WEBVTT 00:00:01.229 --> 00:00:03.950 Welcome to Healing Scars with Pastor Burton, 00:00:04.129 --> 00:00:07.269 the official podcast of Cross Christian Fellowship, 00:00:07.290 --> 00:00:10.769 Route 66, in the heart of Albuquerque, New Mexico, 00:00:10.990 --> 00:00:14.150 where Burton is the lead pastor. We're glad you're 00:00:14.150 --> 00:00:18.109 here. Hey everybody, welcome back to the Sanctuary. 00:00:18.210 --> 00:00:22.769 It is great to have you with us. This week, we're 00:00:22.769 --> 00:00:24.769 going to keep on going through 2 Corinthians. 00:00:24.929 --> 00:00:27.989 However, we're actually going to reverse direction 00:00:27.989 --> 00:00:31.839 just a little bit. and go back towards the beginning. 00:00:32.439 --> 00:00:34.340 We're actually going to go into chapter one, 00:00:34.380 --> 00:00:37.179 but right at the end of it. So as we're getting 00:00:37.179 --> 00:00:41.320 started today, I'm just going to tell you, we're 00:00:41.320 --> 00:00:42.799 going to be looking at something that the woke 00:00:42.799 --> 00:00:48.060 movement has blown way out of proportion. And 00:00:48.060 --> 00:00:52.280 I could sum it up in one word, offense. That's 00:00:52.280 --> 00:00:54.799 right, offense. Now, as we get started, I want 00:00:54.799 --> 00:00:57.630 you to take that. I want you to tuck it in the 00:00:57.630 --> 00:00:59.530 back of your mind, write it down, whatever you 00:00:59.530 --> 00:01:01.490 need to do. Something where you're kind of meditating 00:01:01.490 --> 00:01:04.109 on it, you know, in the rear. And I'm going to 00:01:04.109 --> 00:01:06.430 start off by sharing an antidote that I know 00:01:06.430 --> 00:01:10.269 a lot of you have heard before. One day there 00:01:10.269 --> 00:01:13.629 was a donkey and there was a tiger. And the donkey 00:01:13.629 --> 00:01:17.510 said to the tiger, the grass is blue. The tiger 00:01:17.510 --> 00:01:21.129 replied, no, it's not. The grass is green. And 00:01:21.129 --> 00:01:23.829 the discussion, it got heated up. Okay, you know, 00:01:23.849 --> 00:01:27.310 green, blue, green, blue. And the two decided, 00:01:27.370 --> 00:01:30.629 you know what? No, this isn't working. We need 00:01:30.629 --> 00:01:34.230 to go to arbitration. And so to do this, they 00:01:34.230 --> 00:01:35.989 decided to go all the way to the king of the 00:01:35.989 --> 00:01:40.170 jungle. That's right, the lion. Now, before ever 00:01:40.170 --> 00:01:44.569 reaching the forest clearing, as soon as the 00:01:44.569 --> 00:01:48.250 donkey saw the lion sitting on his throne, He 00:01:48.250 --> 00:01:50.989 starts running at him and shouting, Your Highness! 00:01:51.090 --> 00:01:53.450 Your Highness! Isn't it true that the grass is 00:01:53.450 --> 00:01:58.670 blue? The lion, decidedly annoyed, said, Yes, 00:01:58.670 --> 00:02:03.209 yes, yes. The grass is blue. It's true. The donkey 00:02:03.209 --> 00:02:06.310 quickly continued on. Well, the tiger disagrees 00:02:06.310 --> 00:02:09.629 with me and he's just absolutely annoying me. 00:02:09.729 --> 00:02:13.469 He contradicts me at every turn. Please, please, 00:02:13.509 --> 00:02:17.969 please punish him. The king, thought long and 00:02:17.969 --> 00:02:22.389 hard, and then declared, the tiger is going to 00:02:22.389 --> 00:02:25.569 be punished. And his punishment is going to be 00:02:25.569 --> 00:02:30.909 four years of silence. The donkey at this point 