Sometimes Seen as Weird!

Sometimes seen as Weird!

June 17, Burlington, VT

1 Peter 2:9  But you are not like that, for you are a chosen people. You are royal priests, a holy nation, God’s very own possession. 

I John 4:4-5  But you belong to God, my dear children. You have already won a victory over those people, because the Spirit who lives in you is greater than the spirit who lives in the world. Those people belong to this world, so they speak from the world’s viewpoint, and the world listens to them.

            Vermont people are weird! That’s what the waiter in Olive Garden told us as we were eating supper Friday night. I had asked him if there was a Walmart nearby. He told us there is only one Walmart in all of Vermont and the town fought not to have it. The Vermont people don’t want big name corporations and stores in their towns. They want the locals to have the stores and provide the goods for them. Wow! We laughed and told him our towns in South Carolina sometimes have two or three Walmarts. And, now they even have the Neighborhood Walmarts. A smaller version of the Supercenters.

            Christians are sometimes labeled as weird! If we are to be holy as it states in I Peter, then we probably will be “weird”. It has been said that Christ was either a liar, a lunatic or the Lord. We know which He was--- the Lord. What do we expect folks to think of then?

When I first heard the message of the gospel all I could think about was that it better be fun! I loved to have fun and if being a Christian wasn’t fun, then I didn’t want anything to do with it. That was crazy thinking as I look back now. After 34 years as a Christian, I am weird.

            I think totally different from many folks in all areas of my life. I can see how God has set me apart in all the ways I handle life and its issues. He has taught me along the journey in how to handle money.  Matthew 6:19-20 gives us clear directions in what to do with our money when it says, “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasurers in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal.” All the money is His- 100% of it. He allows us to manage it for him, expects us to tithe 10% and give offerings, and be responsible with the rest. It is more important to spend time investing in people, who are eternal than money which is temporal.   (think about that)  How do you invest in people?  There are eternal rewards for that.

 In making decisions I am to go to Him and get guidance and wisdom. Proverbs 3:6 says, ‘in all your ways submit to Him, and he will make your paths straight.’  He is objective and is omniscient and knows what is best for us. We are subjective and want what we want. Sometimes it’s not the best. His ways promise the best for our lives. In all decisions concerning jobs, Norm and I would ask the Lord what He wanted us to do. There have been some hard decisions to make that the Lord has been clear about. When we have followed it has worked out the best!

Two examples: 

1-    I applied for a job in the school district and did not get it. The next week, the assistant principal asked me to do that same job at the school level. If I had gotten the district job, I would have had to work summers and late evenings and would have had to miss many of my CMA activities. With the school job I was on teacher time at school and only worked 190 days with the teachers. It was way better for us at the time for me to have the School based Math Coach job. Thank you Lord.

2-    When the shipyard was going to close, Norm and I began to pray about what the Lord would have us do. To make a long story short, He told us to stay put in Summerville. That meant Norm would not have a job. The Lord’s way is best. Just trust and obey…. When it was all said and done Norm got a job in Summerville.  There are many details to this story I could share but not enough space. God is faithful!!!

In this case, it is fine with me if folks think I am weird?

I pray the Lord gets all the glory!!

How are you set apart from the world?

How do you view your money and time?

How do you make decisions?