Participants: Janet Page, Kathy Matthews, Jerry Page
Series Code: TAH
Program Code: TAH000150
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00:32 Welcome again to Thinking About Home.
00:34 I'm Kathy Matthews and I'm glad you've 00:35 joined us again. Today we're gonna be talking 00:37 about the principles of better relationships 00:40 and we have with us Janet and Jerry Page. 00:43 Jerry is the president of the Central California 00:45 Conference of Seventh -day Adventists and 00:47 Janet has a burden for prayer ministries. 00:50 And I think you work out there quite a bit 00:52 don't you with prayer and prayer ministries? 00:57 We're going to direct our question to you 00:59 Jerry. Alright. I think and I am going to have 01:02 to read this one I think. How do we deal 01:05 with our relationships with God when our hopes 01:08 are disappointed or our prayers seemingly go 01:11 unanswered, I wanted to get that right. 01:13 I understand. You know the thing that's 01:16 been exciting to me is, in growing walking with 01:18 the Lord and is how, how creative He is, 01:22 He never answers my prayers just like I think 01:24 He is or just like He did it before. 01:25 He is the creator and many times He's got 01:29 a better answer for me than I could ever 01:30 imagine. And I just that's something I'm coming 01:32 to love Him for more all the time and he puts 01:34 up with me too. Dragging and kicking and 01:36 screaming. Dragging us along and I so often. 01:39 But this thing about seemingly unanswered 01:42 prayers, you know we can talk a lot about in 01:43 ourselves in the prayer, but the reality is a lot 01:46 of us are still have a lot of requests in our 01:49 prayer journals that haven't been answered. 01:50 Once we can't see why God hasn't answered, 01:53 I do believe He is too wise to err and too good 01:56 to give us things that aren't good for us. 01:59 I had an experience early in ministry, 02:01 we did where I had sold two houses and made 02:04 money as a young Pastor. And so I had got 02:06 pretty well figured out that you work hard, 02:08 you were faithful and when it came time to 02:10 move He helped you put some equity away. 02:13 And so first two houses I had sold first one I 02:16 put up for sale by owner and somebody came 02:19 along bought it without real estate and I 02:21 pocketed some equity. Second one same thing. 02:24 So I had this all figured out, then it came time 02:26 to move from Southwest Colorado to Denver 02:29 and I did a little less praying as we looked for 02:31 the house there and little more sure of my 02:34 own abilities and that something that seems 02:36 to happen to us as Christians, we get more 02:37 and more secure on our own. Especially if we've 02:39 recently had answered prayers. You know and 02:42 so anyway there is a house I really kind of 02:44 thought was where I wanted to be and I was 02:45 sure it would escalate, I had my own views and 02:47 its probably wrong. But anyway got a little over 02:50 my head and so we noticed over a period of 02:55 not too long that we're beginning to have more 02:57 going out each month than coming in. 02:58 We were losing money and so I thought well 03:01 certainly God you want us to be good stewards. 03:03 So we'll sell our house, so I put up a big for 03:05 Sale by owner sign by the freeway and I was 03:08 just sure that God was gonna answer my prayer 03:09 again. And sure enough somebody came along 03:11 offered me quiet a bit more than I paid for, 03:13 made a deal. And I was happy, but a couple 03:17 of weeks later things began to fall apart, 03:20 I got a notice in the mail saying that I've 03:22 overdrawn my checking account and I don't like 03:24 to do that. So I got to figure out what had 03:26 happened and sure enough in my checking 03:28 account I had made a couple of additions when 03:31 I shouldn't over whatever and ended up almost 03:33 $2,000 further in the whole and I spent the 03:36 money. Well at least the house was sold until I 03:38 got home that day, there was a note from the 03:39 guy who bought the house saying, can I get 03:42 financing the deals off. So I remember walking 03:46 out on the hills behind the house where there 03:48 were some big mansions out there you know of 03:49 other people. I was in the old farm house near 03:52 the freeway, but thinking God what's the deal 03:55 now. What you're gonna do for us and how 03:57 you're gonna get us out of this. I am sure you 03:58 don't want us to loose our equity every month. 