Life Hacks - No Favoritism

We are in a series called life hacks and we want to remind you that a life hack is actually a good thing.  A life hack is a new way and at times a novel way of doing something that is better than the old way.  A life hack can make a chore easier and an experience better than it was before.  Last week we talked about many great uses for coffee filters and someone told me that I forgot the most important use of coffee filters for parents who have children home for the summer.  You rip the filter into quarters, roll it up, and stick it in your ears.  Instant ear-plugs.  I can’t share the source of that hack.

Since many people travel during the summer here are some life hacks that might help.
1. Roll your clothes when you pack.  It reduces wrinkles and increase space.
2. Add dryer sheets to your suitcases to keep clothes smelling fresh.
3. Dryer sheets can help repel bugs.  Bounce repels mosquitoes.

While these are fun, and I love sharing a few each week, what we really want to do is learn how to make our faith stronger and live in ways that are more pleasing to God.  We are reading through the book of James which gives us several practical ways for us to do just this. 

James has 108 verses which contain 59 commands, and James encourages us to follow them all so that we don’t just hear God’s word but do what it says.  While obedience is often the key to a stronger faith, we need to remember that our obedience does not make God love us more.  God can’t love us any more than he already does.  God’s love is unconditional.  God reached out in love to us before we turned back to Him, so our actions have nothing to do with God’s love.  Being obedient to God’s word doesn’t make God love us more, but God does love it when we follow him. 

We have already seen that James gives us some solid life principles to follow.  The first principle we learned was that we will not live free FROM trials but that we can live free UNDER trials.  Problems will come to all of us, but we can learn how to live free and full lives during these difficult times.  Last week we learned that we need to be doers of God’s word because faith without action is dead.  Today’s life principle has to deal with how we treat others, and it is built on the idea that God shows no favoritism. 

Deut. 10:17 - The Lord your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great God, mighty and awesome, who shows no partiality.

2 Chronicles 19:7 – Judge carefully for with the Lord our God there is no injustice or partiality or bribery.

Romans 2:11 – God does not show favoritism.

God shows no favoritism, and so as followers of Jesus, God in the flesh, neither should we.  We need to treat all people the same, with love, kindness, and compassion.  Growing up, my parents worked hard to show that there were no favorites between me and my sisters.  My mom would work out to the penny how much they spent on all our Christmas gifts, to make sure they were always even.  The number of gifts might be different the cost was the same.  For the most part, my parents did pretty well, but let me just say, I am the youngest and the only boy so clearly I was their favorite. 

But God says we are to show no favoritism and we read this in James 2:1.  My brothers and sisters, believers in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ must not show favoritism.  It can’t get much clearer than that.  We are not to show any kind of favoritism and yet the truth is that there are conscious and unconscious biases that we all have that lead us to favoring some people over others.

An unconscious bias is a bias that we are unaware of and which happens outside of our control. It is a bias that happens automatically and is triggered by our brain making quick judgments and assessments of people and situations, influenced by our background, cultural environment, and personal experiences.  In these situations we aren’t intentionally trying to favor a person or group of people, but we do. 

Malcolm Gladwell shares an unconscious bias that is seen in CEO’s of Fortune 500 Companies.  Research shows that 58% of all Fortune 500 CEO’s are over 6 feet tall.  Now, clearly Fortune 500 companies didn’t come together and make a rule that only tall people could lead their companies, but there is clearly an unconscious bias that says men over 6 feet tall make better leaders.  In fact, 30% of Fortune 500 CEO’s are over 6’2”, while only 3.9% of men are that tall. 

Unconscious biases take place all the time.  Studies have shown that in the Emergency Room, people from a higher income bracket are given more pain medication than people from a lower income bracket.  ER workers insist that this is not true, but studies have shown this again and again.  While this kind of favoritism can be painful and keep some people down, it is not as hurtful as a conscious bias, which are the preferences we have that we are aware of.  When we intentionally discriminate against a person because of their race, gender, age, economic or marital status, or educational level, it breaks God’s heart because God shows no favoritism and that is what God wants from us. 

Because favoritism happens all the time, consciously and unconsciously, we need to be aware of it and looking for it, so James tells a story that helped people see how favoritism can creep into our lives and our actions.  James 2:2-5. 

When James wrote this, people in different social and economic brackets got to wear different clothing and jewelry.  If you were in one bracket you got to wear rings, in another bracket a special kind of robe, and so it was very easy to see who people where when they walked into your home.  If they had rings and fancy robes then you knew they were rich, and the temptation was to treat them better.  James is pointing out a way that favoritism had entered into people’s lives as a means of encouraging them to evaluate their attitudes and their actions and make some changes to align their heart with God.  The change we are to make, James says, the life principle to live out is this: give VIP treatment to those more vulnerable than we are. 