00:02:30.909 --> 00:02:34.729 is just absolutely thrilled. He's jumping for 00:02:34.729 --> 00:02:38.270 joy, and he's going on his merry way, and he's 00:02:38.270 --> 00:02:39.789 just repeating, the grass is blue, the grass 00:02:39.789 --> 00:02:46.250 is blue, the grass is blue. The tiger kind of 00:02:46.250 --> 00:02:48.569 resigned. to accepting his punishment, just kind 00:02:48.569 --> 00:02:52.310 of shakes his head. And he asks the lion, Your 00:02:52.310 --> 00:02:56.550 Majesty, why have you punished me? I mean, after 00:02:56.550 --> 00:03:01.689 all, the grass is green. And the lion says to 00:03:01.689 --> 00:03:09.110 him, Yes, in fact, the grass is green. So the 00:03:09.110 --> 00:03:10.849 tiger asks again, Then why are you punishing 00:03:10.849 --> 00:03:14.669 me? And the lion tells him, It doesn't have anything 00:03:14.669 --> 00:03:18.259 to do... With the color of the grass. It could 00:03:18.259 --> 00:03:21.240 be blue, green, purple, yellow. It doesn't matter. 00:03:21.680 --> 00:03:25.919 The punishment. Is because it shouldn't be possible. 00:03:26.259 --> 00:03:30.099 For a brave. And intelligent creature like you. 00:03:30.259 --> 00:03:35.879 To waste time. Arguing with a jackass. And then 00:03:35.879 --> 00:03:40.180 on top of that. You come to me. With that stupid 00:03:40.180 --> 00:03:45.370 question. Really? You know. One of the worst 00:03:45.370 --> 00:03:49.469 ways to time is arguing with a fool who doesn't 00:03:49.469 --> 00:03:54.370 care about the truth or reality. They only care 00:03:54.370 --> 00:03:57.349 about the victory of their beliefs and their 00:03:57.349 --> 00:04:01.189 illusions. Hello, politics! Don't waste your 00:04:01.189 --> 00:04:03.830 time, people. Don't waste your time on arguments 00:04:03.830 --> 00:04:06.610 that don't make sense and aren't going to go 00:04:06.610 --> 00:04:08.629 anywhere. You know, they just go round and round 00:04:08.629 --> 00:04:14.520 and round and round. There are people... Who 00:04:14.520 --> 00:04:18.800 no matter how much evidence you present, just 00:04:18.800 --> 00:04:24.560 plain don't have the ability to understand. Others 00:04:24.560 --> 00:04:32.459 are blinded by ego. Resentment, hate, discontent. 00:04:33.459 --> 00:04:36.819 You know, all they want is to be right, even 00:04:36.819 --> 00:04:41.100 if they're not. And these people would rather 00:04:41.100 --> 00:04:45.800 die on their hill. than ever admit they're wrong. 00:04:48.839 --> 00:04:50.720 Chill out, guys. I'm not talking about arguing 00:04:50.720 --> 00:04:56.240 with your spouse. Let me put it out there, though. 00:04:56.399 --> 00:05:00.079 When ignorance screams, intelligence is silent. 00:05:00.899 --> 00:05:04.319 Make a note of that somewhere. When ignorance 00:05:04.319 --> 00:05:08.100 screams, intelligence is silent. Your peace and 00:05:08.100 --> 00:05:13.319 your quiet are worth more. A person of fewer 00:05:13.319 --> 00:05:18.259 words. In Matthew chapter 7 verse 6, the word 00:05:18.259 --> 00:05:23.879 says, Do not give what is holy to the dogs, nor 00:05:23.879 --> 00:05:27.379 cast your pearls before a swine, lest they trample 00:05:27.379 --> 00:05:32.240 them under their feet, and turn and tear you 00:05:32.240 --> 00:05:39.439 in pieces. And then in Proverbs 13 verse 3, The 00:05:39.439 --> 00:05:43.040 word says, he who guards his mouth preserves 00:05:43.040 --> 00:05:49.500 his