Are You With Me Or Against Me?

Matt 12: 30 He that is not with me is against me; and he that gathers not with me scatters abroad.

The term “Scattereth abroad” - This seems to have been a proverbial form of speech, and may be a metaphor taken from shepherds. He who does not help the true shepherd to gather his flock into the fold is, most likely, one who wishes to scatter them, that he may have the opportunity of stealing and destroying them.

There are two great interests in the world – Right and Wrong.

There is no medium. You have to take a stand for what is right, or stand with and for what is wrong. There is an open war between right and wrong. You can’t be neutral. If you are not on the side of what is right, you are reckoned an enemy. No neutrality is possible. Either you are with me or against me.

In or out? Which is it? It is a fair question that everyone has to answer for himself. Your answer comes from the heart, the only place that counts. Not just words off your lips but silent words from the innermost heart.

You may go back and forth a little, undecided, but finally you have to show your cards.

Where will you stand?

And it came to pass, when Joshua was by Jericho, that he lifted up his eyes and looked, and, behold, there stood a man over against him with his sword drawn in his hand: and Joshua went unto him, and said unto him, Art thou for us, or for our adversaries? Joshua 5:13

Where do you want to stand, with the good guys, or with the bad guys?

Respect for Your Elders

For as long as I can remember and before that for as much of history as I am aware of, old age has most often been equated with esteem, honor, and integrity.  Until now.

Old is out. We are thought of as useless. If we don’t have something to give them, like money or stuff - and if we don’t have something they can take from us, to the youth of today, we are useless.

I remember a time when showing kindness and courtesy to the previous generation was commonplace and expected. Even if there was a great divide between our interests and theirs, practicing proper manners was what we did. Practicing good manners was reflective of a good upbringing and was a badge of honor we wore proudly.  

What kind of manners did we practice? 1) Not speaking unless spoken to. -2) showing regard for the elderly in offering them a seat, bringing them things, anything really that could be seen as needed and helpful to them at the time. -3) offering them something to eat or drink. -4) always asking permission before using someone’s property – it was considered rude and inconsiderate to help yourself freely to anything that does not belong to you. -5) I remember being taught to not speak out of turn and to hold my tongue, at the risk of saying something stupid or hurtful. -6) I remember always saying “thank you” “please” "yes sir" "no sir" and so on. This was a great part of being polite and we were taught how this sort of thing helped to create warmth and compassion. -7) We would never address a person older than us with anything other than Mr. or Mrs., using their last name, Uncle or Aunt, that sort of thing.

The way you choose to present yourself to the world is a personal choice. Being a genuinely respectful person is a sure fire way to feel good about yourself. But the way you behave, the manners you practice or don’t practice, is a personal choice.

And you know, your reputation matters. People are watching you and wouldn’t your prefer to be known as the nice respectful person? Treating the elderly with the utmost respect will leave a memorable impression on them of you, and a memorable impression on those watching your behavior.

If nothing else, being a respectful person allows you to feel a sense of accomplishment that comes with knowing you did the right thing. And, being respectful, just makes the object of your respect feel good, feel important and valuable. It shows that person that you think they are important. And who knows the karma effect this can have.

I don’t get it really. I see so many young adults today who don’t seem to be able to show respect for anybody or anything and that is just sad. I realize now that some people are just no good and would like to use you or see you hurt. I realize that some people will dislike you for no particular reason at all. No amount of kindness will change their minds. I try to be kind to everyone, but that does not mean I can give what I don’t have or make undue personal sacrifices.

I have to ask myself, does this person respect me? When is enough, enough? Eventually what is comes down to is self-respect. You have to have self-respect. If someone disrespects you, let them know. Give them a chance to apologize. They will make things right if they want to. If they don’t then cut them out of your life. After a while you will no longer have to tell people to fuck off, because you will be surrounded only by people who don’t treat you like a doormat. You will be surrounded by happy, healthy, friendly people who know how to treat you with the respect you deserve.

Crisis Management

Suddenly you are faced with a crisis. What do you do? Most importantly you must keep the faith. This is the most vital ingredient of the resilience we need to cope with any personal crisis. Faith fosters hope. Prayer reminds us that there can be a design for our lives that we may not grasp but that we can live up to if we move with events as they evolve. No one has ever suffered more than Job. He was devastated beyond belief, but refused to turn against God. With our faith and our God we have everything we need to move on.


After that, you have to take stock of the situation. You can’t ignore hard facts. Prioritize. Determine what you have to do now and what can wait. Many things can wait. What do you have to do today? You may need to ask for help. Don’t be afraid. They can’t help if they don’t know about it. And then, do what you can. Take some action. It could mean making some changes.

In the blink of an eye everything can change. But no matter what happens your faith can sustain you. You will never be spiritually bankrupt.” Life is troubles” someone said. That is just true. Even the strongest of families will have problems to deal with. But like the strong families you can survive any crisis by focusing on the positive, being skillful in communication, relying on your personal spiritual resources and throw into high gear your tool of adaptability.

Also, learn to think happy. Think of the people and things you love. Turn to those thoughts rather than the ones making you sad and angry.

With Jesus I have no fear. I have no fear of the storm, whatever the storm. I have a divine confidence, confidence in my Lord’s love for me and a confidence rooted in my relationship with my Father in heaven.