God has always had a heart for those who were vulnerable.  In fact, James began his discussion on favoritism immediately after saying that the religion God accepts, wants, and looks for is where we care for the widow and orphans, or where we meet the needs of those others forget.  Jesus set the example for us in this area again and again.  While most were looking to get ahead and spend time with those who were well connected and wealthy, Jesus was looking in the other direction.  Jesus looked to the least in society, those who were always last in line, and those who were lost, looked down on, or looked over by others.  Jesus made children, lepers, tax collectors, and people with bad reputations his VIP’s, and this is how he calls us to live.  Jesus said, the last shall be first and the first shall be last. 

So the life principle is to give VIP treatment to those who are the most vulnerable, the most in need, or the most forgotten in life, and here are some life hacks, some practical steps to help us do this.

1. Learn Names.  We need to take the time to learn people’s names.  When God called people to follow him he didn’t say, “Hey you.”  God called them by name.  From the burning bush, God called out Moses’ name.  In a dream, God called Samuel’s name.   From a blinding light, Jesus called Saul by name, and in Isaiah 43:1 we see that God calls us all by name. 

I heard a pastor share this week that for many months he has been going into the same Starbucks and has been waited on by the same barista.  Every time he orders, the barista has to ask him his name.  He thought, I’ve been coming here for months, ordering the same thing, and you can’t remember my name.  But then he realized that he didn’t know the name of the barista – and his name was written on his name tag.  We are more interested in people knowing our name than in getting to know their name, but learning people’s name is important.  Learning people’s name let’s them know they are valued, cared for, and VIP’s. 

2. Listen to Stories.  Getting to know a person’s name is good, but that is really just the first step, the second step is to listen to their story.  Can we take the time to hear the stories of those around us?  How did people get to where they are in life?  That can be how they have succeeded or how they have fallen.  Many people who find themselves struggling, or in need, have powerful stories to share, but most of the time no one wants to listen.  We seem to only care about success, fame, and future.  We need to take the time to listen. 

My Dad loves to get the life story of the person waiting on us at a restaurant.  I have to say that sometimes I find this a bit irritating because the wait staff might not have time to answer all his questions about their life’s goals and ambitions.  But then I was thinking this week that maybe someone taking the time to ask them about their life is the first time someone actually took the time to acknowledge them as a person and not just a servant.  Maybe that recognition was just what they needed to get through the day. 

If we want to hear people’s life stories all we need to do is ask.  Most people love to talk about themselves, and share their history, as well as their hopes and dreams, so can we take the time to ask, and then be quiet enough to listen.  Once we know someone’s story, what will we do with it? 

3.  Look for opportunities – for OTHERS to be blessed.  Who can we invite to join us for a meal, or an activity, or an adventure?  After we have heard someone else’s story, how can we be part of making their hopes and dreams come alive?  Getting back to those who wait on us in restaurants, I have shared before that my grandmother had a motto that she had when it came to giving a tip.  I have never felt bad for leaving too much, but I have often felt bad for leaving too little.  I remember that when I go out to eat.  I never want to regret leaving too little.  I want to bless others.
And this leads us to the last life hack for treating others as a VIP,

4. Lend Possessions – but I need to be clear that I am using the word lend because it makes for a nice alliteration to help us remember these life hacks, but we need to lend without the thought of getting it back, in other words, we need to give away our possessions.  And this needs to become second nature so that we simply give when we see a need, and bless someone when we are given the opportunity. 

A few weeks ago I was in the Weis store and saw a woman whose family has taken in several foster children through the years.  She had another infant in the shopping cart and we talked a few minutes about their new foster child, and how the other two were doing in their home.  I admire people who are able to open their homes this way and I thought about how to be an encouragement.  I was checking out in line and she came up behind me, we talked some more and I heard God say, pay for her groceries.  Well, that is kind of awkward right?  So I didn’t do it and walked out of the store.

As I was starting to make my way across the parking lot, I heard GOD say, go back and buy their groceries.  So I put my bags in the car, walked in and had that awkward moment of saying, I am going to run my card through for your order.  She said, you don’t need to do that, and I said, yes I do.  It is the least I can do as you care for the children. 

I got over the awkwardness and just did it because God says, lend what you have and don’t think about getting it back.  God says, give and be a blessing.  I’ll be honest, it isn’t always second nature for me and God sometimes has to tell me two or three times what I need to do.  Even then sometimes I fail, but that day I was so glad I listened because in that moment I was blessed.  Does God love me more because I did it, no – God can’t love me more than he already does.  Did God love that I listened and obeyed - absolutely, and so did I, because that is the kind of faith I want, and that is kind of love I want to share and life I want to show the world. 

