____________________________________________________ THE GOSPEL OBSERVER "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations...teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age" (Matthew 28:19,20). ____________________________________________________ July 30, 2000 ____________________________________________________ Where Do Your Bolts Break? by Norman Pence It doesn't happen over night, it's usually a gradual process. The world comes crushing down. The weight is too much. We begin to buckle under and come apart at the seams. We seem to lose all control of our lives and circumstances. Then suddenly we find ourselves in a state of panic and despair. We lose our self-esteem and ability to make sound judgment. We begin withdrawing ourselves from those who can help us most. We become so discouraged that we not only are unable to bear the load of another brother, but we can't even bear our own load. We are completely overcome and not only fail the Lord but also those we love the most. All of us have no doubt experienced failure at one time or the other. Perhaps we have failed as an employee to give our best to our employer. Maybe we have failed to be the companion that we promised to be. Perhaps we have failed in regard to our children. And which of us hasn't failed in our duties to the Lord. Failure is usually visible, and frequently gets the attention of those around us. However, the reasons for the failure are often not so obvious and can be very subtle. Some time back I read an article in a magazine at work on ``Why Bolts Fail.'' The writer observed that bolt failure is generally due to one of four causes: overstress, fatigue, corrosion, and embrittlement. As I read the article and began to understand the explanation given for each of the causes I began to see just how much Christians and bolts have in common. We share in some ways the common purpose of ``holding things together.'' The apostle Paul said in Ephesians 4:16 that the whole body is ''...being fitted and held together by that which every joint supplies, according to the proper working of each individual part....'' The passage literally says that the whole body is being fitly framed and knit closely together by the efficient working of every individual (joint). Our failures are quite often due to the same reasons as those of bolts. Let's look at each of these four causes up close and see if we can't learn how to avoid failure for these reasons. Stressed Out Too much stress or tension on a bolt can cause it to stretch, permanently deform, or bend out of its original shape. It then becomes unable to perform and provide the service it was originally designed to do. Overstress is perhaps the simplest cause to understand. It describes the loads on the bolt. Stress is defined as ``strain or straining force exerted upon a body that tends to strain or deform its shape'' (Web. New World Dict.). Worry and anxiety is perhaps the greatest producer of stress. Periods of history are usually identified by their most prominent characteristics -- ice, iron, dark, renaissance, industrial, space, etc. We might call our time the ``age of anxiety.'' Anxiety describes a state of being uneasy, apprehensive or worried about what may happen. Worry is from the old Anglo-Saxon word (wiergan), which meant ``to strangle or choke.'' It renders us ineffective, robs us of energy and health that we should be using to the Lord's glory. It causes us to compromise our faith in Christ and makes us unable to ``hold things together'' and function as He intended. Matt. 6:30 teaches us that it is those who are of ``little faith'' that allow worry and anxiety to overcome them. We are to have such confidence in God that it will free our minds from the ``stress'' of being concerned about what the future may bring and learn to depend on God. The same chapter teaches us that it is He who gives life, a far greater blessing than meat. He has created the body, a much greater blessing than clothing. Shall not He who has given these greater blessings by His providence provide the lesser blessings? In the spring of 1871, there was a young man who was a student at the Montreal General Hospital. He became worried about his final examinations. He was troubled about what he should do with his life and where and how he should establish his medical practice. He picked up a book and read twenty-one words, written by Thomas Carlyle that changed his life. The young man was William Osler, founder of John Hopkins School of Medicine. These are the words: ``Our main business is not to see what lies dimly at a distance, but to do what lies clearly at hand.'' This truth is taught in Matt. 6:11, ``Give us this day our daily bread.'' Notice the words ``this day.'' The prayer is for today's bread only. It does not complain about yesterday's bread. It does not worry about next week or next month. The focus is on today and our faith in the providence of God. We all have a load to bear to be sure. ``For each one shall bear his own load'' (Gal. 6:5). Loose bolts don't last very long