John Ed Mathison » Inspirational http://johnedmathison.org/blog John Ed Mathison Wed, 16 May 2012 21:43:29 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.2 Gone Fishing! http://johnedmathison.org/blog/2012/05/16/gone-fishing/ http://johnedmathison.org/blog/2012/05/16/gone-fishing/#comments Wed, 16 May 2012 21:43:29 +0000 John Ed Mathison http://johnedmathison.org/blog/?p=847 One person who receives our blog, Joanne Gauntt from Albany, Georgia, commented that I have written a couple of times recently about fishing. She included an article that she had found years ago and had kept it in an old file. She shared the following with me;

“Now it came to pass that a group existed who called themselves fishermen. And lo, there were many fish in the waters all around, and the fish were hungry.

Week after week, month after month, year after year those who called themselves fishermen met and talked about their call to go fishing. They searched for new and better methods of fishing and for new and better definitions of fishing. They sponsored nationwide and worldwide congresses to discuss fishing and to promote fishing and hear about all the ways of fishing. They built large, beautiful buildings called ‘Fishing Headquarters.’ One thing they didn’t do, however – they didn’t fish.

All the fishermen agreed that what was needed was a board which could challenge fishermen to be faithful in fishing. The board was formed by those who had the great vision and courage to speak about fishing, to define fishing, and to promote the idea of fishing in far-away streams and lakes where many fish of different colors lived.

Large, elaborate, and expensive training centers were built whose purpose was to teach fishermen how to fish. Those who taught had doctorates in fishology, but the teachers did not fish. They only taught fishing.

Some spent much money on study and travel to learn the history of fishing and went to faraway places where the founding fathers did great fishing in the centuries past. They lauded the faithful fishermen of years before who handed down the idea of fishing. Many who felt the call to be fishermen responded. They were commissioned and sent to fish, ant they went off to foreign lands to teach fishing.

Now it’s true that many fishermen sacrificed and put up with all kinds of difficulties. Some lived near the water and bore the smell of dead fish every day. They received the ridicule of those who made fun of their fishermen’s clubs. They anguished over those who were not committed enough to attend weekly meetings to talk about fishing. After all, were they not following the Master who said, “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men”?

Imagine how hurt some were when one day someone suggested that those who didn’t catch fish were really not fishermen. Yet it did sound correct. Is a person a fisherman if year after year he/she never catches a fish?”

Wouldn’t it be great if everyone of us hung out a sign over our lives – Gone Fishing! Jesus said very clearly, “Follow Me and I will make you fish for people.” (Mark 1:17 NRSV)

Gone Fishing!

]]> http://johnedmathison.org/blog/2012/05/16/gone-fishing/feed/ 0 Grace vs. Race http://johnedmathison.org/blog/2012/05/02/grace-vs-race/ http://johnedmathison.org/blog/2012/05/02/grace-vs-race/#comments Wed, 02 May 2012 15:28:23 +0000 John Ed Mathison http://johnedmathison.org/blog/?p=843 Racism is a big problem and has been for many years. Society has looked at a lot of ways to eradicate racism. We are making some progress, but we have a long way to go.

A recent study by Oxford University researchers has shown that a beta-blocker pill, propranolol, appears to have the effect of dealing with racism, at least on a subconscious level. Researchers asked white volunteers to group pictures of black and white individuals with positive and negative words like “sunshine” and “sad.” Some of the volunteers took propranolol – others took a placebo.

The volunteers that took the propranolol were far quicker to identify black faces with positive words, suggesting that they were less prejudiced. Propranolol does alter nerve circuits in the brain that govern panic, so the study suggests the notion that racism may be rooted in feelings of fear. Whatever the biological effects, some good results did emerge. Oxford philosopher Julian Savulescu was quoted by the London Telegraph, “Biological research aiming to make people morally better has a dark history.”

I am excited about any kind of pill or medication that could help eliminate racism. But is that the best solution?

We have placed a big focus in eliminating racism with education. Studies have shown that people with more education would tend to have less prejudice. That is a good move in the right direction, but education has not solved the problem.