04:00 But anyway Psalms 37 is a Psalm that really I 04:04 believe God led me to right at that point in 04:06 my life and just takes some time to read these 04:09 verses to you because I was beginning to be 04:11 anxious. Beginning to fret and worry and be a 04:14 little envious of those would have more money 04:16 and if you read through Psalms 37. It says, do not 04:20 fret because of evildoers, do not be envious of 04:24 the workers of iniquity. For they shall soon be 04:26 cut down like the grass, and wither as the green 04:28 herb. Trust in the Lord, and do good; dwell in 04:31 the land, and feed on his faithfulness. 04:34 Delight yourself also in the Lord and he'll give 04:37 you the desires of your heart. I love that 04:38 promise, so beautiful. Commit your way to the 04:41 Lord, trust also in Him, and He shall bring it to 04:43 pass. He shall bring forth your righteousness 04:46 as the light, and your justice as the noonday. 04:48 Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for him; 04:50 do not fret because of him who prospers in his 04:53 way, because of the man who brings wicked 04:55 schemes to pass. Cease from anger, 04:57 forsake wrath; do not fret it only causes 05:00 harm. For evildoers shall be cut off; but those 05:03 who wait on the Lord, they shall inherit the 05:05 earth. And the whole Psalm really brings you 05:07 back over and over again don't fret, 05:09 don't be anxious, don't be envious of those 05:11 who have a lot more than you do, 05:12 but rather rest, trust. It talks about how the 05:15 Lord will take care of the righteous kids, 05:17 they won't starve to death, that was good 05:18 news for my children. Yes. It talks about how 05:21 little, little righteous man has is better than 05:22 riches of many wicked. So I really felt the Lord 05:24 was saying to me Jerry, I'm gonna take care 05:26 of your family, I'm gonna do it again. 05:28 So I really thought God was gonna sell my 05:30 house pretty quick. But that's not the end of 05:33 the story. The deal went on month after month, 05:37 the economy had fallen out, my loan looked 05:40 so good when I bought the house, it was 05:41 transferable, it was no longer transferable any 05:43 more, the interest rates have gone below and 05:45 it's a long story. I am gonna take up an offering 05:47 here in just a minute to ask you to help us with 05:49 our terrible financial situation, but the reality 05:52 is this went on for a couple of years then we 05:53 got a call to go to another conference. 05:55 And then we went, we prayed and really felt 05:58 God was calling us to another place. 05:59 And so we rented another house, so now I 06:02 had this house on sold and another place to 06:04 go. And the end of the story really is that 06:07 the God did sell our house for exactly the same 06:10 dollar I paid for through a real estate agent. 06:12 You know what that means, that means a loss 06:14 to money. Yes. And so we went out of the 06:17 Denver owing money, instead of having this 06:19 nice nest egg of equity which we lost month 06:21 after month and we owed money, and the 06:25 end of the story really though wasn't written, 06:27 because that was ten, fifteen years ago. 06:30 And now in Psalms 37 around my Bible, 06:33 I have events and dates and times when 06:37 God has taken care of our family financially 06:39 and he's been faithful to His promise. 06:42 And all the way around here, the cars were 06:44 given to us, the money that came unexpectedly 06:46 those things and I can, I can say honestly 06:49 that today I'd rather have that testimony in 06:51 Psalms 37 on my margins then I would that 06:54 equity. So God knows what He is doing even 06:57 when He doesn't answer the way I want Him 06:59 to, or the way that makes sense, why would 07:01 He waste a Christian's money. You know, 07:02 So I just thank God that He is faithful in 07:06 everywhere. And that statement in ministry 07:08 of healing that when we get to the future life, 07:10 those seemingly unanswered prayers of 07:12 disappointed hopes will have been to seem to 07:14 be among our greatest blessings. 07:16 I have found to be really true from God. 07:18 I just praise Him, thank Him for that all along. 