either. They function best when the right amount of tension is placed upon them. Likewise, we must ''...gird up your minds for action, keep sober in spirit, fix your hope completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ'' (1 Pet. 1:13). But sometimes the load becomes too heavy to bear alone. That's when we must ``Bear one another's burdens and thus fulfill the law of Christ'' ( Gal. 6:2). We must also learn to be content with what we have (Phil. 4:11; Heb. 13:5) and that God is always there and always cares for us. Paul said to: ``Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your request be made known to God'' (Phil 4:6); Peter said: ``Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, casting all your anxiety upon Him, for He careth for you'' (1 Pet. 5:7). The cure for worry lies in the fact that we are not left to face life alone, we face it with God. If you think about it, it shouldn't be that hard to avoid worry. Two things can't be in the same place at the same time. Isn't that what Jesus taught in Matt. 6:24 about God and mammon? Don't let worry invade your mind and take over. Life is not about worry. It's about God. Put Him in your mind. Let Him guide your life. If He is there, there is no room for worry. However, some people seem to prefer to make themselves miserable, by not putting their faith and trust in the God of all creation. If you are one of those people, here are some tips that someone suggested that will really stress you out! Save your major worries until about midnight, then start heavy thinking about old age, losing your job, the mistake you made last week and they haven't discovered yet, that suspicious wart you've had for five years or radon in your basement. You can work up a good panic by 1 a.m. Put off everything until the last minute. In this way you can create a sense of frenzy and chronic stress no matter how much time you had in the first place. Set unreasonable goals. No matter how much money you're earning, remember there are others doing better. Try to name three of them, preferably younger (and better looking) than you are. Think how others could do a better job than you. Aid and abet the creation of stress. Sleep as little as possible. Eat junk food. Drink a lot of coffee. Never exercise if you can help it. Never let others know how you feel or what you want. You shouldn't have to tell them. They should be able to read your mind. If you assume this, you stand a good chance of feeling really deprived. Never trust anyone. Struggle with problems alone. If you feel the urge to confide in someone who seems to care, remind yourself that people are basically no good and are out only for themselves. Never take a vacation break. It's a luxury you can't afford, especially if you're working up to a really good state of exhaustion. Never seek help. No matter how serious the problem, convince yourself that asking for help is a sign of weakness and that you can tough it out alone. I might also add forget prayer and Bible study altogether. Realize that it is a cruel, dog-eat-dog world and if you want anything in this life you have to get it yourself; you don't have time to devote to spiritual things and when you do have a weekend off you are just too tired to go to worship. This way you will isolate yourself from God and His people and really feel miserable and alone. If you follow this program, you have a good chance of feeling really rotten in no time at all. Good luck! FATIGUE It is estimated that approximately 85% of bolts fail due to fatigue. This is descriptive of bolts that crack or fail under repeated applications of stress. Fatigue is also responsible for a great many of our failures. Webster defines it as, ``physical or mental exhaustion; weariness.'' For the Christian we might call this ``spiritual burnout.'' Spiritual fatigue, like overstress, is also a gradual process. Luke describes these in the parable of the sower. ``And those on the rocky soil are those who, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no firm root; they believe for a while, and in time of temptation fall away'' (Lk. 8:13). Notice they hear the word and even receive it with joy, but their faith is not well rooted in it. When the ``heavy load'' comes they simply give out too soon. Demas, perhaps could be cited as an example having ``loved the present world'' (2 Tim. 4:10) and deserting Paul. This could have been part of John Mark's problem when he ``deserted'' Paul and Barnabas on their first missionary journey (Acts 13:13; 16:37-38). And then there is the church at Ephesus who left their first love (Rev. 2:4). But who can forget the great prophet Elijah -- a typical example of spiritual burn-out. Read the account beginning in 1 Kings 17. God had worked many great things for and through Elijah. He had caused the ravens to provide for him during a drought at the brook Cherith. Later God provided food and water not only for Elijah but also for a widow and her son. God later raises the widow's son from the dead through Elijah. King Ahab finally met Elijah and ask