Politics and the legal system have been very helpful in making strides forward to eliminate racism. There are a lot of laws in place today that help protect the rights of all individuals. But this has not totally solved the problem.

While medicine, education, and the legal system are good, I propose that the best way to eliminate racism is to meet the need for a change in our thinking and our actions which only comes by the redeeming grace of Jesus Christ. This transformation by Jesus Christ allowed the early Jewish Christians to accept, love, and work with Gentile converts. Because of grace Paul wrote Philemon asking that he restore a slave to a proper position. Only the grace of Jesus Christ could transform Saul, a persecutor of the Christians, into Paul, the most high profile advocate for the Christian faith in the early church.

I have seen this personally. I have had the privilege of speaking at racial reconciliation rallies in places like the delta of Mississippi, Selma, Lowndes County, and others. I carried with me two people – Wes Strane and Tommy Waites. One is white, the other black. Both hated people of the other race. When Jesus Christ transformed each of them, He transformed their way of thinking and acting. He transformed hate into love!

They first met when Tommy Waites was speaking to a Sunday School class at Frazer. Tommy grew up in the ghetto. He learned to hate white people, especially white policemen. But God changed his life. Sitting on the front row of that class was Wes Strane, a former policeman. He stood up and approached Tommy and nobody knew exactly what was going to happen. Wes said, “I grew up hating black people, especially convicts. But now the grace of Jesus Christ has transformed me.” They embraced in front of that class. Wow! What a Sunday School lesson!

I am a proponent for medication, education, legal changes, etc., but I’ll give my life for the principle of the transforming grace of Jesus Christ. He is the ultimate answer!

Paul said, “If any man is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.” (II Corinthians 5:17) That will eradicate racism!

Grace beats race every time!

]]> http://johnedmathison.org/blog/2012/05/02/grace-vs-race/feed/ 0 Important Pennies http://johnedmathison.org/blog/2012/04/25/important-pennies/ http://johnedmathison.org/blog/2012/04/25/important-pennies/#comments Wed, 25 Apr 2012 15:23:32 +0000 John Ed Mathison http://johnedmathison.org/blog/?p=840 Is a penny important?

All of us have seen a rise in the price of gasoline. I certainly don’t understand how and why it keeps going up, but I do know that there is no bargaining power when you get ready to buy it.

Bloomberg Businessweek recently quoted an analysis by Credit Suisse bank that every one-penny rise in the cost of a gallon of gas takes $1 billion of consumer spending away from other goods in the course of a year. That means that a 50-cent increase in gas this year would divert $50 billion away from consumer spending. That makes each penny very important.

It is easy to overlook the value of a penny. I remember when I was growing up, if you saw a penny on the sidewalk, you would stop and pick it up. A penny was important. Today people don’t take the time or energy to even bend over and pick up a penny. If they do pick it up, it is usually for environmental reasons and they take it and throw it in a trash can. A penny doesn’t seem to have much value – until you realize what it means tacked onto a gallon of gas!

I remember reading about a power plant shutdown several years ago in Buchanan, New York. People were without electricity. The company spent $8 million repairing the power plant!

The source of the problem was a 5-cent washer. That is five pennies! It was a loose piece which apparently had been dropped into the 360-ton generator during an earlier inspection. That one little washer caused a vibration that wore the insulation off of a crucial copper coil. That led to a short circuit and ultimately the loss of power for thousands of people. It took seven months to repair that problem before the power plant could resume. Fortunately they had an alternate source of power during that time.

A five-penny washer caused $8 million worth of damage. Are pennies important?

One day Jesus watched people drop money into the collection plate at the temple. Different people put in different amounts. One very poor widow came and put in a couple of pennies. Jesus made the comment that this woman had given more than anybody else that day. (Mark 12:43, 44)

The disciples thought that Jesus might know something about life, but He didn’t understand economics. A lot of people had given more. His lesson to the disciples – and to us – was that while the rest of the people gave out of their abundance, she gave the best that she had. One penny made a huge difference in what she had. It also spoke volumes about her faith.

