Loving Those Who Bother Us.

Dodger:  Hey there!  How are you doing?  Good, I hope.  Lilly here actually looks kind of angry, but I don't know why.

Lilly:  Very perceptive Dodger.  I'm actually very angry.  I ran into the class bully earlier, and he insulted my bow and said it looked lame.  I didn't know what to say, so I said nothing.  But I'm really mad!  I don't know what to do.  How should I handle something like this?  I'm irked, for two reasons.  It's not just that the bully is mean, but the fact is that I couldn't respond in a good way.  If I had thought of anything to say, it would probably have been just as bad.  If he does something similar later, I'll still be unsure what to say.  It's perplexing and annoying.

Dodger:  Well, I actually have an idea.  Have you heard the phrase, "Treat others as you want to be treated"?

Lilly:  Yeah.  But does that apply to class bullies?

Dodger:  Yes, actually it does.  Jesus says "But I say to you who hear: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, and pray for those who spitefully use you."  (Luke 6:27-28 NKJV)  The best thing to do, Lilly, is to show love to him, do good things for him, and pray for him.

Lilly:  How and why should I do that?  That sounds kind of weird, actually.

Dodger:  I'll explain.  I know what you mean, but by "showing love to others" I don't mean the weird gooshy stuff you see in the movies.  The Apostle Paul actually does a really good job telling us what love is.  He shows what we should expect from it.  Let me tell you what he says in one of his letters to the Corinthian church.  He says:

" Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.  It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres."  (1 Corinthians 13:4-7 NIV1984)

That's a pretty simple explanation of love.  To show love to the bully, you just do what Paul recommends.

Lilly:  But it's harder than it sounds.

Dodger:  I know, but there's actually a reward for doing it.  You'll be rewarded by God for doing what He wants.  He says "Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good." (Romans 12:21 NIV1984)  He promises us a great reward in Luke 6:35-36.  He says:  But love your enemies, do good, and lend, hoping for nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High. For He is kind to the unthankful and evil." (NKJV, underlining added)  Most importantly, by showing kindness and love, who knows?  You may just lead the bully to Jesus.

Lilly:  That's neat.  I think I understand your point.  We need to treat our enemies as we would treat our friends, because that's what God wants.

Dodger: God actually did the same for us, you know.  He sent His Son to die for a people who had been disobeying what He told them, sinning against Him, and even insulting Him.  He showed love to us when we were His enemies, as Paul says in Romans 5:8: "But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us."  God showed love  towards us when we were His enemies.  Now we need to do the same to others.

Lilly:  Knowing that actually makes it easier to do what He did.  But I don't think I can do it alone.

Dodger:  That's okay.  Anything God asks us to do is not impossible, because He'll help us to do what He wants. Luke 1:37 says it well.  "For nothing is impossible with God." (NIV1984)  Don't worry Lilly.  Everyone including you can do it, because God will help make it possible.

Lilly:  That's great!  I'm glad to hear that I don't have to do it alone.  I think I know what I'll do when I see the bully again.

Dodger:  What's that?

Lilly:  I'll ask if I can pray for him.

Dodger:  Great idea!

Lilly:  Looks like we're out of time.  Thanks for hanging out with us today!

Dodger:  See you later!  Remember, Jesus loves you, and that's not about to change!

Lilly:  Adios!

Big House

Dodger:  Hi!  I sang a song recently, and Lilly made a video for it.  It's all about the big house God has for us Christians to live in.  After all, you didn't think heaven was a small place, did you? 

Watching What We Say.

Dodger:  Hi there!  Sorry we haven't been in for a while.  I hope it's been well with you.  Lilly and I have been doing some interesting stuff recently.

Lilly:  Indeed we have!  I went horseback riding recently.  I learned something while I was there.  Horses are big and strong, but they're easy to move around.  All you have to do is move the bit and bridle, and the horse does what you tell it to.  We were thinking that horses are a lot easier to control than the words that we say.

Dodger:  I'll explain.  Has anyone ever said something that hurt your feelings, or have you hurt someone else with what you say?  I know I have.

Lilly:  Me too.  The trouble is that half of the mean things I say are almost accidents.  I say something without thinking, and that's where the bad stuff happens.

Dodger:  I think everyone who can talk has that problem.  The Bible actually explains our trouble in the Book of James 3:7-9.  It says: "All kinds of animals, birds, reptiles and sea creatures are being tamed and have been tamed by mankind, but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.  With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse human beings, who have been made in God’s likeness."  Of course the poison isn't literally poison.  It's the words we say.

Lilly:   Have you heard the saying, "Sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me?"  Well that's baloney.  The truth is, words do more damage than we can imagine.  I remember some insults from  even years ago, and even though I forgave those people who hurt me, I still remember those words.

Dodger:  It's hard to keep our words in check, but it's absolutely necessary that we do.  But how do we go about it if the Bible says we can't?

Lilly:  Well, actually Dodger, the Bible says that man cannot tame the tongue.  But God can.  The best way to watch your words is to ask God to help you to. Ephesians 4:31 says "Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice."  Prayer is the answer.

Dodger:  Romans 12:21 says, "Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good."  Christians are able to do this through the power of the Holy Spirit, as 1 John 4:4 says, "You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the One who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world."  This simply means that even though people cannot control all the words that come out of our mouth, yet we can overcome evil and the tendency to speak evil things through the power of the Holy Spirit in us.