life. But he who opens wide his lips shall 00:05:49.500 --> 00:05:53.540 have destruction. In other words, don't get drawn 00:05:53.540 --> 00:05:57.569 into a battle of wits with an unarmed man. This 00:05:57.569 --> 00:06:00.350 movement and the people who support it, even 00:06:00.350 --> 00:06:03.629 outside of the movement. Come on. This happened 00:06:03.629 --> 00:06:05.110 long before the movement. This movement just 00:06:05.110 --> 00:06:07.550 kind of capitalized on this as a weapon. But 00:06:07.550 --> 00:06:11.689 the people who support this stuff and draw offense 00:06:11.689 --> 00:06:14.250 from anything and everything, I'm telling you, 00:06:14.269 --> 00:06:18.589 conflict abounds every time. And the worldly 00:06:18.589 --> 00:06:22.610 people love to feed on this. It's their favorite 00:06:22.610 --> 00:06:28.790 meal. But as a believer, it is better to be the 00:06:28.790 --> 00:06:32.649 peacekeeper. Sometimes the greater good is just 00:06:32.649 --> 00:06:35.550 stopping the argument. Even though in the back 00:06:35.550 --> 00:06:37.509 of your head you're thinking, what an idiot. 00:06:38.069 --> 00:06:41.629 What a moron. This person needs to apologize 00:06:41.629 --> 00:06:43.910 to plant life for wasting the oxygen that it 00:06:43.910 --> 00:06:48.709 produces. Right? We all scream that stuff in 00:06:48.709 --> 00:06:50.269 the back of our heads from time to time. Just 00:06:50.269 --> 00:07:00.420 admit it. I know I'm not the only one. Now, with 00:07:00.420 --> 00:07:04.040 that said, turning to Ecclesiastes chapter 10. 00:07:04.639 --> 00:07:11.040 So Ecclesiastes 10 verses 2 through 4. The word 00:07:11.040 --> 00:07:16.259 says, A wise man's heart is at his right hand, 00:07:16.379 --> 00:07:22.319 but a fool's heart is at his left. And even when 00:07:22.319 --> 00:07:27.480 a fool walks along the way, he lacks wisdom. 00:07:28.029 --> 00:07:32.290 And he shows support, excuse me, he shows everyone 00:07:32.290 --> 00:07:40.129 that he is a fool. It is the spirit of the ruler, 00:07:40.350 --> 00:07:42.930 excuse me, if the spirit of the ruler rises against 00:07:42.930 --> 00:07:45.670 you, do not leave your post, for conciliation 00:07:45.670 --> 00:07:50.970 pacifies great offenses. Sorry, guys. Had my 00:07:50.970 --> 00:07:52.449 eyes checked. I'm waiting on my new glasses to 00:07:52.449 --> 00:07:55.680 come. Some of the stuff is kind of blurring together 00:07:55.680 --> 00:07:57.959 and just not quite working right for me. So I 00:07:57.959 --> 00:07:59.620 apologize for that if my reading is a little 00:07:59.620 --> 00:08:03.180 off lately. They are on the way. Never fear. 00:08:03.360 --> 00:08:04.699 So I'll get back to reading good here pretty 00:08:04.699 --> 00:08:08.959 soon. Yeah, I'm at that point. Yeah, moving along. 00:08:09.120 --> 00:08:13.000 Rabbit trail. Basically, what the word is saying 00:08:13.000 --> 00:08:15.720 here is let the foolish show their hand. And 00:08:15.720 --> 00:08:19.500 trust me, they will. They'll keep running their 00:08:19.500 --> 00:08:22.240 mouths saying things like, oh, I don't agree. 00:08:23.219 --> 00:08:25.639 But they won't have an answer for why they won't 00:08:25.639 --> 00:08:27.560 agree. They have no substantiation for it whatsoever. 00:08:27.899 --> 00:08:31.000 And they'll just keep repeating the same gibberish 00:08:31.000 --> 00:08:33.480 that's been fed to them like a mindless robot. 