One penny-per-gallon makes a big difference! One 5-penny washer misplaced can disrupt a whole community! Giving enough pennies that represent how much we have brings a welcoming word from Jesus!

Watch your pennies!

]]> http://johnedmathison.org/blog/2012/04/25/important-pennies/feed/ 0 Guess Who Is Here http://johnedmathison.org/blog/2012/04/18/guess-who-is-here/ http://johnedmathison.org/blog/2012/04/18/guess-who-is-here/#comments Wed, 18 Apr 2012 16:15:04 +0000 John Ed Mathison http://johnedmathison.org/blog/?p=838 I have a friend who is a bi-vocational minister. He has a regular job during the week, and preaches on Sunday. He is a carpenter.

He said it is very interesting when he goes out on a job as a carpenter and people find out that he is a preacher. The language changes. He said that one day a man said that he had more difficulty working around the preacher than any other person he had ever met. He said, “I just can’t use the words I would normally use. I have to speak and act differently.”

It is interesting how there are some people in life who seem to change our behavior when we are in their presence. While it is good that the behavior is changed in a positive way, it is a shame that our behavior is not the same whether that person is present or not.

An old Sunday School publication contained the following:

Times when people want to see their Sunday School teacher:

1. When they are taking a basket to the needy family

2. When they’re taking their kids to a G rated movie

3. At P.T.A.

4. When checking out inspirational books in the library

5. While visiting the nursing home

Times when people don’t want to see their Sunday School teacher”

1. When they are trying to fix a traffic ticket

2. When they burned a finger and uttered a four letter word

3. When dealing with an insurance claims adjuster

4. At R rated movies

5. When bets are being taken at the office football pool

Do you remember in school when the teacher would leave the room? My experience (and I contributed to it) was that classroom behavior changed. We would even post someone at the door to signal us when the teacher was returning so we could resume proper behavior.

One teacher wore high heel shoes so you could hear her coming down the hall. One day she took off her shoes and returned quietly down the hall. She caught us!

God never leaves the room or the workplace. God is present everywhere. His presence far exceeds that of a bi-vocational preacher or a Sunday School teacher or anyone else. Our behavior should be tempered by knowing that He is always present everywhere.

Job said, “For God carefully watches the way people live; he sees everything they do. No darkness is thick enough to hide the wicked from his eyes.” (Job 34:21, 22 NLT) Paul reminds us, “now is the time to get rid of anger, rage, malicious behavior, slander and dirty language.” (Colossians 3:8 NLT)

Guess Who is here!

]]> http://johnedmathison.org/blog/2012/04/18/guess-who-is-here/feed/ 0 Jury Selection http://johnedmathison.org/blog/2012/04/12/jury-selection/ http://johnedmathison.org/blog/2012/04/12/jury-selection/#comments Thu, 12 Apr 2012 14:41:40 +0000 John Ed Mathison http://johnedmathison.org/blog/?p=836 One of the biggest problems for man is making an adequate assessment of himself. Whenever there is question about the integrity or actions of a person, the one being discussed will always err on the side that best benefits him. Man has an amazing capacity to “rationalize” and begin to feel that most anything is okay. The Bible calls it sin. Read Genesis 3.

Derrick Smith is an accused murderer on trial for a barroom murder in Schenectady, New York. It is hard to believe but he recently received a summons to serve as a juror in his own trial. Now that is really picking an unbiased juror!!

Smith has even argued to the judge that he would be glad to answer the summons and sit on the jury. He has argued that he could be fair and impartial. He feels like he could pass judgment on himself in an impartial way.

Of course the judge struck him from the jury. The commissioner of jurors said that this had never happened before.

While most of us are not on official jury duty, we are quick to justify our own actions. It is easy to think we are impartial, but not.

Read II Samuel 11 and 12. David made a terrible mistake. He became infatuated with a beautiful woman and had a sexual relationship with her. She became pregnant and had a baby.

David did all he could to avoid taking responsibility for his action. He even had the woman’s husband return from battle so people would think that he was the father of the child. He then had her husband placed on the front line of battle so he would be killed.