him, ``Is this you, you troubler of Israel?'' Elijah replied, ``I have not troubled Israel, but you and your father's house have, because you have forsaken the commandments of the Lord, and you have followed the Baals.'' Later he asked the people, ``How long will you hesitate between two opinions? If the Lord is God, follow Him; but if Baal, follow him.'' Elijah then challenges and defeats 450 prophets of Baal and 400 prophets of Asherah. Does this sound like a man suffering from fatigue? I hardly think so, but notice the rest of the story. Jezebel finds out that Elijah had killed her prophets and vows to kill Elijah before the morrow. Elijah ``was afraid and arose and ran for his life'' (1 Kings 19:3). He went a days journey in the wilderness, sets down under a juniper tree and prays for the Lord to take his life -- fatigue. After the Lord miraculously provides food for him, Elijah finds himself in Mount Horeb, the mountain of God, living in a cave. Twice the Lord asks him, ``What are you doing here, Elijah?'' Elijah's answer each time was, ``I have been very zealous for the Lord, the God of hosts; for the sons of Israel have forsaken Thy covenant, torn down Thine alters and killed Thy prophets with the sword. And I alone am left; and they seek my life, to take it away'' (1 Kings 19:9-10,13-14). The gentle voice of God comes to Elijah assuring him that he was not left alone. He had 7,000 in Israel who had not bowed their knees to Baal. When we begin to feel the pressures of spiritual fatigue and find ourselves withdrawing from service to others and worship to God, we would do well to ask ourselves the question the Lord asked Elijah -- ``What are you doing here, ______'' (substitute your name). The question implies there are still battles to fight and victories to be won. We are not the only one left serving God. Many of God's people are experiencing the same obstacles that we face. We alone cannot win the battle. God gives the victory and only through our faith in Him can we be victorious. The Scriptures warns us often against spiritual fatigue. 2 Thess. 3:13 says, ''...do not grow weary in well doing''; Gal. 6:9 encourages us to ''...not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we shall reap if we do not grow weary.'' The word here is ``ekluo'' (ek-loo'-o} and means ``to weaken, relax, exhaust; to have one's strength relaxed, to be enfeebled through exhaustion, to grow weak, grow weary, be tired out.'' The Hebrew writer said; ``For you need endurance, so that when you have done the will of God, you may receive what was promised'' (Heb. 10:36). Hebrews 12:1-3 outlines five steps, which if followed, can prevent spiritual fatigue: 1. Consider the great cloud of witnesses listed in chapter 11 and how they through faith maintained a steadfast resolve to serve God. 2. Lay side every hindrance and sin that so easily entangles us. 3. Run with patience the race that is before us. 4. Fix our eyes on Jesus who endured the cross and now sits at the right hand of the throne of God. 5. Think about, ponder, consider our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and the hostility He endured. The writer states that we should do these things ''...so that we (you) may not grow weary and lose heart.'' Often we are looking everywhere but to Jesus. When we keep our eyes on Him, considering what He endured for us, we won't grow weary of it at all. When we fail to look at Jesus, we look in wrong directions -- usually at self. When we begin to look inward to ourselves we usually become mired in self pity and ``lose heart.'' We must contemplate Jesus, whose mercies are ``new every morning'' (Lam. 3:23). The cure for fatigue lies in carrying a balanced load, being aware of the load we are capable of carrying, asking for help (more bolts) when the load becomes too heavy and maintaining an ever increasing and growing faith in Him who holds all things together (Col. 1:17). God knows when we are hurting, when our load is too heavy to bear alone. He is there waiting to carry us through with His strength so we won't fail. ``Yet those who wait for the Lord Will gain new strength; They will mount up with wings like eagles, They will run and not get tired, They will walk and not become weary'' (Isa. 40:31). -- Concluded next week ___________________________________________ NEWS & NOTES People to continue praying for: Margaret Mosier, Glenda Combs, Joe and Blanche Thompson. We welcome all who are visiting with us this day. Your presence is very much appreciated. Home Bible studies with a couple of us from church can be arranged for those living in our area, and which we would be happy to participate in. ________________________________________ Avondale CHURCH OF CHRIST P.O. Box 421 1606 Glen Willow Rd., Avondale, PA 19311 (610) 268-2088 Sunday: 10:00 A.M. Bible class 11:00 A.M. Worship 6:00 P.M. Worship Wednesday: 7:00 P.M. Bible study evangelist/editor: Tom Edwards (610) 925-3567 e-mail: tedwards@onemain.com web site: http://www.mypage.onemain.com/tedwards/avondale ________________________________________