Character Archives - Christian Questions Bible Podcast

Perseverance is not something we talk about much anymore. It sounds like an old word from some other time in history. Now we talk about making demands and our personal perspectives being instantly and unquestioningly accepted by those around us. We now live in a society where it is not about hard work or building something from the ground up; it is about claiming whatever anyone else has as mine simply because I have a voice. It’s too bad. In history, the greatest positive changes in all the world happened largely because of perseverance. Gandhi persevered, Martin Luther King, Jr. persevered, allied soldiers in the World Wars persevered. Jesus not only personally persevered, he taught us how to do it ourselves.

It is easy to confuse perseverance and endurance because they are similarly defined. When we think of endurance, we might envision someone or something that weathers the test of time and pressure. The Parthenon is an ancient Greek temple that has endured history and stands to tell a story. When we think of perseverance, we might envision someone who has progressed through a difficult challenge against the odds. It has been said that Thomas Edison had 1,000 failed experiments before he invented the light bulb. The key here is the thought of progressing towards something versus the thought of weathering a storm.  Perseverance is an exercise in movement. This subtle difference carries with it a world of meaning.

Depending on what we are facing, the act of persevering can look like many different things. For Jonathan, a 14-year-old young man, perseverance looks very specific. Jonathan has a serious case of Scoliosis, a curvature of the spine. Many cases of this disease are relatively minor, but the serious ones like Jonathan’s become debilitating and lead to necessary surgery. Jonathan needs to exercise up to two hours a day, seven days a week to try and keep it from getting worse. If any one of us were faced with a demanding regiment of two hours per day of doing anything, we would be challenged. For this young man, the challenge is not just physical but mental as well, as he must continue to stay motivated. How does he do that?

Check out our January 4, 2021 podcast, “How Can I Persevere When Life Gets Tough? (Part I)” for more. We hear Jonathan explain his journey of faith, discipline and perseverance and find several nuggets of inspiration along the way. We also examine how the Bible describes perseverance. This is also revealing.  Several scriptures in our common translations sound “nice” and “encouraging” are actually serious calls to action.

Christian faithfulness is squarely built upon persevering. To walk in Jesus’ footsteps is by definition perseverance. Join us for Part I of this 2-part series as we uncover the many aspects of what a persevering life looks like. Come with us on this journey of discovery, growth and inspiration!

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Life is overflowing with opportunities, and I’m not talking about the big things that change your world.  I’m talking about the small and often-overlooked chances in your everyday to refocus on the good, or to simply be kind or to elevate a conversation rather than diminish it.  Many of our life experiences come from small decisions that are actually a result of indecision.  In the Old Testament, there lived a man named Lot whose life was an example of this.  Lot had faith in God and God protected him.  In spite of this, his life experiences produced much sadness, folly and cause for regret.  How did he get to such an end?  He hesitated.  He hesitated when it came to godly choices and he constantly did “almost” enough when it came to godly actions!

Life’s biggest problems really can begin with some of its simplest choices.  When Lot and his Uncle Abraham were deciding where each would settle with their families, households and flocks, Abraham gave Lot first dibs. Lot made the obvious choice of the fertile valley for the benefit of his family and flock,s but he also made a much more subtle yet life-changing choice.  While the valley would be a productive place in which to thrive, Lot for some reason was drawn to set up his tents right by the city of Sodom.

This city was a known center of evil, and yet Lot not only settled in right by it, he eventually moved his home into the city itself.  Okay, so where is the hesitation we started talking about?  Up to this point Lot did not seem to hesitate when it came to moving his family right into the lap of evil.  Sadly, all of his second guessing began when it became evident that his home and city were destined for destruction. It was in this life and death context we see how the true challenges of Lot’s choices came to the front and how they end up costing him dearly.

Lot’s choices, in many ways, can represent you and me as Christians.  Do we sometimes get careless when it comes to managing our interactions with the world around us?  Do we maybe get too curious about evil and let it creep in closer than it should?  Do we ever have clear and bold direction as to what direction our lives should go to stay safe within the reach of God and then compromise that direction?  Lot did.  While his life does show us faith, righteousness and God’s care, it also shows us double mindedness, desperation and a measure of depravity.