00:08:33.639 --> 00:08:36.580 Oh, no, no, no, I disagree. No, no, that's not 00:08:36.580 --> 00:08:39.779 right. No, no, well, that might be how you feel, 00:08:39.860 --> 00:08:44.179 but that's just not the way it is. And they repeat 00:08:44.179 --> 00:08:46.019 it over and over with no substantiation, like 00:08:46.019 --> 00:08:49.600 I said. It's really sad. And with that said, 00:08:49.799 --> 00:08:53.000 we're going to move... into today's scripture. 00:08:53.240 --> 00:08:55.379 So let's go ahead and open our Bibles to 2 Corinthians 00:08:55.379 --> 00:09:03.000 1. And our passage for today is going to be 2 00:09:03.000 --> 00:09:09.559 Corinthians 1, 23, going through 2, verse 4. 00:09:10.299 --> 00:09:17.279 So 2 Corinthians 1, verse 23, through 2 Corinthians 00:09:17.279 --> 00:09:23.370 2, verse 4. And Paul writes, Moreover, I call 00:09:23.370 --> 00:09:25.850 God as a witness against my soul, that to spare 00:09:25.850 --> 00:09:31.049 you I came no more to Corinth. Not that we have 00:09:31.049 --> 00:09:43.850 dominion over your faith, for by faith you stand. 00:09:44.210 --> 00:09:47.870 But I determined this within myself, that I would 00:09:47.870 --> 00:09:59.299 not come again to you in sorrow. For if I make 00:09:59.299 --> 00:10:04.539 you sorrowful, then who is he that makes me glad 00:10:04.539 --> 00:10:07.940 but the one who is made sorrowful by me? And 00:10:07.940 --> 00:10:10.740 I wrote this very thing to you, lest, when I 00:10:10.740 --> 00:10:13.720 came, I should have sorrow over those from whom 00:10:13.720 --> 00:10:16.659 I ought to have joy, having confidence in you 00:10:16.659 --> 00:10:21.289 that all my joy is the joy of you all. For out 00:10:21.289 --> 00:10:24.889 of much affliction and anguish of heart, I wrote 00:10:24.889 --> 00:10:28.710 to you with many tears, not that you should be 00:10:28.710 --> 00:10:31.830 grieved, but that you might know the love which 00:10:31.830 --> 00:10:37.289 I have so abundantly for you. You see, the Corinthian 00:10:37.289 --> 00:10:39.710 church, they had written to Paul. They had questions 00:10:39.710 --> 00:10:44.950 about their faith. And initially, Paul had the 00:10:44.950 --> 00:10:48.289 intention to return to address these issues. 00:10:49.019 --> 00:10:52.120 However, upon further reflection and thinking 00:10:52.120 --> 00:10:55.539 about it, he realized that the church, they hadn't 00:10:55.539 --> 00:10:58.980 followed his original instructions. And not only 00:10:58.980 --> 00:11:01.220 that, and this is really where it gets worse, 00:11:01.340 --> 00:11:04.700 they continued to undermine him and thereby the 00:11:04.700 --> 00:11:09.940 word of Christ. So he decided not to do it. He 00:11:09.940 --> 00:11:13.639 wasn't going to go back. Instead, he wrote back, 00:11:13.639 --> 00:11:17.200 and that in itself upset some people. However... 00:11:17.600 --> 00:11:22.139 it did become the catalyst that created the change 00:11:22.139 --> 00:11:26.059 that was needed in the body there. Keeping the 00:11:26.059 --> 00:11:29.600 peace, this is what Paul is doing here. He didn't 00:11:29.600 --> 00:11:32.340 want to go back into a heated debate and keep 00:11:32.340 --> 00:11:34.600 going round after round of beating a dead horse. 00:11:35.179 --> 00:11:39.100 He had already said all that needed to be said. 00:11:40.100 --> 00:11:44.360 And the onus on that point was on them as to 00:11:44.360 --> 00:11:48.159 whether or not they were going to listen. Now, 00:11:48.200 --> 00:11:51.659 like Paul, we should be doing the same thing. 