If we will look around this week, God will bring someone into our life that He wants us to treat like a VIP.  It may be someone no one else sees as important or worthy, it may be someone that no one else even sees, someone that no one else knows the name, but God does, and God wants us to see them, and God wants us to know their name, and listen to their story, and find ways to bless them.  May we see that person this week, and may we take the opportunity we will be given and be a blessing to them. 



Next Steps
Life Hacks – No Favoritism

Life Principle: Don’t show favoritism.  Give VIP treatment to those more vulnerable than we are.  (James 2:1-13)


Life Hacks:
1. Learn Names
• Learn the names of those you interact with on a regular basis. 
• Keep a list of names that you can review to help jog your memory.

2. Listen to Stories
• Take time this week to listen to the life story of a friend, coworker, or neighbor. 
• What story have you heard recently that you need to go back and get more connected, or respond in some way? 
• How can you listen to the stories of those who are most vulnerable in our church and community?

3. Look for Opportunities
• Identify someone you can bless this week.
• Invite someone to join you in your mission and ministry in order to bless them. 

4. Lend Possessions
• What can you share with others?
• What can you give to those who are most in need in our community?
• What loans might you need to forgive moving forward?

Life Hacks - Doers

Last week we started a new sermon series called Life Hacks and if you weren’t with us we want to make sure that you understand what a life hack is, it is not a way to hack into your bank accounts, email, or social media.  A life hack isn’t a bad thing, but a good thing that can make your life better.  A life hack is a trick, shortcut, or skill that increases productivity or efficiency in any area of life.  A life hack is a new way of doing something that is better than the old way.  There has been a lot of conversation and even some controversy this past week about how to reheat left over pizza.  I didn’t realize how passionately people take their pizza.  There are those that use the microwave, those that use a toaster over, and those that use a skillet, and they all believe their way is the best way.  Of course there are also those who ask, what’s left over pizza?  There is never any left over at our house.

There are life hacks in just about every area of life you can imagine and so let me share a few of them with you this morning.

1 –  An 18’ pizza is larger than 2 12’ pizzas

2 – Coffee Filters make good window cleaning cloths

3 – Coffee Filers can be used with Popsicle to protect children's hands, as well as chip and hot dog holders

While these are fun and interesting, what we really want to explore is how to make our relationship with God stronger, so we are reading through the book of James which is a very practical book filled with life principles and helpful practices – or life hacks.  So let’s look at James 1:22-25.  

I don’t know if you caught it, but God has just told us how to make life better.  God gives us here the secret to experiencing a truly blessed life – not a life free from trials – we heard last week that that is just not possible.  A blessed life isn’t a life without problems but a life where we can feel free and experience the power and grace of God through the problems, and God just said that if we do this one thing, we will be blessed.  This one thing is – live out God’s word.  James 1:25.  Later James says it this way, faith without works is dead.  James 2:26

   

Just reading God’s word will not strengthen our relationship with God.  Just talking about God, and learning about Jesus will not deepen our faith.  A stronger faith and a deeper relationship with God calls for us to do something.  Our faith has to turn into deeds, and activity, and a way of life.  Now let’s be clear, we are not saved by what we do, salvation is a free gift from God given to us through Jesus Christ, but a blessed life and a vital faith comes when we put our love for God into action.  To experience the life God wants for us and to feel really free and full – we need to take our love for God and do something with it.  

If we say we have faith in God, and if we say that we love God, but do not love others in some real and tangible way, then our faith is dead and our love is cold.  Faith needs action.  Love for God needs to be seen in our love for others.  The disciple John wrote, If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has no pity on them, how can the love of God be in that person.  Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and truth.  1 John 3:17-18.  So to deepen our faith we don’t necessarily need more knowledge, but obedience.  To experience the life God wants for us we need more action, so let’s look at three things we can do to make this happen, our life hacks for this week.

1. Step Up.  James 2:14-19.  James is telling us to step up and do something.  It’s not that we stop reading God’s word, learning about Jesus, and sharing our love and faith with God through words, it’s that we have put some activity with this.  We need to love others in some tangible way and we need to serve others here and now.  We have to step up and do something.  

James specifically mentions two areas where activity and service is needed and expected by God.  James 1:27, Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress.  God has always cared about those who have no one to look out for them in life and God has always called his people to reach out in love to help them.  

Orphans need someone to step in and love them.  They need someone to care for them and provide for them and widows are the same.  In Jesus’ day, widows were women who have no one to care for them.  Without husbands and children, they would have no financial or physical support, and since they didn’t have social security and pension programs, these women were vulnerable and in need.  God called his people to care for those who had no one else to care for them.  Today there are still orphans and widows in need.  