Check out our March 11, 2019 podcast, “Is He Who Hesitates Really Lost?” to hear the story of Lot and what it can reveal about us.  Lot, like us, was a faulty and imperfect human who fell prey to his own devices and decisions and ended up rescued in spite of himself.  Take this story to heart and learn what NOT to do!

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Humanity is built for loyalty. We have wired within us a longing to be seen and accepted by others as trusted and important. We are also blessed with a deep desire to give allegiance and live with faithfulness to those whom we deem worthy of our fidelity. If you just stop and think about being loyal for a moment you will realize it permeates all of our life decisions. We gravitate towards those people and things to which we attribute comfort and security, as we stay away from those people and things which we see as sources of alienation or disappointment. So, what makes loyalty work?  Are there conditions that should always be present when we give or receive it? What happens when we misplace our loyalty? How do we know our chosen loyalties are good or even healthy?

Check out our August 20, 2018 podcast, “What is the True Meaning of Loyalty?” We put these pieces together with clarity and examine many biblical examples. Some of these examples show us what misplaced loyalty looks like. Others show us both wimpy and life-changing loyalty. Is your loyalty to the right things, in the right place and for the right cause?

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Christianity at work…for the most part, we all need to support ourselves. That self-supporting system generally comes in three phases. First is the education phase, where we are supposed to choose what self-support direction to take and then how to do it. Second is the work of making ends meet, which for most of us, occupies the majority of our adult lives. It is our thinking and actions in this phase that define our lives. Third is the benefits stage. It is hard to get to but can give us choices and control of our time. Whatever stage of life we might be in, we as Christians are always required to carry our beliefs and principles with us. The question then is simple. How well are we defining ourselves by our thoughts, words and actions while in these environments? Do we look like and act like the follower of Christ we profess to be?

Let’s face it…your workplace can provide a great environment in which to labor but can also easily be a toxic environment.  Either way, we as Christians need to be clear on what we are trying to accomplish when we are there.  Now this sounds odd – obviously we are there to “do our job” and “get paid” and “provide for our family.”  It would be easy if the whole working experience was as antiseptic as that, but we all know it is not.  There are the people factors that add several dimensions to our presence there, and these are what will likely make or break our Christianity in that environment.  So, let’s be clear on what we are looking to accomplish with our Christianity at work.

Jesus worked.  He didn’t punch a clock or get paid a salary, but his daily mission was to teach the Gospel and bring it to the average person.  Looking at his attitude and preparation for his work we can certainly learn some valuable lessons to apply to our preparation and attitude regarding our work.

Here is just one of the many “work day” lessons Jesus taught us.  Attitude: not the attitude we adopt once we get to work and things go wrong or deadlines overwhelm or people are arguing.  Jesus taught us to set our attitude BEFORE we go anywhere or do anything.  His approach was simple – love God with all of your heart, mind, soul and strength AND love your neighbor as yourself!  Translating this into our 21st century work environment is simple.  Decide to work as though God Himself were your boss and treat everyone in that environment with the highest respect.  Decide this before you get there and act on what you decided!  Christianity at work!

We all know that there are a myriad of details and circumstances that will hinder this simplistic approach.  That is why you need to check out our July 23, 2018 podcast, “What Happens to My Christianity when I go to Work?”  We talk about working hard when others don’t, coping with dishonesty, managing gossip and so much more.  Jesus really did show us how to truly be Christian while we work – tune in and learn from what he had to say!

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If you have doubts that means you must not have faith.  So goes the typical thinking of many Christians.  If we adhere to this thought then each and every one of us will need to brace for our next crisis of faith, because the fact is we ALL doubt.  We all question.  We all wonder and at times we all second guess.  So, what of it? Is there a way to look at our questions and insecurities in a different light?  Can those nagging thoughts that swirl about in our minds actually be a benefit?  Yes!  Yes they can, and I am saying this without a doubt!  Once we understand doubt and its different forms, we can begin to piece together the process that can actually take those insecurities that silently and incessantly gnaw away at us and use them as tools to feed and increase our faith.  Admittedly, this is not easy and it may not even be fun – but it is an answer to the debilitating experience of having doubts.  Faith can win!