07:20 And really your relationship with God has 07:21 been built more since then. You know if I 07:25 had trusted in equity I wouldn't have the 07:26 relationship, understanding that I do 07:28 today, so I praise him for that. Well since 07:30 we're talking a little bit about building 07:32 relationships and whether it be with God or 07:36 each other or our neighbor, that's you have 07:39 a story about on building relationship 07:42 with your neighbor, didn't you? 07:44 Well in previous times that we filmed here, 07:48 we talked about how you know God changed 07:50 my life, got me into a relationship with Him 07:52 and in getting me into that relationship of 07:54 being in His word everyday and just getting 07:57 to know Him. I began to have things to 07:59 share with people and because I was spending 08:01 more time praying with people I had all these 08:04 answers. So I had things to share with my 08:05 neighbors about God and also wanted Jerry's 08:09 ideas ways of witnessing to people is, 08:11 he thinks I should make him a loaf of bread 08:13 and take it to him. I only suggested why 08:15 doesn't he break their lawns or paint their 08:17 houses or wash their cars. Because there is a 08:19 lot of religion in the loaf of bread. A lot of 08:21 religion in a loaf, well I don't know about my 08:23 bread, because my bread comes out really 08:24 strange. Comes out with these dog ears and 08:26 it looks really bad, but I worked really hard, 08:28 prayed about it you know to make some 08:30 good loafs. And then I would, my little boy, 08:34 my little boy and I would pray over this 08:36 loaves of bread before we take them to 08:37 the neighbors that the Holy Spirit would go 08:39 with these. And this one particular neighbor 08:43 that kind of struck up a friendship with, 08:45 her husband liked my bread, I found out later 08:47 that she never really liked my bread, 08:49 but we became friends through that and 08:52 just started talking about God and the kind 08:56 of God he is and how He speaks to you 08:57 through His word. And she started saying 09:00 you know I need to take my little girl to 09:01 Church, I've never taken her to Church in fact 09:03 I haven't been to Church in 17 years. Oh. 09:06 And so she did start going to Church, 09:08 but it was a church at the end of street, 09:10 not my Church, you know I wanted to go 09:11 to my Church, and in January I did not 09:15 want to make new year's resolutions, 09:17 but this one January I decided I am gonna 09:19 make a new year's resolution or wherever 09:21 you wanna call it, and I started saying Lord, 09:23 I want you to give me Karen and Richard for 09:25 your kingdom. Give me Karen and Richard for 09:27 your kingdom. And started praying that in 09:31 my family, we started praying in family 09:33 worships with my children and my prayer 09:35 partner which I don't know if you've got a 09:37 prayer partner Kathy, but I would encourage 09:39 you to get one and our audience that there's 09:44 nothing like having somebody that you can 09:45 pray with once a week about your kids, 09:47 your family, but also to pray for the 09:49 community and people's needs for your Church. 09:53 And my prayer partner started praying also 09:54 for Karen and Richard, it was about the end 09:57 of February or so, one day I was praying Lord, 10:00 you know why don't you do something, 10:03 moving their lives. Karen calls me up on the 10:05 phone and said, do you know anything about 10:07 the vegetarian cooking school being offered at 10:12 your school, academy nearby, at boarding 10:15 school. And I said no I don't, she saw it 10:17 on cable TV and I said I don't know about it, 10:21 but I'll find out if you're interested. 10:22 She was a gourmet cook and very interested 10:25 in vegetarian cooking. So within a couple of 10:28 hours I had her registered, she and her 10:30 husband to go to it and it was such a good 10:32 cooking school because they involved a lot 10:35 of the Church members and people were 10:37 there to greet people and were friendly 10:40 and she said you know what I've gotten 10:42 to know more people here then I know my 10:45 own Church, they're friendlier. And so when 10:48 she'd come to my kids musical, she'd come 10:50 to the musical programs and Christmas 10:51 programs they put on. She would say that, 10:54 she said I had a hard time getting out of 10:55 there, because I know so many people they're 10:57 so friendly. And