Quote from Forum Archives on June 12, 2003, 9:27 am

Posted by: forthrightmag <forthrightmag@...>

Forthright Magazine
www.forthright.net
Going straight to the Cross

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Yesterday our personal email server had a
problem. So today we double up with Barry and
Phil. Enjoy this double dip.
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COLUMN: Hands-on Faith

Freedom from the Bootstrap
by Barry Newton

With a bit of unconcealable pride, his rugged
time-worn face lit up with a smile as his resonant
voice announced, "I did not have anything when I
started. Today, I have all this. I'm a self-made
man!" While such a sentiment exudes a certain
upbeat positiveness, it is nonetheless a prisoner
of the unwarranted belief, "everything depends
upon me."

To be sure, Scripture encourages a strong work
ethic and pursuit of our work as though it is for
the Lord himself. Colossians 3:23 But what
Scripture does not support is the arrogant
attitude which can falsely arise from perceiving
ourselves as being responsible for all we've
received. Deuteronomy 8:10-14

There are more pitfalls to the bootstrap mentality
than just arrogance. When situations beyond our
control impact our lives and limit our options, if
we have embraced a bootstrap mentality, this can
lead us toward depression and be a source of self-
flagellation. "If only I were better, then I would
have foreseen this and ...." Noble efforts do not
always pay off. Ecclesiastes 9:11 God seeks to
release us from both delusional ends of the
bootstrap mentality spectrum.

In 2 Corinthians 1:8-11, Paul's confession is
quite revealing about how God wants us to live.
Having faced tremendous burdens which led him to
even despair of life, the apostle discovered that
this was "so that we would not trust in ourselves,
but in God who raises the dead." That period of
difficulty, as undesirable as it was, further
galvanized Paul's realization of his dependence
upon God. As he thought about his future, he
understood it as anchored upon God, not upon his
own power and intelligence.

Evaluating Our Attitude by Our Prayers

While most people like to think of themselves in a
positive light, sometimes an objective means for
self-evaluation can be helpful. Our prayer life
can be just such a tool.

• Do your prayers acknowledge your dependence upon
God when situations are going well, or only when
there is crisis?

• How often do you go to God in prayer, casting
your cares upon Him knowing that He will sustain
you? Ps. 55:22; 1 Peter 5:6-7

May each of us experience the freedom which comes
from being released from the weight of thinking
that "everything depends upon me." As a servant of
God, work hard and do what you know to do as you
continually depend upon His mighty hand to
strengthen, sustain, and bless.

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Have you shared Forthright with a friend lately?
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The Challenge of the Gospel
by Phil Sanders

"Now I make known to you, brethren, the gospel
which I preached to you, which also you received,
in which also you stand, by which also you are
saved, if you hold fast the word which I preached
to you, unless you believed in vain. For I
delivered to you as of first importance what I
also received, that Christ died for our sins
according to the Scriptures, and that He was
buried, and that He was raised on the third day
according to the Scriptures" (1 Cor. 15:1-4).

The gospel message is one of love, grace, hope,
forgiveness, and life. It reveals the great
sacrifice of our Lord Jesus Christ on a cruel
cross for our sins. It offers us our only hope for
eternal life in heaven by means of the blood of
Jesus in the washing away of our sins. For this
reason, the gospel is good news! In fact, it is
the best news we will ever hear.

There are two phrases in 1 Cor. 15:1-4, however,
that present the challenge of the gospel.

First, the Corinthians received and took a "stand"
in the gospel. Receiving the gospel means that you
will be at odds with others, who do not believe it
or will not receive it. Pagans took offense at the
idea of one God; they thought the word of the
cross was foolish (1 Cor. 1:18-21).

When Jesus and His disciples preached the gospel
of the kingdom, their first word was "repent, for
the kingdom of heaven is at hand" (Matt. 4:17;
Mark 6:12). The world has little desire for
repentance and hates those who ask for it (John
3:19-20). They prefer their freedom and want no
Lord.

Second, they were to "hold fast" to the gospel, if
they would be saved by it. In Christ there is no
retirement, no quitting point. Jesus asks us to
endure to the end (Matt. 10:22). The challenge,
however, is never as great as the promises! Stay
faithful to the end.

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