Doubt usually comes to us by way of two primary roads.  The first road is that of the intellect.  We can believe in something but still have difficult questions come up that we can’t answer, therefore sowing seeds of doubt.  This uncertainty brings us to a crossroad.  I am no longer sure, so what do I do?  This doubt is directly related to our thinking and need for our minds to be changed in order for it to dissipate.  The second road on which doubt arrives is that of emotion.  Something happens in life and we get hurt, or we are misunderstood, or we develop a bad feeling about someone or something.  Mistrust sets in, and this can be crippling.  The only way to overcome this misgiving is through the reparation of our feelings and perceptions.  Eliminate the emotional distress and dissolve the doubt.

Solving such reservations is not a clinical exercise, for the next thing we need to know is our doubts are rarely all intellectual or all emotional.  If fact, there are two primary ingredients needed to remedy the doubt dilemma: clarity and conviction.  Clarity is simply having your mind able to receive and process truth over fiction and diluted facts.  For a Christian, this always comes back to the Bible, carrying within its pages the truth of ages.  Conviction is the fire that moves us to action and is a result of becoming clear in understanding.  All doubt needs both clarity and conviction to be handled.

This may sound easy, but the challenge in all of this is identifying what might be driving our doubts, and knowing where to look and what to do to truly alleviate them.  Check out our May 5, 2018 podcast, “Do My Doubts Mean I Don’t Have Faith?” and see how to put this all together.  Doubt can – with the right responses – actually be a positive experience.  Wouldn’t you want your doubts to become tools of growth rather than mud to be mired in?  I would say yes…without a doubt!

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We all want to be successful at whatever it is we are focusing on. Our Christian life is no exception, though the words we use to describe “success” are entirely different than with other endeavors. We want to be faithful – we want to live lives of sacrifice – we want to walk in Jesus’ footsteps. All of these things equate to the Christian version of experiencing victory in life. So, regardless of the words or the effort, how do we attain such an end? How do we “arrive”? One short phrase will get us started – be single-minded. Have your vision clear and your energy directed. It’s not easy because most of us struggle with these very disciplines. It is far too easy to end up distracted and double-minded, to start something and not finish. It is far too easy rationalize our way out of triumph. Or even get confused as to what the right path is.  How do we do it? How do we put habitual double-minded thinking behind us and reach forward towards true achievement?

The very fact that being a single-minded achiever is rare indicates that it will take uncommon effort and extraordinary perseverance to get there. One of the big issues every human being faces is that of focus and its source. We all have two primary focus centers:  our heads – what we think – and our hearts – what we feel. Like it or not, these two centers for direction are more often than not fighting against each other. One quick example would be getting up early so you can go to the gym. Your head has verified the evidence – working out first thing in the morning is a key ingredient for better mental functionality and better physical health. Your heart however reminds you as your alarm goes off at 5:40am that you really need your sleep and it feels so good to just stay there! This brings a head versus heart dilemma of double mindedness. I know because this example is my own weekday struggle.

In the first chapter of James, it says to “count it all joy when you encounter various trials.” Why would you be joyful or glad when you are having trouble? Because the joy you find is a result of bringing your head and your heart together. You create a single-minded approach when you acknowledge what you feel then take that emotion and put it behind what you know. This intentional and unifying action creates a singleness of purpose that has far more value and power than the sum of its parts. This is exactly what Jesus was able to do as he completed the unreserved sacrifice of his humanity for our sins!

Check out our April 9, 2018 podcast, “Am I a Double-Minded Christian?” and learn more. Find out what feeds the process of becoming single-minded and what breaks it down. Hear examples of how to be single-minded in all areas of life, from the private thoughts inside your head all the way to dealing with the world and its temptations. Single-mindedness is first and foremost a decision.  Don’t wait to make it!