Today there are 15.1 million double orphans, meaning they have lost both their parents.  There are 140 million single orphans, meaning they have lost one parent, and 2.8 million are living on the streets or in residential facilities.   In the US there are 427,910 children in foster care.  110,821 are available for adoption and the average age of a child waiting to be adopted is 8 years old.

Now let’s talk about PA.  There are 14,766 children in foster care, 1,982 are waiting to be adopted, Here is the most troubling statistic, 746 children age out annually without a forever family. Within 2 years of aging out 80% of males are in jail, 75% of females are pregnant without a father of the baby in the picture.  Now that’s not the troubling statistic, this is, in PA there are 15,539 Churches and the religion that God accepts as pure and faultless is to care for the orphans.  If one family in every church in PA could step up, there would be no children in need and there would be over 1,000 families waiting to love and help a child.  

In Centre County there are always between 70 -75 children in the foster care program, but there aren’t enough homes.  Recently 25 children had to be moved outside Centre County to be placed in a foster home, which means that those children had to move away from their schools, friends, and any family connections they might have.  

One way we can all step up and help support orphans in our region is to do something very simple.  Maybe this will be the first step up in serving for you, or maybe this will just be another way to step up, but for the next few weeks we are going to be collecting snack crackers, granola bars, to provide to foster children.  Penn State is holding an open house for foster children to visit the campus and these crackers are going to be used as snacks given to the youth between activities.  

Food insecurity is a big concern for children in foster care.  If you don’t know where you are going to be living, you don’t always know where your next meal will come from, or when it will be, or what it will be, and so these kind of snacks provide support and hope for foster children.  I want to invite us all to step up and provide some help and hope to foster children by bringing in some kind of snack over the next few weeks.  

This is just one simple thing we can all do, but maybe God is calling you to do more.  Maybe you are the family who can love and care for a foster child.  On Sunday June 30th at 9:30, Hillary Harris, the director of the Orphan Care Alliance for Centre County, will be here to share with all of us how we can help support children.  There is more we can all do, but if you are hearing God call you step up in this way, I want to encourage you to be there.   

Whether we help orphans, widows, our family, friends, neighbors, or strangers doesn’t matter, we just need to step up and do something.  Help feed the hungry, cloth the naked, visit the sick and hopeless, care for the widows and orphans.  Just step up and do something.  

2. Step Back.  Not only do we need to step up but we also need to step back.  James 1:27  - keep oneself from being polluted by the world.  Keeping ourselves free from the pollution of the world means we work to pull ourselves back from sin.  We might need to make sure our language is filled with grace and not harsh criticism and put downs, and we will be talking more about our language in a few weeks.  We might need to make sure the media we consume is honoring to God.  Do the programs we watch, the music we listen to, the games we play, and the websites we surf honor God and fill us with good things, or are we filling our minds and hearts with trash?

Philippians 4:8, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable – if anything is excellent or praiseworthy – think about such things.  

It’s not just what we see and say that can pollute our lives, it can also be what we pursue.  When all we are trying to do is get more in life, more money, more status, more resources, more things, then we have become polluted by the world.  When we are trying to get our own way, no matter the cost, we have become polluted by the world.  And while justice is often a worthy goal, there are times we might need to let go of justice in our own lives to offer forgiveness and extend God’s grace.  There are times when we know we are in the right, and we could move forward to pursue that right, but God might be calling us to extend mercy and offer forgiveness instead.  

Which leads us to our relationships with one another.  We need to examine how we are treating our family and friends to make sure that we are honoring them and not seeking to use them.  Are we truly loving one another as God in Christ Jesus loved us?  If we are not seeking the well being of those we love at all costs, then we have become polluted by the thinking of the world, a thinking that tells us that we are always the most important person in the room.  

#3 Step Out.  The third step in putting feet to our faith is to step out of what is comfortable and easy.  We need to step out of what is safe and learn what it means to truly sacrifice.  How is God calling us to give in ways that will really push us and challenge us?  The first mission trip I went on was outside my comfort zone.  I didn’t know any of the people going and I am not a very handy worker when it comes to tools, but I went and learned how to tear up floors and strip a trailer down to the metal frame.  But more than that, I was blessed to be able to meet some amazing people, in fact, the pastor and his wife who led the trip were Barb Reed’s parents.  

When I first started as a pastor and wasn’t making a lot of money, had student loans to pay off, a car payment, and other bills, I wasn’t sure about the whole concept of tithing, but I stepped out and gave 10% back to God through the church, and I have never regretted it.  Today I continue to ask God what % I need to give because I have been blessed to be able to give more, and at times I have heard God say, Andy you need to step up and give more.