I realize what a difference it 10:59 makes you know when we do reach out 11:00 and are friendly to people. But she kept 11:02 going to this other Church and it concerned 11:05 me because it was a Church who, that 11:08 didn't teach the Bible was real. They said it 11:10 was a bunch of fables, stories and she told 11:13 me one day that she had signed up for 9 month 11:16 discipleship class. She and her husband, 11:18 they wanna take them through the Bible and 11:20 I immediately started to panic, because I knew 11:22 that they would teach them just strange 11:24 things that weren't true and I started praying 11:27 Lord what do I do, what do I do? And I 11:30 really felt like God said keep their little girl 11:32 so they can go. I thought that doesn't make 11:35 sense, but I started keeping their little girl 11:37 so they could go and I said what else can 11:39 I do God. And I felt like he was impressing 11:42 me to ask her to get together to pray once 11:44 a week and to pray specifically for his 11:46 smoking problem. She really wanted to quit 11:48 smoking, she and her husband and I knew that, 11:51 but knew that she hadn't been unable to. 11:53 So I called her up and said, hey Karen, 11:56 can we get together and start praying 11:58 together once a week. And pray for our 12:01 children, for whatever needs it might be and 12:03 I said specifically for your smoking problem. 12:06 I said, I know you wanna quit, she said yeah 12:08 maybe we can get together to pray, 12:09 I never prayed out loud with anybody before 12:11 and she said but the smoking, medical science 12:14 can take care of that. My husband and I are 12:15 going to sign up for the stop smoking class 12:17 at his office in a few weeks, So I don't need 12:20 to do, pray about that. So I said, can we get 12:23 together to pray. She said yeah. So she came 12:25 over one day that we decided to make the day 12:27 to pray together and as we started to pray 12:31 I said I know medical science can really help 12:33 the smoking, but I really fell like you need God 12:35 in it for it to really make a difference 12:38 you know. I had really felt like God was 12:40 impressing me, pray for her smoking problem. 12:42 How did she responded? She says well, 12:45 she was real hesitant and I couldn't understand 12:46 why, is like she just didn't wanna bother God 12:48 with it. Finally she said okay you can pray 12:50 about it, so we did along with a lot of other 12:53 things and it was so refreshing to hear her 12:55 prayers, because she had not prayed out loud, 12:58 she hadn't gotten stuck in these kind of dry 13:00 traditional ways we pray that God must get 13:02 sick of hearing us all the time, but it was so 13:06 fresh. And in fact she prayed with her eyes 13:09 open which I know how did I know that, 13:11 but it was just, it was beautiful experience 13:15 with it. But anyway she started the stop 13:16 smoking class and the instructor taught them 13:21 all the things to do for withdrawal when you 13:23 once stopped smoking. And on a Sunday they 13:25 would have quit smoking and they would go 13:28 through these withdrawals. Well we 13:30 were all praying for them and that week I 13:32 didn't get to talk to her though until Thursday 13:33 when we were to meet to pray and when I 13:36 called her up to tell her ahead. I called her up, 13:38 I said you know I don't have time to get 13:39 together to pray today, because I've got 13:41 this meeting I'm planning this weekend and 13:43 I'm just so busy. She said that's okay, 13:45 we can wait till next week, but can I tell you 13:47 real quick. I said okay. She said you're so 13:50 right about God, God does answer prayer. 13:53 I said what do you mean? She said you know 13:55 I quit smoking on Sunday both my husband and I. 13:57 I said yeah. She said well we haven't had one 13:59 withdrawal symptom all week. Oh wow. 14:02 She said nothing, she said my instructor is 14:03 been going crazy. She said you should be 14:05 going through this and this and this, 14:06 how come you are not going through this. 14:07 Are you sure you smoked? You know she 14:09 was a three packs a day smoker, 14:12 but you know God does not always choose to 14:15 work that miraculously, but I believe He wants 14:18 to more and more. You know we're told in one 14:21 of my favorite books Christ Object Lessons. 