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Think about your life for a moment. Think about those things, people, places, experiences and memories that are most precious to you. The few thoughts that top this list are in all likelihood some of your greatest treasures. Now, think again about your life for another moment. Think about the things, people, places, experiences and memories that you obsess about – the images that you replay again and again in your mind that go ‘round and ‘round on that insatiable loop of conditioned and driven brain activity. The obsessions that top this list are in all likelihood your treasures as well. Kinda disturbing, isn’t it. So, what do we do about it? How do we learn to isolate and diminish those things which we cherish but hurt us? How do we instead focus on and appreciate those items that bring true honor, blessing and joy?

So, what makes something a treasure? The most valued things in life have three basic characteristics: First they are in some way attractive. They draw our attention because of how they look or feel or sound, or because of what they do or how they make us feel. The second feature of our treasures is that they represent personal value. They mean something special or are worth something of personal significance. They fill a void, create a distraction, stimulate a thought or stir a memory. Lastly they represent a measurement of wealth. They command time or attention or space or concern.

What is most valuable to us, by definition, also holds power over our lives. We build our thinking, our emotions, our physical space and our time around that which we deem valuable. You might be thinking, “I hate my job, but I have to spend half of all my waking time there!” The very next question might be, where do your thoughts wander to during your job? What do you do after your job? Our truest fortunes are found in the places our minds gravitate to. For many of us this might be depressing, as it is easy to find ourselves lost in compromising and even unhealthy mental mazes. As uncomfortable as this might be to acknowledge, it is a necessary exercise if we are to honestly audit our personal treasures to see their true value.

Many agree that the most precious thing in life is time. If our treasures can either enhance or detract from using our time, we should know that. It would make sense to invest a measured amount of it into knowing what is valuable and what is not. Check out our March 19, 2018 podcast, “Are Your Treasures Really Worth Treasuring?” and start the process. Learn the differences between things we deem valuable that we obsess over and cherished things passionately protected. Gain perspective on how personal achievements can be a sought for gold medal or can end up as fool’s gold for the trash heap. Finally, observe how the little cherished aspects of daily life can end up being the most valued possessions of our lives.

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For more, please see ChristianQuestions.com/grief

So, how do we go about finding the healing part? How do we know what to hang on to and what to let go of? When should any of this happen? What can those of us who are not presently experiencing a personal loss do to help others in such pain and anguish?

To begin with, it is important to establish the silver lining that comes with grief. Whatever the experience, whatever the tragedy whatever the loss, faith in who Jesus is and the reason that he came to earth will eventually open doors of peace and acceptance. Having put that thought out as an encouragement, getting to the point of opening those doors is the problem. The big problem. Because grief is so different for each of us and our experiences with loss are so varied, it becomes impossible to proclaim one solution. Instead we suggest understanding how the general process of grief management works.

Research shows the first stage is denial. This is probably the easiest thing to grasp.  When we suffer traumatic loss we all go down denial road. “This can’t be happening.” “This is not real.” “There must be some mistake.” “Maybe when I wake up tomorrow it will all have been a dream…” Denial is real, and it turns out that in some ways it is actually helpful. Think about it. Traumatic loss jars our lives out of relative comfort and into an often sudden and nightmarish reality that changes everything familiar. Who can handle that? Who just acquiesces and moves on? Denial gives us time to adjust so our shattered heart can catch up to the looming reality of our loss. It is our friend, so long as we don’t try to hide behind its fragile and temporary covering for too long.

After denial there are four other stages for handling grief. They do not come according to a schedule and don’t necessarily leave when the following stage begins.  But they are there to help us grab hold of our trauma, process and learn from it.  We can finally accept our new reality. Please check out our March 5th, 2018 podcast, “How Do You Find Your Way Through Grief?” Listen as we unfold the process of healing. We also follow powerful stories of two women who each managed their own unique trauma and grief. The inspiration they share is unforgettable.

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Everybody complains.  Sometimes, well…actually occasionally, we do it from a positive perspective for the purpose of effecting change and that’s good!  But most of the time we complain because someone or something is irritating us, or putting pressure on us or challenging us or contradicting us. Most of our complaints are not for the purpose of truly solving any issue; rather, they are for the purpose of being heard, of having our position or circumstance or opinion verified.  We complain for attention, for sympathy and to reinforce our ego.  We often use complaining as a tool of destruction against those we oppose.  For the most part, complaining doesn’t sound all that productive.  So, what do we do about it?  How do we stop our complaining or transform it into something good?