For some, the sacrifice might be in giving time to God in service to the church.  The sacrifice might be getting outside our comfort zone and work with children, or commit to the next mission trip, or buy a case of peanut crackers, or maybe you are the family that is positioned to take in a foster child and bless a child in Centre County.  God is never satisfied with us just stepping up and stepping back, God always calls his people to step out and sacrifice.  Jesus said, If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me.  Luke 9:23.  

If we are going to listen to God’s word and obey what it says, there will be a shift that takes place in all of our lives, we will go from having a casual relationship with God to a radical relationship with God.  We will develop a relationship where we will do all that we hear God calling us to do, and where we love like Jesus.  And what does the love of Jesus look like?  It looks like the cross.   

Jesus gave himself willingly, completely, and sacrificially for us and now we are called to step out and give sacrificially for others.  In what ways is God calling you to give sacrificially?  How is God calling us to move into a more radical relationship?  What does it look like for us step out?  I guarantee that if we are willing to listen to God and look to him – God will show us.  

The life principle we find in James is to put our faith into action.  When we do, we will experience the blessing of God.  And here’s how we put that faith to work; we 

Step Up and do something

Step Back from the world

Step Out to sacrifice and give.

 

Next Steps

Life Hacks – Doers

Life Principle: Faith without deeds is dead.  James 2:26

• Read James 1:22-27 and 2:14-26)

Life Hacks:

1. Step Up

• Find one way to put your faith into action.

• Support foster children by providing snack crackers or granola bars.  (thru June 30)

• Learn more about the needs of foster children and families on Sunday, June 30 at 9:30 AM.

• Volunteer to visit our shut-ins.

• Read Romans 12:1-8.  Find a practical way to use God’s gifts in your life.  

2. Step Back

• Read James 1:27 and Philippians 4:8.

• What activity do you need to step back from to improve your heart, mind, and life?

• Invite your family, friends, or church family to support you in this change.

• Take time in prayer each day asking God to help you keep your heart and mind fixed on Jesus.

3. Step Out (Sacrifice)

• Reflect on a time when you made a sacrifice for someone else. What did you experience?

• How are you being called to move from a casual to a radical relationship with God, the church, and the world?

• Take one small step forward in this relational change. 

Life Hacks - Trials

Today we are starting a new sermon series called Life Hacks, and it is important that we all understand what a life hack is.  A life hack is a trick, shortcut, or skill that increases productivity or efficiency in any area of life.  A life hack is a new way of doing something that is better than the old way and there are literally thousands of life hacks you can find to help you with cooking, cleaning, travelling, parenting, entertaining, car maintenance, and health.

One of my favorite life hacks has to do with how we reheat pizza.  For years I would reheat it in the microwave because I just wanted it fast, but it always came out kind of soggy on top with a tough crust.  If you want to reheat pizza in the microwave, place a glass of water in the microwave with your pizza.  It is 100% better.  If you like an even crispier crust, don’t use the microwave or a toaster oven but a skillet.  Heat it for a few minutes, move it to the side, add a little water and cover the skillet so it can steam and then you will have a perfect piece of left over pizza.

Here are some more life hacks that might be helpful…
• Tall Watermelons are the juiciest
• Store cottage cheese and other containers upside in the fridge to help them last longer
• use cola to clean oil stains on concrete and driveways.
• Use ketchup to clean copper and brass.

So a life hack is finding new, better, novel, or quicker ways to do things that can make life better.  For the next several weeks we are going to read through the book of James and learn some life hacks that might transform our lives.  James is a very practical book and offers us some life principles and life hacks that can strengthen our faith and improve our lives.  James 1:2—8, 12

The first truth James wants to teach us is that trials will come to all of us.  James doesn’t say to consider it joy IF trials come but WHENEVER they come – because they will come.  Trials and struggles come to all of us.  As children and teens we deal with peer pressure, school pressure, the pressure to perform well in sports and music, and the pressure of pleasing our parents.  As we get older there is still peer pressure, but we can add to that financial pressure, job pressure, the pressure we feel in raising children and then caring for parents.  As adults we feel the never ending pressure of being responsible for so many and so much in life.

There is tremendous pressure we face in life and with this pressure comes trials and problems and the life principle that James teaches us is that we should not try to live free FROM pressure but learn how to live free UNDER pressure.  Do you see the difference?  Striving to live free FROM pressure assumes that somehow we can live our life free from all trials and problems, but we can’t.  The pressure of life brings problems, and as hard as we try to avoid them, the problems will come and we will feel like we have failed.  There will be no freedom and no peace.

Instead of trying to live free from pressure, we need to learn how to live free UNDER pressure.  This way of looking at life understands that trials will come, and since we can’t avoid them, maybe we can learn something through them.  It looks at the problems in life as opportunities that God can use to actually make us stronger, more faithful, and more mature.  When trials aren’t to be avoided, we experience them not as failures but as opportunities, and with opportunity comes choices, and growth, and freedom. 