14:23 That God longs for us to expect great things 14:25 to happen. Yeah. And I believe He wants us 14:29 to pray very specifically for these things in 14:31 people's lives as He leads us to do that. 14:35 But even with that Karen kept going to this 14:37 other Church which was teaching her 14:38 you know there was no Adam, no Eve and on 14:40 and on. But the Lord would just tell me to 14:43 keep my mouth shut when we meet to pray. 14:46 Just let her talk about it, but just keep 14:47 praying with her and down the road, 14:51 the ways I kept praying Lord what do I do. 14:54 And our Church decided to have evangelistic 14:57 meetings and when they printed these colorful 14:59 brochures, I took it with my little boy and we 15:01 knelt down and we prayed over these that 15:04 God would use these brochures. The Holy Spirit 15:08 would speak to people through them and we 15:09 took them to our neighbors and especially 15:11 this one, particular one Karen. One of the 15:13 things too that had been happening is my 15:15 little boy and he's like five-years-old and they 15:17 had a little girl that was about two and a half, 15:19 three-years-old and as a witness I said 15:23 you know she wanted somebody to play with 15:26 and he would go and play with her, would 15:27 swing her on a swing and his way of reaching 15:30 out in Christian love to her, to show her what 15:32 Jesus was like. And it was just, it was really 15:34 very beautiful to watch how that helped him 15:36 to grow and to understand God better as 15:38 he reached out to her. And what an 15:40 impression that made on the parents to see 15:42 this five-year-old boy be so tender and loving 15:45 and would play with her little girl. Yes. 15:48 But these, we took these brochure over and 15:50 I knew she wasn't probably gonna be 15:52 interested. She was really defensive about 15:55 those kind of things and I took over that 15:57 brochure and we handed to her, she said oh, 16:00 yeah, okay. And she went back in her house, 16:01 you know we were just standing at the door, 16:03 we went back over to our house. 16:05 And by the time I got to my house so, 16:06 the phone was ringing and it was Karen on 16:09 the line. And she says oh this brochure is 16:10 beautiful, you know I just can't wait for 16:13 these meetings to begin. Now we had prayed 16:15 very specifically that God would speak to her 16:17 through that brochure, that he would just make 16:19 her long to come to those meetings. 16:22 And those were practically her words of 16:24 what she shared. I just can't wait to come 16:26 to these meetings. They look so good. 16:29 So I immediately called up my prayer partner 16:30 and said, she wants to come to the meetings, 16:32 started praying and we started praying together. 16:35 And as a family we started praying that God 16:38 would give her such a sense of his presence 16:42 when she came into the Church and such a 16:44 sense of his peace of who he is, 16:46 that they would long to come back after 16:49 about a week and half or so that was her 16:51 words out of her mouth when we met to pray 16:53 with. Oh I just love to go in the sanctuary 16:55 of your church and she said I just felt God's 16:57 presence and God's peace. And again I was 17:00 praying very specifically for this and it 17:02 wasn't too much longer after that, that 17:06 Karen and Richard were baptized. Amen. 17:08 I'm enjoying. You've built a, quite a 17:10 relationship there and you probably still 17:12 keeping contact with her. Yeah. When you 17:14 were telling the story of someone that we 17:16 had just had the opportunity to build the 17:18 relationship with, and they're moving this week, 17:21 their name is Karen. Karen and John have 17:23 been on these program before and now they 17:25 have the little baby boy and he's like our 17:27 grandson. And so I understand about going 17:33 out and doing the effort and praying in their 17:36 behalf and building those relationships. 