We have all either heard or said this very thing at one point or another in our lives…and most likely it had to do with kids.  Whether you were the adult or the kid doesn’t matter – what matters is the exasperation response that complaining can produce.  What if, instead of going down that road of response, we responded to the incessant whining of a child with, “Look, I know this isn’t the way you want it to be and instead of lamenting so boisterously, why don’t you learn to reframe your complaints in a constructive manner and express them to someone who will not get emotionally caught up with you and will instead help you manage the burden that you are carrying!”  I know – that’s ridiculous. But the thing is, it’s true! Can we minimize the role complaining plays in our life?

David, the writer of most of the Psalms, was a complainer – but NOT like the example above.  On the contrary, David perfected the art of complaining to such a degree that we now read many of his complaints and walk away inspired for good!  How is that possible?  Instead of complaining so much that one would lose count, David made his complaints count.  That’s right, David found and taught a formula for constructive complaining.  One of the really cool things about this is when you read current studies about complaining and how to turn the tide towards a positive result, you realize that David, thousands of years ago, did exactly what these experts say we should do now! Very cool!

The good news here (actually, the GREAT news here) is that David’s constructive techniques are not only transferable, they are easy to understand.  This means that we – you and I – can learn how to reframe what we complain about, how we do it and to whom we do it to actually achieve positive results.  This means we can complain, in the right form, place and delivery, so it is a positive exercise to help us to grow and mature!  It sounds weird, so check out our December 11, 2017 podcast, “Does Complaining Ever Help?” and see for yourself.  Complaining may never sound the same to you again!

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Everyone has had and will have the experience of being wrong, of making mistakes and of not understanding something well enough to properly represent it.  Everyone!  The question is not about what to do IF these things happen; the question is how do we handle it WHEN these things happen?  Making mistakes and being wrong are never comfortable experiences, but they are priceless in their value if we allow them to be.  So, how do we allow them to be priceless?  When we are wrong, do we face it or ignore it?  When we make a mistake, do we ‘fess up or bury it?  Further, how can we identify the thought and behavior processes that bring us to wrong conclusions and actions so we can avoid repeating the same old mistakes over and over again?

One of the first things to acknowledge is just how difficult it is to be completely right.  Especially for a Christian, being right is not only about subject matter or opinion.  Saying this may raise a red flag, and you might be thinking how simple the equation ought to be – if you are right you are right and that’s it!  It would be nice if it was so simple, but it is not, especially considering the conditions of our present social communication skills.  Being right also has everything to do with how we present our thought, side or opinion as the presentation can build our “rightness” to a high level of respect or tear down our “rightness” to such a degree that our “rightness” becomes a poison to others.  If we allow ourselves to think about this, it can really make an impact as our “rightness” now has the potential for both positive and negative value.

The fascinating thing about this is that the Apostle Paul had personal experience with this very problem, as the early Christian church was made up of people from wildly diverse backgrounds.  These new Christians brought their conditioned thinking into the faith.  Whether it was strict Jewish thinking and practices meant to avoid contact with sin or relaxed and varied gentile thinking, it all needed to be looked at, considered and acted upon in accordance within the principles of true Christianity.  Paul did a lot of teaching and reasoning regarding appropriate Christian standards for all.  He challenged not only the right and wrong ideas that so many brought with them, he also challenged the attitudes behind those ideas.  Paul even went as far as to say that one can be very wrong in attitude and presentation of their right understanding and those whose understanding was wrong could be very right attitude-wise and acceptable before God.

A quick note – all of this is NOT to say that within Christianity we can and should accept anything and everything that comes our way.  Nothing could be further from the truth, as Christianity by very definition requires a higher moral and behavioral standard than the world could ever offer.

Follow along with us as we examine how the Apostle Paul guided the early church (and us) to a better understanding of right, wrong and all of the accompanying attitudes.  This is a journey that needs to be taken!

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