3 Men, 10 Mattresses, a Car, a Rope, & a Plan - Priceless (A Must See Video)

The video was taken this afternoon in Chandler, AZ around 4pm on the 202 during rush hour traffic. The vehicle was doing 55-60 mph with eight layers of mattresses roped to the top. There were 4 twins and 6 larger mattresses. It was a very unbalanced load that was constantly shifting. Most of the other drivers were laughing just like us. Mrs. Max recorded the event as I drove. Many of the drivers (and I did say drivers) were recording the event with their cell phones. I’m sure this will be on YouTube soon. I hope they made it safely. Foolish? Well, of course. Read on.


Often when I counsel struggling teens, they admit to not praying and not reading God's Word. Because of a lack of surrender, they do everything in their own wisdom and with their plan. They miss out on the direction and power that God would otherwise supply (Psalm 1). Internally they are bored and empty. Externally they appear bored and directionless. When in conflict they typically respond fearfully, angrily, or bitterly.  


When asked if they want to do right, the answer is usually YES. When asked if they are willing to do right, the answer is NO. When asked if they are willing to be made willing to do right, the answer is a resounding NO. This is hypocrisy: hypocrisy that is often hidden behind churchy faces, churchy words, churchy apparel, and churchy actions. They know how to play the Game of Church.



More and more now teens tell me that they don't read the Bible, but they do pray. They seem to take comfort in this and think that the idea of being "somewhat surrendered" puts them ahead in the Game of Church. But it doesn't. It's merely partial obedience, and church is NO game. Dr. Michael Sproul often says that partial obedience is complete disobedience. Did you get that? Complete disobedience.
 
Good relationships are founded on good communication (two-way conversation). It's talk and listen, speak and spoken to, ask and answer, teach and learn. A person who prays without reading God's Word doesn't want conversation or relationship. He wants a rabbit's foot for good luck and a genie for great stuff. The message is clear, "God, you need to hear me, but I don't need to listen to you." It is selfish pride on parade.


It reminds me a bit of the guys in the car with the mattresses piled on top. In their own eyes it might have seemed like an okay plan, but the potential for harm (to themselves and to others) was evident. Without God’s Word we have no light, no guide, no wisdom, no strength, and no direction. We have our own bad plan – a really bad plan. It’s a sinful plan that will bring unhappiness to self and will bring misery or distraction to others.


The solution: There must be surrender to God, and this surrender must be complete and unconditional.  A lack of surrender means a continuing of hostilities to God. Yikes! Remember, God resists those who are proud and fight against Him but gives grace to those who are humble themselves before Him (James 4:6). So, when does a person get to the point of unconditional surrender to the will of God? When that person is without strength and completely incapable of continuing the hostilities. We call that brokenness.


It's true in war.
It's true in strife.
It brings real peace
It gives new life.


It's time to raise the white flag to God
PM


              

In Your Eye

Think of a time when you got a speck of something in your eye!  It might have been tiny, but do remember the irritation and the pain? Ouch! Until it was removed you were distracted, blurred, and somewhat helpless.  Ever seen someone else with the same sort of problem?  What was your response to that person's need?

Read Matthew 7:1-5

 1) Judge not, that ye be not judged.  2) For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again.  3) And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye?  4) Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye; and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye?  5) Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother's eye.

This passage is about

    1. marred vision and hindered blessings

    2. restoring vision and blessing

So which is the mote and which is a beam?

_______________ - a great length of timber, a log, a rafter

_______________ - a tiny speck (like sawdust), a splinter

                 Hint: alphabetical order

According to Matthew 7

Who is called a hypocrite?

Which must be removed first, the mote or the beam? Why?

Hint: Which is more easily spotted, accessed, and personal? Which is not?

The mote is some fault that I see in another (real or imagined).

- It's hard to tell with that log in the way; isn't it!

The beam may simply be my unloving response to one who has the mote.

Feelings of resentment, coldness, and criticism are signs of an unloving spirit.

The first flicker of an unkind thought or criticism is the beginning of this un-love.

Key: I choose to love or to un-love.

If I choose to love -  I will admonish and exhort, and provoke.

admonish - caution, reprove, rebuke (Col. 3:16)  Admonishing whom? _____________

exhort - encourage, urge (Heb.3:13)  Exhort when? _______________

provoke - incite (Heb. 10:24)  Provoke to what?     _______________

Bottom line: The love of Jesus poured into me will make me want to help my brother.

Where does love for Jesus begin?  (Phil. 1:21, I Cor.15:31)  Hint: ide to elfs

IF I die to myself - to my gifts, to my rights, to my power, to my goodness, to my ambition;

THEN and only then will I understand the cross and have the power of God in my life.

What makes for a successful removal? (verse 5)

I must first cast sin from my own heart, so I may be clean to help my brother

- before it's too late, for either or both of us!

Ask God to reveal the timber of sin that is in your heart.  Then ask forgiveness and repent. 
PM