It’s important to read James’ words correctly.  God doesn’t send trials to make us grow and mature, the trials come because we live in a fallen and broken world.  The problems we face might be the negative consequences of our own choices, but they might also be tragic or difficult events that simply happen in life.  We lose jobs because the market changes or businesses fail even when we have worked hard and done a good job.  We can eat right, exercise, and care for our bodies as best as we can but health problems will still come because our bodies break down and were never meant to last forever.  And through no fault of our own, accidents happen.
If we can understand and accept that trials will always be part of life, then we can look at these situations as opportunities God can use to mature our faith and strengthen every part of our lives. 

The Apostle Paul said, God works for the good in all circumstances for those who love Christ Jesus.  He didn’t say God causes all circumstances and he didn’t say that all circumstances are good.  He said that God can use all circumstances, good and bad, to bring about something good in our lives.  God can use all circumstances to mature our faith.  Since trials have their place in making us grow, we should consider it a joy when they come, not because the trial is good but because the trial is a pathway to deeper faith, greater wisdom, and stronger love.

So here are three life hacks to help us live free under pressure.  These might be new or novel ways to deal with trials, but they are effective ways to find God’s freedom in times of trial and they will mature our faith.

#1 Learn Under Pressure.  When we are stressed or are struggling in life, we need to take time every day to learn something new.  We need to read as much as we can.  If you really aren’t a reader, listen to a podcast, or watch a TED Talk.  If you aren’t familiar with TED talks, they are short video lectures on any and every topic you can think of.  However you learn best, take some time to learn something new every day.

We might want to take time to learn how to more effectively deal with the specific pressure or problem we are facing, or we might want to simply learn something new to expand our horizons and give us a healthy and new perspective.  It really doesn’t matter what we learn because the process of learning will stimulate our brain and open new pathways for us to think about life and our problems.

#2 Laugh Under Pressure.  This might seem counter-intuitive because most of us going through difficult times really don’t feel like laughing, but laughter is a powerful force for good in our lives.  For those of you who grew up reading Readers Digest like I did, it is absolutely true that Laughter is the Best Medicine.  In fact, studies have shown that:

• Laughter relaxes the whole body – it relieves physical tension and stress, leaving muscles relaxed for 45 minutes.
• Laughter boosts the immune system – it decreases stress hormones & increases immune cells and infection-fighting antibodies.
• Laughter triggers the release of endorphins – this is the body’s natural feel-good chemicals.
• Laughter protects the heart – it increases blood flow, which can help protect us against a heart attack and heart disease.
• Laughter burns calories – ok not a lot, laughing for 10 to 15 minutes a day can burn approximately 40 calories.
• Laughter eases the burden of anger – it diffuses anger and conflicts faster than talking things out.
• Laughter may help us live longer - people with a strong sense of humor outlived those who don’t laugh as much.

While we may not feel like laughing during times of trial, if we can find those things that can make us laugh, and if we can share a laugh with others, it can help free us from the pressure and trials we face.

#3 Look Up Under Pressure.  Perhaps this is the most important life hack to remember when we are under pressure.  Don’t look down in hopelessness and give up.  Don’t look around for help.  While the wisdom of the world and the support of others can help us at times, if that is all we do in times of need, we will fail.  Don’t look in and rely upon your own strength and power to get through the difficult times because on our own we cannot make it.  We need to look up – we need to look to God who alone gives us the strength and power we need so that we can endure, and persevere, and overcome.   Paul said, I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength.

The Bible tells us again and again that we need to look up because God alone is our strength, our support, and the one who can help.
• Psalm 18:2-3, 6
• Psalm 121:1-4
• Isaiah 12:2
• Habakkuk 3:19
• Hebrews 12:1b - 3

The life principle James wants us to embrace is that we shouldn’t try to live free from pressure and problems but learn to live free under pressure.  Trials will always be a part of our lives, so let’s see them as opportunities to become mature in our faith.  And here’s how we can do it:
• Learn Under Pressure
• Laugh Under Pressure
• Look Up Under Pressure


Next Steps
Life Hacks – Trials

Life Principle:
Don’t seek to live free FROM pressure and trials,
Learn to live free UNDER pressure and trials.

Life Hacks:
1. LEARN Under Pressure
• Identify how you best learn new material and find resources that can help you explore and experience new things.
• Read, listen to a podcast, or watch a TED talk.
• Share what you are learning with others.

2. LAUGH Under Pressure
• How can time with family and friends bring you joy?
• What resources can help you laugh every day?
• Share your laughter with others in the church and world.  Everyone needs a good laugh!