00:11:51.779 --> 00:11:55.659 We need to know where our boundaries are and 00:11:55.659 --> 00:11:59.659 stand firm on them. We need to know when to fight 00:11:59.659 --> 00:12:03.940 and when to step back. Think of it like the rumble 00:12:03.940 --> 00:12:08.440 in the jungle. Going into this fight, Ali was 00:12:08.440 --> 00:12:11.700 known for his aggressive counter -strike style. 00:12:12.159 --> 00:12:14.980 He shifted his style at this point, though, into 00:12:14.980 --> 00:12:19.879 a mostly... defensive posture, which really put 00:12:19.879 --> 00:12:22.360 the pressure on Foreman and caused him to gas 00:12:22.360 --> 00:12:25.539 himself and wear himself out. Once Foreman was 00:12:25.539 --> 00:12:29.980 worn out, he ended the fight in what, to this 00:12:29.980 --> 00:12:33.419 very day, one of the greatest upsets, not just 00:12:33.419 --> 00:12:36.580 in boxing history, but in sports history. And 00:12:36.580 --> 00:12:43.220 the Fools themselves, they're going to wear themselves 00:12:43.220 --> 00:12:46.200 out. The fools of this world, they're in there 00:12:46.200 --> 00:12:48.740 and they're just swinging for the fences. They're 00:12:48.740 --> 00:12:50.279 trying to get in there. They're trying to connect 00:12:50.279 --> 00:12:52.980 and land a hit. But they're not doing a good 00:12:52.980 --> 00:12:55.279 job and they're eventually going to wear themselves 00:12:55.279 --> 00:12:59.320 down. They keep running their mouths and eventually 00:12:59.320 --> 00:13:02.759 they're going to run out of words. This is why 00:13:02.759 --> 00:13:06.000 I don't argue back with certain people on certain 00:13:06.000 --> 00:13:10.799 things. get caught up and lured into certain 00:13:10.799 --> 00:13:15.259 things with these people. It's very much a case 00:13:15.259 --> 00:13:17.659 of you can lead a horse to water, but you can't 00:13:17.659 --> 00:13:21.059 make them drink it. These people, they refuse 00:13:21.059 --> 00:13:25.379 to drink at the very cost of their own lives. 00:13:26.399 --> 00:13:31.299 Now, can you imagine, as a believer, refusing 00:13:31.299 --> 00:13:37.620 the living water of Christ, yet... in heart and 00:13:37.620 --> 00:13:42.279 in mind, that's what these people do all the 00:13:42.279 --> 00:13:46.080 time. And it's even sadder because they don't 00:13:46.080 --> 00:13:50.539 even realize that they're doing it. You know, 00:13:50.539 --> 00:13:52.740 as believers, we have to stand firm and we have 00:13:52.740 --> 00:13:56.279 to stand firm on Christ's foundation. You know, 00:13:56.279 --> 00:13:59.019 not movements, not politics, not celebrities, 00:13:59.440 --> 00:14:02.919 not even the media. We need to hold to teachings. 00:14:04.409 --> 00:14:07.889 from God and God alone. What we shouldn't do 00:14:07.889 --> 00:14:12.110 is weaponize his word and look for joy in beating 00:14:12.110 --> 00:14:15.549 people over the head with it. Paul didn't enjoy 00:14:15.549 --> 00:14:18.929 arguing with his friends, let alone having to 00:14:18.929 --> 00:14:22.610 reprimand them. He did love them enough, though, 00:14:22.629 --> 00:14:26.590 to call them out on their shenanigans. And we 00:14:26.590 --> 00:14:29.690 need to do this. Not beat people over the head, 00:14:29.769 --> 00:14:31.950 