David was doing a lot to convince himself that what he had done was okay. Then God put a prophet in front of him by the name of Nathan. He told a story about taking a man’s special little lamb. David became interested in the story and responded that anybody that would take another man’s special lamb deserved to die. Nathan pointed a boney finger in his face and said to David, “you are the man.’ (II Samuel 12:7)

Reasoning that comes from a human perspective will seldom turn out to be reasonable. Reasoning that is tempered by biblical revelation and an openness to God’s spirit will be far more accurate. Seeking the opinion of other people is oftentimes helpful, but God’s standard of evaluation is always correct.

Derrick Smith was struck from the jury. He could not be impartial. I must always be struck from the jury when I have sole responsibility for trying to pass judgment on my actions.

The good news is that David did confess his sin, receive forgiveness and was restored. (II Samuel 12:13) His reconciliation occurred when he quit rationalizing and became honest and repentant before God.

Jury selection occurs everyday!

]]> http://johnedmathison.org/blog/2012/04/12/jury-selection/feed/ 0 Everybody Loves A Parade http://johnedmathison.org/blog/2012/04/04/everybody-loves-a-parade/ http://johnedmathison.org/blog/2012/04/04/everybody-loves-a-parade/#comments Wed, 04 Apr 2012 14:39:26 +0000 John Ed Mathison http://johnedmathison.org/blog/?p=833 Everybody loves a parade. It is one venue for celebrating some great accomplishment.

A few weeks ago we celebrated the 50th anniversary of John Glenn’s orbit of the earth in a space craft. He led America on a new course of space exploration. There was a huge parade that covered a seven mile route, and most of the way they dumped tons of confetti. The sanitation department had to clean up 3,474 tons of tickertape!

I always enjoy the big parades when an athletic team wins a national or world championship. People turn out to celebrate. These parades filter down to our local communities when an athletic team wins a state tournament. There is excitement in the air.

Jesus was a part of a huge parade on Palm Sunday. Josephus, the Jewish historian, estimated that the crowd could have been over a million people.

They spread palm branches along the path and waved palm branches. In the day of Jesus the palms were a sign of victory. They were given to the winners of contests of strength and skill. Riding on the donkey was the fulfillment of the Old Testament prophecy of Zechariah, who said, “Lo, your king comes to you; triumphant and victorious is he, humble and riding on a donkey.” (Zechariah 9:9)

One of the great writer’s of the last century was Lloyd C. Douglas. In “The Robe” he tells of a slave, Demetrius, who was in the crowd on that first Palm Sunday. He makes his way through the multitude to observe who the center of attention is. He got close enough to look upon the face of Jesus.

Later he was confronted by another slave who wanted to know if he saw him – close up. Demetrius nodded affirmatively. When asked if Jesus was crazy, Demetrius shakes his head emphatically. When asked if he was a king, Demetrius says, “No, not a king.”

The other slave then demands, “If he is not a king, what is he then?” Demetrius say, “I don’t know, but he is something more than a king.” The parade was centered on someone who was more than a king. He was the Son of God.

The scene changed dramatically during the week. By Friday he has been betrayed, gone through an unjust trial, and nailed to a cross. While the cross was to many a symbol of defeat, it became the symbol for victory over sin and death.

The Italian artist Tintoretto painted a picture of Christ upon the Cross. In the background you see a donkey eating palm leaves. That picture speaks volumes.

The palms were a symbol of victory. The Cross and resurrection became the symbols of ultimate victory.

The best parade will not be a celebration here on earth. The big parade will be held in our Father’s Place that He has prepared for us. Everyone loves a parade, but parades here on earth don’t last long. They can take a sudden, drastic change. Being a part of the heavenly processional will be an unending celebration of victory!

Read about the celebration parade in the new heaven and the new earth in Revelation 21. It will be a part of the Holy City, the New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. (Revelation 21:2)

While everyone loves a parade, be sure you are a part of the unending parade!

