Joe White Drive Time Podcast

Harmonious, Sympathetic, Brotherly - Peter 3:8-9

"Counselors that'll meet each other at Kamp and then they'll marry each other. But one of my favorites of all of our marriages is this couple that are married. They're raising kids together. But three years ago, they were ready to kill each other." 

Family Discussion:

1. Who is it in your life that you need to love like that?
2. Who is it that that may be the hardest to love, but that you need to watch God do a big miracle as you begin to love that person like Jesus would?

Transcription:

00:13          You know, here at Kanakuk at the sports Kamps and Kids Across America, I get to see some of the greatest relationships. Counselors that'll meet each other at Kamp and then they'll marry each other. But one of my favorites of all of our marriages is this couple that are married. They're raising kids together. But three years ago, they were ready to kill each other. I mean, three years ago, there was so much strife in their marriage. I mean they had already thrown in the towel, but then they went to counseling and God showed up as they begin to replace the insults with kindness and they replaced the anger with forgiveness. And now they're walking hand in hand and loving each other socks off. Listen to what first Peter Three, eight and nine said, if you've got a dad in your life or a brother or an employer, employee or spouse and you just, you know, you feel like they're just ridiculing you or they're like your enemy.

 

01:09          This should it encourage you? It sure does. Me Listen to what first Peter says, chapter three, verse eight and nine. "To sum it up, all of you be harmonious, sympathetic, brotherly, kindhearted, humble in spirit, not returning, not returning evil for evil or insult for insult, but giving a blessing instead. For you were called for this very purpose that you might inherit a blessing." One of my favorite things in sports, you know, as I get to share with teams around the country and college and pros is after the game. You know, before the game, they're getting fired up to smash each other. And during the game they're doing that. They're trying to take each other out. But after the game, the Christian guys will get together and they'll get in circles. It happens all over the league and in NFL. The cameras don't show it.

 

02:03          You know, the TV producers, they're uncomfortable with prayer for some strange reason, but these teams, after they play each other, the Christian guys, and sometimes you'll see 20 or 30, 40 players out on the field. As Christian brothers holding hands and praying together after the game because that's what scripture says to do. It says to love your enemies, to pray for those who persecute you. I used to admire my dad so much, but one of the most admirable things about him was the way he forgave my brother. He was going through some awful times as a teenager. And he ran away. And my daddy was so mad when he left home, but when he came back, I remember he walked in my house and he had this big, beautiful smile on his face. And the first thing my daddy said to him, even though he had been, you know, evil or battered, you know, when he left. But the first thing my daddy said to him, he said, I wouldn't, I wouldn't trade $1 million for that smile. And when my daddy died, my brother was sitting at his grave and he said, my daddy was my best friend.

 

03:08          So my question for you today is this. Who is it in your life that you need to love like that? Who is it that that may be the hardest to love, but that you need to watch God do a big miracle as you begin to love that person like Jesus would? Go, hug somebody today.

Faith and Good Works - James 2:14-18

"I had an old friend and he was a true relic of a man. He ran a saw mill where I used to buy my lumber for some building projects here at our camps. And you know what? His name was Mr. Plumber. And he was in his mid eighties, at least as he lived out his final days of his life in these historic Ozark mountains. I spent hours visiting with this savvy old character."

Family Discussions:

1. What is faith that works and why is this kind of faith a true faith, and a sincere faith and a saving faith?
2. Why is faith dead if it doesn't have arms and legs?
3. How does faith work? What is an example of faith that works?

Transcription:

00:14 Man, I love building stuff. I love 2X4's. I love nails and hammers. I'm a boy. But uh, I've had as much fun finding my lumber as I have using my lumber. I want to tell you about somebody who used to give me lumber in a minute. You'll never forget this man. We're going to read from James Chapter two verse 14 today, and it says that "what use is it in my brethren, if someone says he has faith but has no works, can that faith save him? If a brother or sisters without clothing and need of daily food, and one of you says to them, go in peace, be warmed and be filled. And yet you do not give them what is necessary for their body. What use is that? Even so faith if it has no works is dead being by itself. But someone may will say, you have faith and I have works. Show me your faith without the works. And I will show you my faith by my works."

01:10 I had an old friend and he was a true relic of a man. He ran a saw mill where I used to buy my lumber for some building projects here at our camps. And you know what? His name was Mr. Plumber. And he was in his mid eighties, at least as he lived out his final days of his life in these historic Ozark mountains. I spent hours visiting with this savvy old character. And one time I asked him where he went to church, he scowled at me and told me he would never go to a church because the people of one church bought some lumber from him probably 30 years before. And they cheated him on some money they were supposed to pay Mr. Plumber and he died never having gone back to church.

01:51 What use was that Church and all of their beautiful prayers and hymns? You know what good are 16 bibles in a home if they're not read? What good is a huge savings account if it's not used for those in need? What good is a smile that's not shared with somebody? You know what uses a hug or an I love you that's not given today? What use is faith without work? I just see so many homes. I mean, so many marriages and so many parents have so many kids who are just starving for love and so many people in the hallways of schools that are dying for a friend. We've got faith. We've got God's word. Now it's time to put that faith into action.

02:35 The discussion questions today are this: number one, what is faith that works and why is this kind of faith a true faith, and a sincere faith and a saving faith? And question number two, why is faith dead if it doesn't have arms and legs? And then discussion question three, you know, bread and butter, peanut butter and Jelly, faith and works, they always come as twins, don't they? How does faith work? What is an example of faith that works?