but we need to be gentle, we need to be firm, 00:14:32.110 --> 00:14:37.049 and we need to be fair. Proverbs 27, verse 6, 00:14:37.730 --> 00:14:43.409 the word says, Faithful are the wounds of a friend, 00:14:43.590 --> 00:14:49.389 but the kisses of an enemy are deceitful. As 00:14:49.389 --> 00:14:54.649 a friend, as a lover of our neighbor, and a follower 00:14:54.649 --> 00:15:00.149 of Christ, we need to call out sin. We need to 00:15:00.149 --> 00:15:03.039 tell those that we love, that they're falling 00:15:03.039 --> 00:15:07.460 short and they need to repent. But let's look 00:15:07.460 --> 00:15:10.340 at the truth. This is really hard, especially 00:15:10.340 --> 00:15:15.899 when it comes to friends and family. However, 00:15:16.000 --> 00:15:19.600 if we ignore what they're doing, or we don't 00:15:19.600 --> 00:15:23.580 hold firm to the Word of God, then we, through 00:15:23.580 --> 00:15:27.519 our own inaction, are actually encouraging them 00:15:27.519 --> 00:15:31.600 and supporting them to keep doing what they're 00:15:31.600 --> 00:15:34.639 doing. And they are definitely going to keep 00:15:34.639 --> 00:15:38.100 on keeping on. You know, I have someone in my 00:15:38.100 --> 00:15:41.879 life who I love dearly. Now, I'm not going to 00:15:41.879 --> 00:15:43.340 put them Johnny on the spot and call out their 00:15:43.340 --> 00:15:44.919 name because I don't want to embarrass them. 00:15:45.679 --> 00:15:49.259 However, I have spoken to them at length about 00:15:49.259 --> 00:15:53.019 their drinking. He's an alcoholic. He knows where 00:15:53.019 --> 00:15:56.259 I stand on the issue. For a long time, he'd call 00:15:56.259 --> 00:15:58.820 when he was drinking. And as soon as I heard 00:15:58.820 --> 00:16:01.200 how he was talking, I'd heard the slurred language 00:16:01.200 --> 00:16:04.720 and all that stuff, I'd just hang up. Plain and 00:16:04.720 --> 00:16:07.940 simple, I would just hang up. And eventually 00:16:07.940 --> 00:16:11.100 he learned I'm not going to tolerate him when 00:16:11.100 --> 00:16:14.820 he's drunk. So he stopped calling me when he's 00:16:14.820 --> 00:16:19.120 been drinking. Sometimes our silence speaks greater. 00:16:19.879 --> 00:16:22.860 Than our words ever will. I mean I'm talking 00:16:22.860 --> 00:16:25.840 volumes here. Actions speak louder than words. 00:16:27.100 --> 00:16:29.779 That's why love is an action. Not just words. 00:16:30.220 --> 00:16:32.279 And it's better to speak the truth to someone 00:16:32.279 --> 00:16:36.279 in love. And let it sting with conviction. And 00:16:36.279 --> 00:16:38.320 that is the Holy Spirit working within them. 00:16:39.299 --> 00:16:42.639 Than to speak like the enemy. And allow them 00:16:42.639 --> 00:16:45.700 to continue to stumble down that path to damnation. 00:16:46.440 --> 00:16:49.090 So. This is one of those times where we need 00:16:49.090 --> 00:16:53.570 to all ask ourselves, do my actions match my 00:16:53.570 --> 00:16:57.409 words? Ask yourself that. Do your actions match 00:16:57.409 --> 00:17:01.809 your words? Because what you do is going to speak 00:17:01.809 --> 00:17:04.410 much greater about your love than the things 00:17:04.410 --> 00:17:10.289 you will ever say. This is what tough love really 00:17:10.289 --> 00:17:15.289 is. It's caring enough to show people the love 00:17:15.289 --> 00:17:19.200 and the light of God. But letting go and walking 