BALANCE IN BUSINESS

Many people in Ho Chi Minh work long hours. Some do it to survive - those who operate a street side kiosk or a small family grocery store. Young professionals and others work long hours because they are caught up in the popular myth that money buys happiness. I spoke recently with a young Vietnamese/American lawyer and he assured me that his hours were close to the equivalent long hours of an American lawyer. Chasing after wealth is a common human chase found in almost all cultures and countries. In this city of 8 - 10 million, many also have a long commute time.
The book of Proverbs provides perfectly balanced wisdom for work and the pursuit of wealth. Here are several examples that don't need any comment.
"Do not wear yourself out to get rich; have the wisdom to show restraint. Cast but a glance at riches and they are gone ---."23:4
"A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest - and poverty will come on you like a bandit and scarcity like an armed man." 24:33, 34
"--- give me neither poverty nor riches, but give me only my daily bread. Otherwise, I may have too much and disown you and say 'who is the Lord?' Or I may become poor and steal and so dishonour the name of my God." 30:8, 9
Keep striving for the right balance in your work life and in your attitude toward money. This is an almost constant pursuit, for if we find the right balance it is usually not long before we swing out of balance again. If you regularly read the Bible, you will find much helpful wisdom on work and money beyond the three passages I've shared with you today.
  

BY TRANSLATION

Today I enjoyed a 40 minute meeting with two leaders of our Vietnam denomination. One speaks some English, the other almost none. I had a good translator with me. When preaching or teaching, you stop after every two or three sentences to allow the translator to give almost exactly the same information. However in a conversational meeting like we had today, the one who does not speak Vietnamese (that would be me) listens to 3 or 4 minutes of conversation, after which that person (me) receives a 30 second summary from the translator.
At the end of the meeting, I had a clear summary sense of the conversation and the agreed upon action plan. However there was a lot I missed, because of the language barrier. At the end of the conversation, I was asked about my Vietnamese language learning. I spoke one fluent sentence to them and then gave them the six phrases I regularly use in directing taxis. This demonstration of my language limitation drew large smiles.
Like all those who have not mastered Vietnamese, we daily live with communication limitations. You would think that there would be an even greater communication problem when with our human limitations we pray to the Divine, Unlimited One. Yet in fact we know that God never misunderstands us. Better yet, even when we fail to speak our inner thoughts, He knows what they are.
"The lamp of the Lord searches the spirit of a man; it searches out his innermost being." Proverbs 20:27
How reassuring that God knows my innermost thoughts, longings and motives. How frightening that God knows my innermost thoughts, longings and motives! Truly our innermost being is naked and exposed before our Holy God.
Thankfully, we know that in Christ and his death, God offers us abundant forgiveness and grace. Scripture assures us that we are loved just as we are. In Christ we have a sympathetic High Priest who with great empathy hears our prayers. The Holy Spirit offers us help to clean up, not just our outer life and our spoken words, but our real inner person and our inner thoughts.
Thank you Lord, that we don't need a translator as we communicate with you. Or if in one sense we do, then we are provided the Holy Spirit who "intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express." Romans 8:26, 27

DESPERATE (HOUSE) WIVES

The book of Proverbs is such a practical book. The warnings regarding sexual immorality are very explicit. As an 18 year old I was irritated that my father read these x-rated passages for family devotions with my 14 year old sister present. Of course I suspect he was making sure his son was familiar with these warnings.
Three thousand years later, our world provides so much in your face sexual temptation: to fill your mind with immoral thoughts and to make immorality commonplace. Doesn't everyone on the screen (and in real life) fall into bed within hours of meeting? Or if they are the conservative type, they wait several days? Doesn't pornography spice up your love life? Doesn't our study of animals tied to evolution lead to the conclusion that we are not meant to be monogamous? And on and on and on ----.
God provides such explicit warning in Proverbs and other Scriptures. If people needed these warnings 3000 years ago, how much more do we need them today. There are a lot of desperate wives who wish their husbands would listen and learn from Scriptures that teach on sex. I can't quote all of the passages I have read over my last three days in the book of Proverbs. But here are a couple of the positive statements.
Following 14 verses warning against adultery, we read "--- may you rejoice in the wife of your youth. A loving doe, a graceful deer - may her breasts satisfy you always." Pr. 5: 15 - 19 Too many Christian men of all ages are looking for satisfaction in pornography when they should be cultivating their marriage relationship and yes, the physical intimacy part of that relationship. We need to pay more attention to the inspired words of the Apostle Paul in I Corinthians 7:3 - 5.
Much later we read in Proverbs 12:4: "A wife of noble character is her husband's crown". Too many men fail to enjoy this "crown" because they have betrayed and failed their wives and blown up their marriage.
After four decades of marriage, I am more in love and more grateful for Jan than ever. In the early years of marriage you must accept by faith that your love and intimacy will grow deeper and better if you continued to be faithful to God and each other. What Jan and I now share together after all these years - pride in each other's growth, wonderful (and a few painful) shared memories, relationship security, accepting and compensating for each others weaknesses, shared joy in three children, their spouses and three grandchildren - these are mostly lost when people walk away from their marriages.
So please men, if you are not learning to appreciate your wife more; if you are not adapting to her wants and needs; if you are not running away from pornography; if you are not being completely faithful to your God and your wife - please recognize you may be cultivating a desperate wife. Too many husbands wake up when it is too late. As their wounded wife finally gives up and departs the marriage, they suddenly realize all they are losing. And it is too late.
"But a man who commits adultery (or simulated adultery) lacks judgment; whoever does so destroys himself." Pr. 6:32