]]> http://johnedmathison.org/blog/2012/04/04/everybody-loves-a-parade/feed/ 0 Look What God Can Do! http://johnedmathison.org/blog/2012/03/28/look-what-god-can-do/ http://johnedmathison.org/blog/2012/03/28/look-what-god-can-do/#comments Wed, 28 Mar 2012 18:01:52 +0000 John Ed Mathison http://johnedmathison.org/blog/?p=831 God delights in taking seemingly hopeless situations and turning them into miraculous successes. His selection of leaders in the Old Testament demonstrates this principle. The people He chose as His disciples were not people that anyone would have picked for leadership. Choosing Saul, the persecutor of the Christian faith, to become Paul, the author of the most books of the New Testament, is a dramatic example of how God takes ordinary people and does extraordinary things with them.

God is still doing that today! I was preaching at the First Baptist Church in Eufaula, Alabama. The Pastor, Dr. Ken Bush, introduced me to Terry Spence.

When Terry was two-years-old his parents divorced. His great-grandmother took him to raise. She had a very small store in Eufaula. She spent time with him everyday reading the Bible and talking to him about God’s purpose and plan for his life. Her biblical teachings became a part of his thinking process.

At age 14, his great-grandmother’s health prevented her from looking after him. His divorced parents had both moved. This meant at the age of 14, he had to get an apartment and live on his own in Eufaula.

Most folks would tell you that there is little chance that a 14-year-old boy living alone would ever amount to anything. The whole deck was stacked against him. But he had a firm belief in what his great-grandmother taught him about God’s plan and purpose for his life. He was going to follow that dream.

The principal of the high school discovered that he was living by himself and called him into his office. He said that this did not comply with school regulations. Terry indicated that he had nowhere else to live, but wanted to stay in school. The principal said that if he kept up his grades he would overlook the fact that he lived by himself.

Terry got a job at Mann’s Bait Company. When he got out of school at 3:00, he would go and work until 11:00 at night. He would then come home to his empty apartment and do his schoolwork. His grades were superb.

He didn’t mind working hard. He didn’t sit around and feel sorry for himself – he knew that God had a plan for him.

He worked at Mann’s Bait Company for about 15 years. In 1984 he had an opportunity to buy a small business in Eufaula called Southern Plastics. They made soft plastic bait for fishermen.

The first seven years were extremely tough. Nobody gave him a chance to make it in business, but he knew that God had a bigger plan for his life. His whole business philosophy was based on the fact that this business would be used to glorify God. The people who were employed there understood that and God did bless it!

Today Southern Plastics is the largest provider of soft plastic bait in the United States! He is the supplier for BASS Pro Shops, Wal-Mart, YUM, ZOOM, Strike King, etc. He employs well over a hundred people. His business grows every year.

I walked around his business with him. He speaks to every employee, calls them by name, and gives an encouraging word about what God can do with them that day.

I have met a lot of people in life who are on their back and ask for God’s help. When God gives His help and they get back on their feet, they have a tendency to forget who it was that picked them up. Terry Spence always followed God’s dream for his life, and the bigger the business gets, the less credit he takes for the success. Every success makes his business a bigger platform for ministry.

Paul writes, “God purposely chose what the world considers nonsense in order to put wise men to shame…whoever wants to boast must boast of what the Lord has done.” (I Corinthians 1:27, 31 Good News)

God is still in the business of doing extraordinary things with ordinary people who follow His plan!

]]> http://johnedmathison.org/blog/2012/03/28/look-what-god-can-do/feed/ 0 Disgustology http://johnedmathison.org/blog/2012/03/21/disgustology/ http://johnedmathison.org/blog/2012/03/21/disgustology/#comments Wed, 21 Mar 2012 17:36:24 +0000 John Ed Mathison http://johnedmathison.org/blog/?p=828 One of the characteristics of our age is the tremendous negativity that is being directed toward people, philosophies, and events. The social media network, plus the traditional avenues of television, radio, and print are flooding our world with negative things.

One of the descriptive words for this is “disgust.” People who study human behavior say that we are being bombarded by “disgust.” Valerie Curtis of The New York Times, referred to as a “disgustologist,” reports that disgust plays a powerful role in nearly everything, from romance to diet to politics.