Lilly:  If you have to work on controlling your words, you don't have to do it alone.  All you have to do is ask God to forgive you for the times you have hurt people with your words, and ask Him to help you glorify Him with all the things that come out of your mouth.  Then make a conscious effort to say the right thing.

Dodger:  Think before you speak.  James 1:19-20 puts it well. "My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, because human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires." When you're angry, that's probably the best time to not say anything at all.

Lilly:  Here's to keeping our words in check.

Dodger:  I actually have an idea.  It's kind of a step-by-step thing.

1. Before you say something, ask yourself if it's something you would want said to you, or if you think Jesus would say it.  If not, don't say it.

2.  Ask God to help you say the right thing if you need to say something at all.

3.  Keep doing this.

Pretty simple stuff.  If we learn to tame our tongues, I think everyone around us will be a lot happier.

Lilly:  And so will we.

Dodger:  Exactly.  It looks like we're out of time though.

Lilly:  Thanks for being with us today.  Hope you had a good time!

Dodger:  See you later!  Remember, Jesus loves you, and that's not about to change!!!


All scripture came from the NIV 1984

Forget About Flying Solo.

Dodger: Hello!  It's good to see you.  Thanks for coming today.

Lilly:  It's a good thing you came.  There's something we wanted to show you.  We were recently invited to be on a game show!  The name of the show is "Strategy Stand" with the famous host, Sam Stick!

Dodger:  It was pretty exciting.  We went up against two other Pac-Mans, named Fred and Janet.

Lilly:  We won the prize, too, a big purple ribbon worth six free hamburgers at any restaurant we want!

Dodger:  We actually had the whole show filmed.  If you like you can watch it below!

Lilly:  You may have noticed that Dodger and I were able to help each other answer questions, and that neither of us could've done it alone. 

Dodger:  In fact, I would have lost pretty badly if I had tried.  There were a few questions for which I had no clue as to what the answer was.

Lilly:  I needed Dodger's help in order to win.

Dodger:  And I needed Lilly's. Perhaps you've been in a situation similar to ours.  You know, when you've had to rely on someone else in order to make things work.  You had to work with that person in a combined effort to succeed.  If you're on a sports team, or have worked with someone on a science project before, you know what that's like.

Lilly:  You've probably also seen what happens when you have a partner who won't cooperate with you, or thinks they know everything.

Dodger:  I remember once I saw a football game where the quarterback kept trying to carry the ball on his own, but kept getting sacked because he wouldn't throw to his teammates.  His team lost that game.

Lilly:  Some people do well on their own, but everyone does better when they have help!

Dodger:  Exactly.  The key to mine and Lilly's success on the show was our teamwork, which is actually our topic today.

Lilly:  One of the biggest temptations I think we suffer from is our wish to "know everything", to be the smartest and not need anybody's help.

Dodger:  The problem with that is that if we give in to our wish to "know-it-all", we can often fail, just like the quarterback in the football game.

Lilly:  We should forget about flying solo.  In order to really succeed, we need help from those around us, and especially from God!  With so many people and Pac-Mans around who want to help, and a Father God who loves us more than anything, it's foolish not to let others help.

Dodger:  I remember that I used to not want help.  As far as I was concerned, I was all that and a bag of chips!  Pretty silly of me to think so, especially since the only reason I can even breathe is because of the God who made me.  One day though, after one of my biggest failures, I realized that I couldn't do everything on my own.  I was in a mess that I couldn't clean up because of my pride, and I needed help.  So I swallowed my pride, and asked for help.  That was all I had to do.  With the help of my parents, my God, and even Lilly, I was actually able to get out of the trouble I was in.  I've never forgotten that lesson.  I don't know where I'd be now if I hadn't given up my "know-it-all" wish and admitted that I couldn't do life on my own.

Lilly:  I'm sure you've heard the saying, "I can do it by myself!"  Guess what?  Actually, none of us can.  In order to do our best, we need help.  No effort is so good that it can't be improved with a little teamwork!  One of my favorite verses in the Bible is Ecclesiastes 4:12, which says "Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken."  This simply means that each of us on our own can be brought down more easily, but with the help of a friend, we can be safe from some of the things which attack us.

Dodger:  The coolest thing about working with others is that the effort comes out better, but as it turns out, we have more than just our human friends to help!  If you look at Proverbs 18:24, it says: "A man of many companions may come to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother."  This means that even if our friends fail when we are in trouble, there is a Friend who will always be there for us.  His name is Jesus.  If you know Him, good for you!  You can be glad knowing the promise in Deuteronomy 31:8, where he says, "The LORD himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged."  If you don't know Him, take a look at the Gospel of John, and at the "Why We Need Jesus" column on the right.

Lilly:  If you've been like Dodger and not wanted help in the past from anyone, guess what?  You can change that right now!  All you need to do is ask God for forgiveness if you've been unkind to those who've tried to help you, and apologize to those people too, and from now on, be willing to be helped!

Dodger:  I know that doesn't exactly sound easy, but trust me, it's well worth it.

Lilly:  It looks like we're out of time for today.

Dodger:  Yep.  Looks like you're right.  Well then, thanks for coming today!  Remember, God loves you, and that's not about to change!

Lilly:  Goodbye!!!  Now let's go get some hamburgers!


(All scripture is from the NIV 1984)