00:17:19.200 --> 00:17:24.500 away, but in doing so, leaving them a lifeline 00:17:24.500 --> 00:17:27.980 for when they're ready to ask for that help, 00:17:28.059 --> 00:17:30.059 when they're ready to actually receive that help. 00:17:30.619 --> 00:17:34.720 And that is the important part. We don't leave 00:17:34.720 --> 00:17:37.019 them without means. We don't leave them without 00:17:37.019 --> 00:17:39.799 that lifeline so that they just drown in the 00:17:39.799 --> 00:17:42.549 corruption of the world. We had to leave that 00:17:42.549 --> 00:17:44.369 lifeline so that when they're ready for help 00:17:44.369 --> 00:17:46.170 and they realize that they're drowning, they 00:17:46.170 --> 00:17:49.109 have something to grab onto and it pulls them 00:17:49.109 --> 00:17:52.410 back towards us. And that way we can lead them 00:17:52.410 --> 00:17:56.009 to Jesus. We can be there reminding them that 00:17:56.009 --> 00:17:59.549 they are absolutely unconditionally loved and 00:17:59.549 --> 00:18:02.470 that there is hope and that things can change. 00:18:03.349 --> 00:18:06.390 That they do matter to God. That they are important 00:18:06.390 --> 00:18:10.180 to God. Matter of fact, they are so important 00:18:10.180 --> 00:18:16.000 that Jesus sacrificed himself for them. Not only 00:18:16.000 --> 00:18:22.279 that, but you also need to know when self -care 00:18:22.279 --> 00:18:28.099 is really important. Now, there's something that's 00:18:28.099 --> 00:18:30.000 often talked about, especially by businesses, 00:18:30.140 --> 00:18:35.140 but not always done. And if anything is done, 00:18:35.259 --> 00:18:39.279 usually not done properly. Self -care is important 00:18:39.279 --> 00:18:42.500 too. Because it's kind of like being on a flight. 00:18:42.640 --> 00:18:44.539 They tell you put your oxygen mask on before 00:18:44.539 --> 00:18:47.880 you put on the other person's. Because if you're 00:18:47.880 --> 00:18:50.319 not taking care of yourself first, you're not 00:18:50.319 --> 00:18:51.779 going to be able to take care of others next. 00:18:53.440 --> 00:18:58.539 Which leaves me with another antidote for you. 00:18:58.579 --> 00:19:00.319 For those who are listening, I really wish you 00:19:00.319 --> 00:19:01.680 could see the picture on this, but you can look 00:19:01.680 --> 00:19:03.940 it up online. It's actually pretty cool. Because 00:19:03.940 --> 00:19:06.470 there's a legit... picture because this is a 00:19:06.470 --> 00:19:09.650 in relation to an actual article that came out 00:19:09.650 --> 00:19:14.250 decades ago um where uh dogs were set to compete 00:19:14.250 --> 00:19:17.690 with a cheetah all right so i'm going to share 00:19:17.690 --> 00:19:22.230 this story with you here um so uh dogs were set 00:19:22.230 --> 00:19:24.529 to compete with the cheetah and the goal was 00:19:24.529 --> 00:19:27.089 to find out who was faster if it was these racing 00:19:27.089 --> 00:19:29.630 dogs or if it was this cheetah and they were 00:19:29.630 --> 00:19:32.609 all put in their starting crates out on the starting 00:19:32.609 --> 00:19:35.809 line And the signal was given to start the race. 00:19:36.369 --> 00:19:39.390 Bang! Whoosh! And they're off. And everybody's 00:19:39.390 --> 00:19:42.170 watching. And then they realize something. Something's 00:19:42.170 --> 00:19:48.349 amiss. And everyone was kind of shocked. Because 00:19:48.349 --> 00:19:51.049 while all these dogs took off and they're running. 