This is readily seen in the political realm. The Super PACs, which are the results of the Supreme Courts’ decision in the Citizens United case, have emerged and they seem to basically be buying disgust by the tons and dumping it throughout our world. Most of these PACs tell how bad or wrong one of the candidates might be. Because of some of the interpretations of the law, people are not really sure who is paying for all of this disgust advertising and how much the political figure who is favored by it is involved in it. Polls show that 62% of the public are opposed to the Citizens United decision.

Some people have suggested that the Republican primaries will most likely be won by the candidate who can create the most disgust about his opponent, while at the same time deflecting the disgust that you might feel for him. William Falk compiles this disgust factor and says, “Mitt Romney’s opponents will tell you that he is a filthy-rich , tax-evading vulture capitalist who made his fortune firing factory workers. Newt Gingrich will be portrayed as a hypocritical, influence-peddling serial adulterer and an emotionally unstable megalomaniac. Barack Obama will be condemned as an incompetent, tax-and-spend socialist who will run up the deficit, put everyone on food stamps, and turn America into France.”

The media can paint a picture of a person that they want to project, rather than what the person is really like. Isn’t it time that we go back to supporting political candidates because of who they are rather than how they are colored through the media. Why can’t we go back to electing political candidates based on what they can do rather than a criticism of their opponents? Why can’t we demand that political candidates focus on what they stand for rather than what they oppose in somebody else?

I have a hunch that our forefathers would be appalled at the epidemic of “disgust” that seems to be prevalent in our society. A society that begins to worship and practice negativity will become a negative society. Listening to and advocating “disgust” will lead a nation to a “disgusting” result.

Contrast this to the decision Jesus rendered in His case involving citizens. He taught that every citizen is of infinite worth and should be loved as we love ourselves. (Matthew 22:39) He has organized a superb PAC (Positive Affirmation Communication) which He calls the church. His plan is to influence every citizen and every aspect of life! (Romans 12:1, 2)

Disgust or Divine declaration – what are we spreading?

]]> http://johnedmathison.org/blog/2012/03/21/disgustology/feed/ 0 NTL http://johnedmathison.org/blog/2012/03/14/ntl/ http://johnedmathison.org/blog/2012/03/14/ntl/#comments Wed, 14 Mar 2012 14:36:31 +0000 John Ed Mathison http://johnedmathison.org/blog/?p=825 Fishing is a huge part of the economy of Alabama. This is where Bass Anglers originated. Alabama has been the home of several National Fishing Tournaments. Some of the largest suppliers of artificial bait are located in Alabama.

Fishing became the backdrop for one of the great lessons of life. Luke 5 tells how Jesus looked for a way to teach a huge crowd. There were a couple of boats nearby. He took one boat to stand on. He looked over at the other boat and saw some fishermen. They had been fishing all night and had caught nothing.

Jesus gives them an interesting fishing strategy. He tells them they need to put down their nets on the other side of the boat. They looked at him in shocked disbelief. They figured he might know a lot about preaching and teaching, but obviously he didn’t know anything about fishing. They had already fished those waters and there were not any fish there. They also knew that what few fish there were would have gone toward the shallow waters. They thought they knew the science of fishing.

One of the biggest problems God has with us is that He gives us a directive for life, but we give Him a lot of reasons why His logic is wrong or we think we’ve got a better idea. Moses gave a litany of excuses when God ask him to go speak to Pharaoh. Naaman had excellent human reasoning when God’s servant gave him the formula for being healed of leprosy. The disciples were experienced fishermen and they couldn’t believe what they heard.

Then comes a great response – “nevertheless they put their nets on the other side of the boat.” (v.5) Nevertheless – what a powerful word. It ran against the grain of their human reasoning, nevertheless they were going to do what Jesus said.

A huge lesson I have learned about life is that God always knows what is right and He is always right. My responsibility is not to question Him, but to obey Him. Nevertheless – they put down their nets.

I propose we start an NTL-nevertheless-movement. Young people might say “everybody else is fooling with alcohol, drugs, sex, etc.” nevertheless I will be different. Men and fathers might say that society condones “a man being unfaithful to his wife” nevertheless I am not going to participate in that sin. Women might recognize that society sometimes condones “getting what you want by the means that you want to go to to get it” nevertheless I am not going to participate.