17:38 That can be beautiful, it's a wonderful 17:40 experience. It's more than, for me it been 17:43 you know we needed to show them Jesus, 17:45 we need to reach out and convert people, 17:46 but it isn't. It's developing a relationship 17:48 and loving people and they see Jesus then. 17:51 When the Holy Spirit works. Yes, you know, 17:55 you're going to tell us something more about 17:57 building better relationships aren't 17:58 you Jerry? A few principles 18:01 that you can share with us. Yeah, 18:02 Janet and I have made enough mistakes in our 18:03 relationship, so we've been, 18:05 we've been stock piling a few principles, 18:07 oh good, how to do a few better ones is really 18:09 from our own memories and stumbling, 18:11 but you know Jesus prayer in John 17 Kathy, 18:13 beautiful prayer, it's really the 18:16 Lord's prayer. They're just before 18:17 we went to Calgary that we would be one 18:19 as his people, that the world 18:22 would know that he really came, 18:24 that Christmas is not a fable like Santa Claus 18:26 or something. And so again we've 18:29 been thinking about how, how can we really 18:31 help practically those principles and so 18:34 we've got several of them that we come up with. 18:36 Maybe to share few of them, 18:38 we have time left here. One of them we've come 18:40 across that means a lot to us is we need to 18:43 intercede more for people before we try to 18:45 be the Holy Spirit and do something. 18:47 You know so often one has a relationship problem. 18:49 Or we see somebody having a sin or a 18:51 problem around us. There is a time to go 18:53 and care and talk to them, but only after we 18:56 spend a lot of time with God and been, 19:00 the Holy Spirit is making us go. Good point. 19:02 I'm a fixer, so I try to go 19:05 and be the Holy Spirit to them. 19:06 I understand that. You do that too. 19:08 I can do that yes. I on experience got 19:10 back from a trip and there was a guy in our 19:12 office who just loved to gossip and I'm sure 19:14 there's nobody around 3ABN that does had at 19:16 all or anything, but anyway this guy 19:18 loved it and was sort of how he got his 19:21 enjoyment seemed. And I had really talked 19:25 to him before about this and it really upset 19:27 me that he was doing it again. 19:29 'Cause he was gossiping about this couple 19:31 and it was hurting their reputation. 19:32 So I setup an appointment for the next Tuesday 19:34 with him and I made a little legal brief of 19:36 things I knew he have been doing. 19:38 My plan was to sit down with him, 19:40 share the things I knew he had been doing 19:41 and wants him to score him a little and make 19:43 sure that you know we didn't act that 19:44 way as Christians. But that Tuesday morning 19:46 I spent time with Jesus and asked him 19:49 that day Lord, please speak to me 19:52 and your Bible is getting a little dry lately and 19:53 your word is suppose to be your voice 19:55 speaking to me. So I asked him to be real 19:57 practical and speak to me and I didn't know what 20:00 I was asking for I guess, 20:01 because he had something to say. 20:03 And that day I happened to be reading Proverbs 20:05 and Proverbs 12 came along and I don't know how 20:07 God does this Kathy, but He makes those 20:09 verses jump out. Jump out makes them alive. 20:11 Just for what I need for the day and A fool 20:13 shows his annoyance at once, 20:15 yeah I was annoyed at this guy right. 20:17 Reckless words pierce like a sword, 20:19 but the tongue of the wise brings healing. 20:20 You know it was about to go cut him up 20:22 with my rather sharp tongue. 20:23 A prudent man keeps his knowledge to himself. 20:27 Oh I have remembered reading 20:28 that just recently. I had my little legal brief 20:31 I was gonna dump on this poor guy. 20:33 A righteous man is cautious in friendship 20:34 and so I ended up on my knees and said 20:37 Lord I hear you. I'm right about the facts, 20:39 but I'm wrong in spirit. I'm not being like Jesus 20:42 and Galatians 6:1 came to my mind which is a 20:45 beautiful promise. It says brothers, 20:50 if a man is overtaken in any trespass, 20:52 you who are spiritual restore such a one in 20:55 a spirit of gentleness, considering yourself 20:57 lest you also be tempted. Bear one another's 21:00 burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ. 21:02 For if anyone thinks himself to be something, 21:05 when he is nothing he deceives himself. 21:08 In my family, in my work if I 21:11 will follow that council and I will always be 21:13 careful to always go in the spirit of Jesus if I go. 21:17 That day I went, met with a man 21:18 and I started out by reading the scripture. 