3. LOOK UP Under Pressure
• How can scripture, prayer, worship, and obedience to God help you strengthen your relationship with God?
• Read Psalm 18, Psalm 121, Isaiah 12:2, Habakkuk 3:19 and Hebrews 12:1-3.

What Would Jesus UNdo? - Worry

Today we are going to finish up our series What Would Jesus UNdo.  While Jesus came to show us how to live, and set for us an example of what we are to do, like loving people, serving others, and worshiping God, Jesus also came to undo powers, patterns and behaviors that can take over our lives and lead us away from God.  David did a great job these past few weeks talking about how Jesus wants to undo things like hypocrisy, spiritual pride, and shallow worship.  These are behaviors God has always wanted to break apart in our lives so it makes sense that Jesus came to teach us and show us how to undo them.  Today I want us to consider a problem that most of us struggle with and that many of us have just accepted as part of our lives, but something that Jesus clearly wants to undo - worry. 

 Take a look at some of the top things adults worry about. 
• Pet's health
• Being a good parent
• Relationship with spouse
• Appearance
• Being happy
• Job security & job performance
• Debt & financial security
• Diet
• Having enough for the future
• Getting older

I find it interesting that we worry about our pets’ health but our own health or the health of our family didn’t make this list. 

Now here are the top things that teens worry about.
• School performance
• Appearance & popularity
• Friends & family
• Love & sex
• Substance abuse
• Future plans & happiness

What’s interesting is that whether we are young or old, we worry about the same things: love and relationships, our appearance, and our future.  I talk with many people who tell me that they have given up trying to stop worrying because it is just the way they are, but if worry is robbing us of joy, and if worry ties us up in knots so that we can’t enjoy anything good in life, then it is time to let Jesus undo worry, and believe it or not – he came to do just that. 

To understand how to undo worry, we first need to think about what causes us to worry.  If we dig below the surface of worry what we find is fear.  If we are worried about school or our jobs it’s because we are afraid we might fail in school or lose our jobs.  If we are worried about our looks it could be because we are afraid of losing our spouse, or never finding one to begin with.  Worrying about getting older means we are afraid of the unknown or maybe it is the fear of dying.  Fear leads to worry and Jesus came to undo fear.

When it was first announced to Mary that Jesus, the Messiah, was going to be born through her, the angel said, do not be afraid.  When the angel told Joseph what was going to happen, and that he needed to take Mary as his wife, the angel said, do not be afraid.  The angel says this because hearing God’s plan caused them to be afraid and that fear led to worry.  Both Mary and Joseph worried about what God’s plan would mean for their relationship with one another.  They worried about their standing in the community.  The worried about what all of this meant for their future.  Would they be able to do what God was asking them to do?  God’s plan brought the fear of the unknown which caused them to worry, but instead of telling them do not worry the angel addressed the underlying cause of worry and said, do not be afraid.  So the very first thing that Jesus came to do was to undo fear which will help undo worry.   

Undoing fear is something God has always wanted to do in our lives.  In some form or another, God says over 300 times in the Bible, do not be afraid.  Some have said there are 365 of these fear not statements, which means we could read one every day, and that’s not a bad idea because one way to overcome fear and undo worry is to remember God’s love.  If we can remember God’s love for us every day, then every day the power of worry is undone. 

In the gospel of John, Jesus addressed the fear and anxiety that the disciples were going to face when he was no longer going to be with them in person and his solution was to remember.  In John 14 Jesus says, do not let your hearts be troubled.  In other words, don’t worry, but then he goes on to tell us how we can undo that worry and be at peace - John 14:25-27.

Notice that peace comes when we remember all that Jesus has said, and what Jesus spent his life saying is that God loves us and God will always be with us.  Jesus taught us that the power of God’s love is always with us, and God’s love is greater than any power that comes against us.  The Apostle Paul said it this way, I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any power, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.  If God loves us, and God is for us, then who or what can stand against us.  If nothing can stand against us, then why are we worried?  Why are we afraid?  The problem is that we forget God’s love too easily, and when we forget this - we fear the future, and when we forget this - we worry. 

So Jesus says we can undo worry by remembering that God loves us and that God’s love is always with us, but he also says that we can take this a step farther and not just remember God’s love but actually turn and seek God.  We hear this in Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount.  Matthew 6:25-33

Did you notice that the things Jesus said we worry about were on that list we saw earlier?  What will we eat? Our diet.  What will we wear?  Our appearance.  Not much has changed, we worry about the same thing today that people worried about 2000 years ago, and Jesus says we can undo that worry when we remember God’s love. 