The NTL-nevertheless-principle always pays off. We become obedient to God and God has even greater blessings in store for us. Faith takes on a new dimension when and relationships grow rich and are filled with meaningfulness when we practice the NTL-nevertheless-principle.

Look at the result of the NTL-nevertheless -principle in Peter’s life. They put down the nets, and there were so many fish that the nets could not hold them! They filled up their boat and another boat and both boats were so full they started to sink! What a result!

I have heard some fish stories in my life, but never a fish story like this. Fishermen are not known for always telling the complete truth. Last year when BASS had its National Tournament here, they had a referee on each boat that went out to insure that the fish were properly caught. They didn’t trust the fishermen. At the National Crappie Tournament held here in Montgomery, over 300 boats went out to compete. Since there were not that many referees, each fisherman had to take a lie detector test before he or she could present their fish for weighing!

This story exceeds any fish story. It is simply an example of what God can do when we practice the NTL-nevertheless-principle.

Join the movement! Practice the principle! Get a bigger boat to get ready to contain the results!

NTL-Nevertheless!

]]> http://johnedmathison.org/blog/2012/03/14/ntl/feed/ 0 Little Can Be Big http://johnedmathison.org/blog/2012/03/07/little-can-be-big/ http://johnedmathison.org/blog/2012/03/07/little-can-be-big/#comments Wed, 07 Mar 2012 17:57:45 +0000 John Ed Mathison http://johnedmathison.org/blog/?p=823 Little things mean a lot. Big doors swing on small hinges.

A man’s wife and daughter were traveling through Europe. The wife visited a jewelry store and found a very expensive piece of jewelry. She wanted it. She emailed her husband and told him the price and asked for his permission to buy it.

He emailed back, but left out one small comma. He intended to say “no, price too high.” When he left out the comma the message read “no price too high.” One little comma cost him a fortune. Little things make a big difference.

On a much bigger stage Robert Love writes about a mistake that appears on the Martin Luther King Jr. monument in Washington, D.C. The statement reads, “I was a drum major for justice, peace, and righteousness.”

Many people read that and it didn’t seem to be exactly the right description of Martin Luther King Jr. It carried with it a touch of arrogance and pride that was not characteristic of him. Upon a closer check, the quote is actually wrong because of the word “if.”

Research showed that on February 4, 1968, Dr. King delivered a sermon called “The Drum Major Instinct.” It was actually a sermon that called for less of an arrogant attitude towards life and more of an humble spirit. Recognition and being out front were not the main objectives of life. That tends to promote a kind of seniority, which leads to racism.

The point of his sermon was that a person needs to harness those desires to be out front and use them to be an humble servant. He turned to thoughts of his funeral and said, “If you want to say that I was a drum major, say that I was a drum major for justice. Say that I was a drum major for peace.”

That understanding of the sermon is the total opposite of what is on the monument in Washington D.C. It all centered on the word “if.” Words can be changed, omitted, or added that give an opposite message than was intended. Mark Twain said, “The difference between the right word and the almost right word is the difference between lightning and a lightning bug.”

I understand that the government is now changing the quote so that it is indicative of what Dr. King meant and what he stood for.

Little things can be big things. Jesus said, “The Kingdom of Heaven is like a mustard seed planted in a field. It is the smallest of all seeds, but it becomes the largest of garden plants and grows into a tree where birds can come and find shelter in its branches.” (Matthew 13:31, 32)

The wise man Solomon said, “The little foxes spoil the vineyards.” (Song of Solomon 2:15) Jesus said, “Well done, my good and faithful servant. You have been faithful in handling this small amount, so now I will give you many more responsibilities. Let’s celebrate together!” (Matthew 25: 21 NLT) Jesus said, “Unless you are faithful in small matters, you won’t be faithful in large ones. If you cheat even a little, you won’t be honest with greater responsibilities.” (Luke 16:10 NLT)

Taking care of little things positions us for taking care of the big things!

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