21:20 And I said you know friend, 21:22 I sometimes talk about people behind their back 21:24 and I say negative things and don't we all? 21:28 And I said you know I wish you pray for me then 21:29 I be more like Jesus and then I shared a little 21:31 bit of what I knew without dumping 21:32 the whole hay load on him. 21:34 And we ended up kneeling together praying that 21:37 the Holy Spirit would change us both and was much 21:40 better in that meeting, tears in our eyes. 21:42 But that night the neat thing about God is 21:44 He has always got one step more to do, 21:46 that night I got home late and there was a Pastor 21:48 on the phone to me and he was really upset 21:50 because his Church members have been going around 21:53 behind his back. Saying things that 21:54 are not true and he said I am gonna sit down 21:56 with him tomorrow and I'm gonna straighten 21:57 them out good. So you see God 21:59 is so wonderful, He was able to work 22:02 me over in the morning, better meeting 22:03 with the guy, yes, and then help this Pastor 22:05 in the evening so. You were prepared. 22:07 I just praised Him and if we would go to Him 22:09 instead of trying to fix our family first or 22:11 something you know I just. I used to come out of 22:14 my devotional time and try to tell Janet 22:16 what to do, I've discovered 22:17 now that better way for us is she has her 22:19 devotions in another part of the house. 22:21 So I write it down on a little note and I tip toe 22:22 in and I float it down, she thinks it came 22:24 straight from heaven works a bit. 22:26 You do that, no, he is checking you. 22:29 But I realize if I pray or if she prays for me. 22:31 He does do it yes. The Holy Spirit is very 22:34 able to be the Holy Spirit and if he needs to 22:36 convict a Christian relative or friend, 22:38 he can do that for us. I just need to be, 22:40 well my own kids, so often point the finger 22:43 at them and God points the finger back at me 22:45 and says judge not, because you're doing 22:47 the same thing. You're the one who 22:50 is doing that and so anyway one of the 22:52 principles is intercede more for others first 22:55 before you go do something, 22:56 let the Holy Spirit be the Holy Spirit. 22:59 Another one is to respect the diversity of 23:03 temperaments and God created differences 23:04 in people. Janet and I, 23:05 I don't know if you know notice, 23:06 probably not on this program. 23:07 But we're different. I have noticed. 23:09 I am the clerk, I am the leader 23:11 gonna go charge, take the world 23:12 and Janet is a little more reserve and yet she 23:14 has a great temperament. But God put us 23:17 together in family, it's I think its 23:18 pretty good. Put us together 23:21 in families with differences. 23:22 The statement from the Child Guidance says, 23:24 Marked diversities of disposition and character 23:26 frequently exist in the same family, 23:28 for it is in the order of God that persons 23:30 of different temperament should 23:31 associate together. When this is the case, 23:34 each member of the family should sacredly regard 23:36 the feelings and respect the rights of others. 23:38 Then it goes on talking about how this develops 23:40 our character and balances. 23:42 It's the same in the Church, 23:43 many different people with God has us 23:45 there for reason, so that's another 23:48 principle to realize that you're different than 23:50 me and she is different then me. 23:52 Learn to work together. 23:53 And chill out a little bit, another principle is 23:56 to assume the best of each others 23:58 motives and actions. You always do 23:59 that don't you? No. My dad was pretty 24:03 good at that, he was a very loving 24:04 probation guy and he always seemed to try to 24:07 put the best on other's motives and actions. 24:10 I love the story about Greg, 24:11 he had a problem of slugs. Do you know how 24:13 to get rid of slugs in your garden, 24:14 you know what the slugs are. 24:15 Yes I do, it seems like. Snails without shells. 24:17 Yes, I know what they are, I was trying to think 24:20 of kindly getting rid of them and I can't 24:22 remember if I've ever heard. How is it. 24:24 They told Greg there were two ways. 24:27 One is you could or you could put salt 24:32 on them right. Oh yes I've heard that. 24:33 That way or you could beer in a plate 24:35 and put it on the plants, they crawl in there 24:37 and get drunk, exhaust and die. 24:39 Seriously? So Greg went to go to a grocery store 24:42 to get a six pack of beer and he was on 24:43 his way to checkout counter and you know 24:45 what happened. No, he got caught somehow. 