heart and your own eyes. This way you will remember and obey all My commands and be holy to your God. I am the LORD your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt to be your God; I am the LORD your God'" (Numbers 15:38-41). Thus, it seems that God appreciates blue. It is in the spirit of His love for blue that this book was written.

I like to look for blue. Perhaps the most stunning display of blue that I have ever seen was on the Pacific coast—in the area referred to as the Big Sur region. The demonstration of blue was actually more fascinating than a sapphire, if you can imagine that. I encourage you to try to experience this blue event at some point in your life. It's a great trip with much to see along the way. My wife and I happened upon this experience as we were driving down the California coastal highway—referred to as either State Route 1 or Cabrillo Highway—from San Francisco to the Nepenthe restaurant. South of Carmel is a series of beautiful green covered hills that make their way to the coast. At the coast, the greenery becomes rosemary, which, of course, adds to the experience.

The precise point that I recall is between Garrapata State Beach and the Andrew Molera State Park. While several points might provide the same views, this particular point was, I think, at about 36o 23' 44"—how's that for precision. It's near a peninsula that juts out from the coast, which might be Castle Rock. We stopped our car and walked to the cliff through the rosemary just to see the spectacular view of the ocean. When I looked over the edge of the cliff, though, I was completely taken by the blues. It was if the ocean were making picture after picture of a host of shades of blue at the bottom of the cliff. It was like looking at moving, liquid sapphire. With the smell of rosemary and the ocean, the sounds of the waves crashing against the cliffs, the view of the ocean with its coast and cliffs, and the display of blues, it was truly one of the most memorable sensory experiences of a lifetime. I hope that you can see it someday.

And, if you get the opportunity to see it, I hope that you will think about how you can apply the principles of BLUE in your life and perhaps make the event a refreshing spiritual experience as well.

Dedication

I dedicate this book to my children, Laura, Jason and Andrew—all of whom are commencers of life and all of whom I love. It is my hope and prayer that they will sew the principles of this book into their lives, so that their futures will be gracefully and refreshingly laced with peace, joy, fulfillment and meaning.

Acknowledgements

I would like to acknowledge, first, the Author of existence and joy, whose counsel and blessing I sought in writing this book. I will never cease to wonder about His fascinating plan for and design of life, salvation and eternity.

I also acknowledge my friends at Grace Baptist Academy, namely retired Pastor John Marvin and Pastor Dwight Ascher, whose encouragement to me to give the commencement challenge to a graduating class inspired me to consider the best advice that I could give to graduating seniors, who are about to embark on the journey of life. The inspiration of that invitation guided me to BLUE.

Finally, I acknowledge my beautiful wife, the love of my life and lover of books, whose pleasant encouragement motivated me to pursue this book to completion.

Bio

Mark Absher has been a Christian since age 7, when he acknowledged Jesus Christ, the Son of God, to be his one and only Savior. Mark is a graduate of Bob Jones University in Greenville, South Carolina and The John Marshall Law School in Chicago. A former high school English teacher, Mark has been an attorney for over 20 years, and currently serves as one of the in-house attorneys for LifeWay Christian Resources. Mark is a Gideon, and he has taught high school, college and adult Bible study classes for nearly 2 decades. Adding to his list of odd hobbies, Mark has written two screenplays that have placed, variously, as quarterfinalist, semi-finalist and finalist in a variety of screenplay competitions. Though he has a smattering of pursuits, Mark wants his life legacy to be that he pointed people to Jesus. He hopes that his book, BLUE, will be instrumental in doing just that.