Jesus reminds us that God made the birds of the air and he loves them so He takes care of them.  Aren’t we more valuable than birds?  Doesn’t God love us more than birds?  And God made the grass of the fields and the plants for sale in our fellowship hall and He loves them so he provides for them.  Aren’t we more valuable than plants? Doesn’t God love us more than plants?  Yes, God loves us more than plants and birds because we have been created in God’s image.  We are God’s children and he loves us, so God will provide for us.  When we remember God’s love and the promise Jesus made that God will provide, it eases our fear and begins to undo worry. 

But notice that undoing worry doesn’t just happen when we remember, it comes when we seek God’s kingdom first.  Matthew 6:33 - Seek first God’s kingdom and God’s righteousness and then all these things will be given to you.  Jesus says we undo worry in our lives when we actively seek God’s kingdom and righteousness, and this involves 2 things:

1. Seeking God.  We can’t seek God’s kingdom without first seeking God.  In many ways, to know God is to know God’s kingdom because the kingdom of God isn’t a place or location but a life that reflects the life of God.   The more we know God, the less worry we will have, and we can seek God, and we get know God through deep and genuine worship.  We can seek God and deepen our relationship with God through prayer.  We can seek God through his word.  We can also seek God and know more about God through the world God created and through the community of faith God gives us. 

2. Make Jesus the center of our lives.  The second way we seek God’s kingdom is make Jesus the center of our lives.  Because the kingdom of God is not a location but a way of life God reveals to us in Jesus, when we place Jesus at the center of our lives we find the strength and power to live out this life.  So the kingdom of God isn’t found by seeking Jesus but by making Jesus the center of our lives so we can begin to live the way Jesus lived. 

The kingdom of God is found when we choose to love like Jesus, and forgive like Jesus, and when we trust like Jesus, and follow God’s word like Jesus.  Making these choices and living this life is only possible when Jesus is truly the center of our lives and we are trusting his power and love.

So Jesus is able to undo worry in our lives as we Remember God’s Love, and when we Seek God’s Kingdom, but there is another practical step we can take to undo worry and that is to Serve Others.  I heard a well-known counselor once say that she asked all her patients who came in to talk about anxiety and depression to first talk about the ways they were serving others.  Most of them were not reaching out and serving others, so her first prescription wasn’t for medication or meditation, she told them to serve.  Find a way to serve others and help others because serving and helping doesn’t just lift others up, it lifts us up.  Serving does more good in our lives than in the lives of those we serve, and if you have ever served others, you know this is true. 

Serving others gives us perspective in life.  It helps us see that we are not alone in our fears and anxiety.  It helps us see that we are not alone in our problems, and sometimes it helps us put our problems into a perspective.  Serving others also helps us see that there is help out there when we need it.  Just as we help and serve people in their times of need, so will people be willing to help and serve us in our needs, all of this can ease our fear and undo worry. 

So we undo worry by remembering who God is, and by seeking God’s kingdom, and by serving others, but we also can undo worry be receiving the salvation God gives us through Jesus Christ.  Accepting Jesus as our Savior brings with it a freedom that can never be taken away.  God’s salvation means we are free from the penalty of sin, and free from shame and guilt that often comes with sin.  Accepting Jesus as our Savior allows us to experience all the fullness and power God has for us.  God’s salvation means that our future is always secure, that there is always a better life waiting for us, and that there is an eternal life that is ours as well.  As Paul said, in all things we are more than conquerors through Jesus Christ.  God’s salvation frees us from fear and it is that freedom which begins to undo worry.  With Christ as our Savior, all the forces of hell can beat against us but we will not fall, and we will not fail, and we will not be afraid because God’s saving grace is with us and God’s love will see us through.  God’s salvation through Jesus Christ is a power that can undo worry.

So don’t give in to worry, and don’t tell yourself that you will always be a worrier, when worry comes, remember that Jesus came to undo worry and he shows us how. 
• Remember God
• Seek God’s Kingdom
• Serve Others
• Accept God’s Salvation


 
Next Steps
Undo Worry

Relationship with God
Remember God’s Love
• Begin each day with a prayer thanking God for being with you and for loving you.
• Identify the place in your day where you will need to know God’s love and power.  Ask God be with you. 

Seek God’s Kingdom
• Read Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7). 
• Identify what the kingdom of God looks like, and what it might look like in your life. 

Accept God’s Salvation
• Ask Jesus to forgive your sin and the guilt of sin.
• Ask God to set you free from fear.
• See how eternal life begins today and lasts forever.


Relationship with the Church
Serve Others
• All around us (even in the church) are people who are worried.  Identify one person you can pray for, love, encourage, and support as they seek God’s kingdom.
o Let them know you are there for them. 
o Share God’s love and grace with them.


Relationship with the World
Serve Others
• Identify one way you and your family can serve in our community during the summer.