24:48 He got caught somehow. Sure, the head Elder 24:50 of the Church met, first thing you do 24:51 is you greet each other and you look 24:52 down the basket, see what the other 24:54 person is getting. So of course the 24:57 head Elder assumed he was buying beer 24:59 to kill slugs right. I can't imagine that 25:01 he would assume that. I love the statement 25:04 asks the apostles, Christ like love places 25:06 the most favorable construction on the 25:07 motives and actions of others. 25:09 It does not needlessly expose their faults. 25:11 It does not listen eagerly to 25:13 unfavorable reports, but seeks rather 25:15 to bring to mind the good qualities of others. 25:18 If I could do that with others what a difference 25:20 it would make in my relationships, family, 25:22 church, where ever. Another one is Mathew 18, 25:26 Mathew 5, if we would process the Gospel order 25:29 we would go to people directly when we have 25:31 a problem or when they have a problem with us. 25:33 How much we could save, but instead we go around 25:35 and talk to a bunch of other people. 25:38 Even pray requests we go and say to somebody. 25:41 I've got a prayer request for you and then we 25:42 tell them all about somebody else 25:44 instead of dealing with it directly. 25:46 So much could be saved that way. 25:48 Another principle is to yield our rights and 25:50 expectations all to God. If I don't expect much 25:52 of Janet then I'm not disappointed when 25:55 I don't get it, if I yield all that 25:57 to the cross and give it to Jesus. 25:59 You know and it doesn't mean be a door mat, 26:01 doesn't mean physical abuse for people. 26:02 No. But it does mean that I don't go around 26:04 expecting you to do things, 26:07 then be disappointed when you don't treat me 26:09 the way I think you should all the time. 26:11 Yes. So there's a lot more I could 26:12 say about that, but I need to rush. 26:14 I think that is really, I know you're 26:16 trying to rush, but I think that's really 26:17 one of the problems that happens between couples, 26:19 an awful lot of couples. Their expectations 26:22 with each other and their demands that they 26:24 put on each other causes a lot of 26:26 stress in relationships. Another principle is 26:29 praising God for the source of irritations, 26:30 Janet's been good this taking of something 26:34 that is a source of irritation and 26:35 thanking God for that person, 26:38 bringing out the positive qualities 26:39 about that person. Thanking God for them, 26:40 praying that they'll be blessed. 26:42 Now that's a very difficult thing to do, 26:43 but it does change your attitude even 26:45 towards a person. Yes, it does, 26:46 I've done that. And Ellen White 26:48 has got a beautiful statement in the early 26:49 writings 119 and 120 that nails are down. 26:52 Talks about how the angels are standing 26:53 around saying we're at the end of time, 26:55 you don't understand the urgency and you're 26:58 fiddling around talking about this little trivial 27:00 thing and this little trivial thing. 27:01 She says get ready, get ready and the 27:03 statement there is, if pride and selfishness 27:05 were laid aside, five minutes would 27:06 remove most difficulties. And that is so true 27:09 in my life, it's usually pride, 27:10 pride opinion or something. 27:12 The last thing is, is we can't do 27:14 any of this, only Jesus living in us 27:17 only being connected with him everyday. 27:18 If I don't connect with Jesus, 27:20 I can be a pretty rotten husband. 27:22 Right. But if I connect with him, 27:23 Janet connects with him, then we come together. 27:25 And we can love each other because 27:27 his love living in us. Amen, amen. 27:29 Thank you for these principles, 27:32 they should be helping us. 27:33 I hope they're going to help us, 27:34 I think they'll help me and I would like to 27:37 invite our viewers back again on thinking 27:39 about home. And I think we'll 27:41 ask Jerry to pray for us as we go out. 27:45 Lord, we thank you so much for your love, 27:47 you are love. Fill us, we pray. 27:49 Baptize us with the Holy Spirit and help us to 27:51 love people around us. Even that are 27:52 not unlovable, thank you Jesus 27:54 for the fact that you make our homes one, 27:57 you've said you'll make the two one 27:58 in marriages. Help us. |
Revised 2014-12-17