03:12 And the thought for the day is this: yesterday we talked about the less fortunate. Can someone around your family share how they put their faith into action lately? Faith and works. Siamese twins. Let's put our faith to work today and let's come home tomorrow. Let's talk about the smiles we put on people's faces.

A Sweet Roll and A Cup of Coffee - James 2:1-4

"I learned so much from my daddy. The encyclopedia couldn't contain everything I'll learn from that man. And you know what? 99% of what I learned from him is what he did. Like most kids, I didn't appreciate it all. I didn't appreciate nearly enough that I learned from him until I had my own kids."

Family Discussions:

1. How do we tend to push aside the less fortunate in our lives?
2. Why is it a sin to show partiality?
3. What is our responsibility as representatives of Christ toward the less fortunate?
4. What are ways that we can show our love and care for the less fortunate around us every day? 

Transcription:

00:13 I will never look at a sweet roll and a cup of coffee the same way again. When I see a sweet roll and a cup of coffee, I see a man that I can't wait to tell you about today. We're in James Chapter two verse one. Listen to this. James says, "my brethren, do not hold your faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ with an attitude of personal favoritism. For if a man comes into your assembly with the gold ring and dressed in fine clothes. And there also comes a man who's poor and he's in dirty clothes and you pay special attention to the one in nice clothes saying you sit here at a good place and you say to the poor man, you stand over there. Have you not made distinctions among yourselves and become judges with evil motives."

00:57 I learned so much from my daddy. The encyclopedia couldn't contain everything I'll learn from that man. And you know what? 99% of what I learned from him is what he did. Like most kids, I didn't appreciate it all. I didn't appreciate nearly enough that I learned from him until I had my own kids. Now wish I had listened more. You know what that men, he's been in heaven for probably five years now, but he's still my hero. I'm still learning from him. My Daddy never told me to love the underdog or to love the less fortunate, but I will never forget watching my daddy meet the men who came to our backdoor to clip the garbage twice a week. Every single time humbly with a cup of hot coffee in a sweet roll for each dear man with a huge smile on his face and with words of encouragement. Sometimes my daddy would come home from work without his coat or without shoes or money because he'd met a janitor, someone less fortunate who needed what he had. In church or at a social gathering, he automatically would find his way to the lowest man on the totem pole.

02:07 And you know what, those humble, poor people are always my daddy's best friends. Funny thing about it all, my daddy was the happiest man I knew. The discussion questions today are this: How do we tend to push aside the less fortunate in our lives? And secondly, why is it a sin to show partiality? And the third discussion question is this, what is our responsibility as representatives of Christ toward the less fortunate? And specifically what are ways that we can show our love and care for the less fortunate around us every day? And the thought for the day is this. Can each of us name someone less fortunate that we come into contact with? And can we show that person Christ's love? Hey, how about a sweet roll and a cup of hot coffee for somebody.

An Attitude of Gratitude - Philippians 4:9-13

"When you're thankful, you see that there's so many people who have less so many people who would give it all."

Family Discussion:

• Why is discontentment such a joy stealer?
• What is the hardest area of your life to be content in?
• How does drawing closer to the heart of God make contentment more real to you personally today?

Transcription:

00:13 Do you always want to know what the favorite is? Well, this verse at the end today is the favorite of more probably of the Kanakuk kids that I work with than any other here at sports camps. And here we go. It's in Philippians chapter 4 verses 9-14 and it says: "the things you've learned and heard and seen in me, practice these things and the god of peace will be with you. But I rejoiced in the Lord greatly that now at last, you've revived your concern for me. Not you were concerned before, but you lacked opportunity. Not that I speak from want, for I've learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am. I know how to get along with humble means. I also know how to live in prosperity, but in each and every circumstance I've learned the secret of being filled and going hungry both in having abundance and suffering need. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me."

01:09 What is he talking about that? I think he's talking about contentment. There's an old tale of the old Texas rancher who once said, "I don't want much land. I just want everything that joins me." Being from Texas, I can understand that. During a professional basketball strike, I remember years ago an athlete who had signed a contract for over $106 million said "the problem with the NBA is the owners are just too greedy." I know a beautiful young lady who won a huge national beauty pageant. Her boyfriend would criticize her looks because he said she had features that weren't perfect enough. Are you kidding me? Every year, thousands of very, very thin American girls literally starve themselves into sickness and many into death because they just can't get skinny enough.

02:06 Contentment is being happy with whatever we're given. Finding peace with the body that God gave us, finding joy in our circumstances, being content with our looks, finding comfort in our level of wealth or poverty. It's a state of mind that can only be found if we're truly relying on God as our source of happiness and fulfillment. You can't get rich enough. There's always somebody with more. You can't get beautiful enough. There's always somebody who has prettier features. There's always a hotter car, a faster horse, bigger biceps, more popularity. So what's the key to that perplexing problem that just seems to plague everybody in our nation? To put it simply, I believe it's an attitude of gratitude, that is, being thankful for what we have every day. When you're thankful, you see that there's so many people who have less so many people who would give it all.

03:08 Give it all to be as blessed as you are. Would you say to yourself today, "I'm going to be like, Paul. I'm going to be content in whatever circumstances I am in. If you can practice that attitude every day, your anxiety level will diminish. Your smile will increase as quickly as you can change your mind. Does that mean stop competing? Does that mean stop trying? Does that mean stop improving? No. Not at all. But it means being content in whatever level of improvement you're in. Here's the questions today. Why is discontentment such a joy stealer? And secondly: What is the hardest area of your life to be content in? And then this is a good one. How does drawing closer to the heart of God make contentment more real to you personally today? And here's our lifeline for the day. I complained because I had no shoes until I met a man who had no feet.