00:19:51.230 --> 00:19:56.609 They're running the race. The cheetah didn't 00:19:56.609 --> 00:20:02.769 budge. It just laid there in its crate. So all 00:20:02.769 --> 00:20:04.430 these people, they start going into a race corner 00:20:04.430 --> 00:20:05.950 and they're asking, dude, what happened? What's 00:20:05.950 --> 00:20:08.109 going on, man? And his response after seeing 00:20:08.109 --> 00:20:11.769 the picture is, well, sometimes trying to prove 00:20:11.769 --> 00:20:16.609 you're the best is an insult. We don't need to 00:20:16.609 --> 00:20:21.369 adopt the tactics of the world to force them 00:20:21.369 --> 00:20:23.910 to understand things from our point of view. 00:20:25.950 --> 00:20:30.430 Matter of fact, we can't force Jesus on people. 00:20:32.199 --> 00:20:36.599 nor is that what he wants. He wants people to 00:20:36.599 --> 00:20:40.759 willingly come to him, to check their ego at 00:20:40.759 --> 00:20:44.559 the door, humble themselves at the doormat, let 00:20:44.559 --> 00:20:48.259 go of the world, and then grab onto the hem of 00:20:48.259 --> 00:20:53.920 his clothing. So in caring for ourselves, we 00:20:53.920 --> 00:20:59.440 need to learn when to bite our tongues. A little 00:20:59.440 --> 00:21:01.359 tongue -tied there. We need to learn when to 00:21:01.359 --> 00:21:04.519 bite our tongues. Think and save your words for 00:21:04.519 --> 00:21:07.839 those times when it really matters. For those 00:21:07.839 --> 00:21:10.839 times that it's absolutely going to have a real 00:21:10.839 --> 00:21:14.839 impact. Look at the cheetah. It uses its speed. 00:21:15.480 --> 00:21:18.259 But it uses its speed when it matters. To hunt. 00:21:20.059 --> 00:21:24.519 Not to prove to dogs or people that it is faster 00:21:24.519 --> 00:21:30.920 or stronger. Likewise, We should use our words 00:21:30.920 --> 00:21:35.880 to be fishers of men, not winners of arguments. 00:21:36.599 --> 00:21:42.259 To share the love of God, not the right to boast 00:21:42.259 --> 00:21:46.619 before others. God's already won the battle. 00:21:48.359 --> 00:21:52.059 We're just here to stand the line and reach out 00:21:52.059 --> 00:21:55.859 to those who are still in the darkness. We have 00:21:55.859 --> 00:21:58.150 already been lifted out of the pit. and shown 00:21:58.150 --> 00:22:02.049 the way so that in turn, we can go into that 00:22:02.049 --> 00:22:05.089 same pit and reach others and show them the way 00:22:05.089 --> 00:22:09.609 out to reflect the light and love of Christ. 00:22:10.069 --> 00:22:13.710 So don't waste your time trying to prove yourself 00:22:13.710 --> 00:22:17.190 to people who refuse to listen, refuse to hear, 00:22:17.349 --> 00:22:20.730 refuse to listen to the truth, and just don't 00:22:20.730 --> 00:22:26.769 care. Don't sacrifice your peace of mind or your 00:22:26.769 --> 00:22:33.549 health, mentally or physically, in a battle you 00:22:33.549 --> 00:22:37.329 aren't meant to fight. Instead, stand your post, 00:22:37.369 --> 00:22:43.609 stand the line. And that's our time for today, 00:22:43.690 --> 00:22:46.609 everybody. We'll pick up on the rest of this 00:22:46.609 --> 00:22:50.190 passage next time. I'll remind you that you are 00:22:50.190 --> 00:22:54.710 loved and you are blessed. Now go and be the 00:22:54.710 --> 00:23:21.289 church. Until next time, take care and God bless.