SLOW DOWN

Today, Jan visited the French/Vietnamese hospital for a small test. There was some difficulty with our credit card so she came home and then returned with cash to pay the bill. Fortunately there was one woman in the office who was still there. All others in the office and surrounding offices were already gone. It was noon, and like many places here, you don't conduct business there between 12:00 and 1:30.
Yesterday I met with someone from 11:00 until noon. While there were errands to run, I thought I would run into the same problem. So I put them off until today. As with so many warm countries, intelligent Vietnamese eat and rest at noon, even if by now many work in air conditioning.
Most Vietnamese have never heard of a power nap, but it is common to find people taking a nap at noon, or even at other times during the day. Not all businesses close their doors but if possible people expect to slow down for an hour or two.
We from the west know that our pace is far too fast. (Of course Chinese from Hong Kong or Shanghai might say our cities are too slow.) Life is often out of balance because we are moving too fast, allowing our lives to be filled with things that are important but not significant. I am reminded of my former Toronto dentist who did not see patients at the noon hour but instead napped on one of his dental chairs. Maybe that was why he seemed to smile easily.
You may not need a nap. But let me ask, do you have enough "slow by saying no" in your life right now? Should you eliminate a couple of things from your May/June schedule that are really not very important? Should you be planning now to take some healthy "slow" time in the summer? Do you need to carve out more daily time with God? Even if you don't keep a sabbath, do you slow down on Sundays at all?
Living in a cold climate is no excuse to live at a frenetic pace. You don't have to get stuck on "hurry" in order to stay warm. :)  Written while it is 36 degrees outside and only going down to 27 at night.

CANADIAN ELECTION

I followed the election campaign from afar by reading the Globe and Mail and the Calgary Herald on occasion. And today (Tuesday for us in Vietnam) I viewed with great interest the CBC Monday mid-night summary of the election as I ate lunch.
Astounding results! None of us who have followed Canadian elections over the decades could ever imagine either the Liberal Party doing so badly or the New Democrats doing so well. And did anyone really expect the Parti Quebecois to almost disappear? We can all hope and pray that the Conservative party will be great stewards in their new role as a majority government.
The interesting election results are not quite as dramatic as the changes that took place recently in Egypt or in Tunisia; and are still under way in several other countries. However they are a reminder of how quickly human leadership can change.
I am presently reading The Unshakable Kingdom and the Unchanging Person by the late E. Stanley Jones, a long time missionary to India with a worldwide ministry for many decades. It is a little repetitious but great reading. Jones hammers away at the truth that there is only one "rule" and one Ruler who cannot be dislodged or ever replaced. It is inevitable that one day "every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father." Philippians 2
While that is the inevitable future, right now followers of Jesus continue to pray "Your Kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven." We need to be committed to doing all we can to advance His Kingdom now. That starts by making sure my inner self is submitted absolutely to King Jesus I am His subject and disciple. Then we need to be doing what we can to: help others come to that same commitment of discipleship; to alleviate poverty and its causes; to advance the cause of justice; to help others live in accordance to Kingdom principles, etc.
So kudos to Stephen Harper and Jack Layton on the results of the election. May they and all Canadians understand how brief is their lifespan and learn to live in the light of the eternal Kingdom of God. 

THE LIVING WORD

I am a firm believer in reading Scripture daily and consecutively. God is gracious and when sincere believers are looking to Him for direction and help He may give them assurance and/or direction even though they may misuse the Bible. The Bible is not a magical book -  close your eyes, open at random and the verse you point at will be God's word for you; or a personal promise book - any promise, no matter if totally out of context, no matter how clearly given specifically to a specific biblical person is my promise.
Nonetheless it is the inspired Word of God, providing us with great wisdom and insight. As we fill our minds daily with God's thoughts, the Word is always helpful to us and sometimes will speak a rather personal word to us. I don't expect that to happen often, for I go to the Word to learn about God and about His great truths and principles for life. I learn from His Word about His character, His promises to all of us His children and His commands for all of us. But occasionally something seems especially personal.
Jan and I were discussing God's direction briefly this morning prior to each taking personal time with the Word and prayer. We discussed the variety of happenings and conversations that we need to consider as we seek God's guidance for what is happening - or not happening yet - here in Ho Chi Minh.
When our conversation finished, I began to read Psalm 139, where I left off reading yesterday. I stopped, smiled, and shared the latter part of verse 8 with Jan. "if I settle on the far side of the sea, even then your hand will guide me." Well, we have gone to the far side of a sea much larger than the psalmist could ever imagine. And yes, we believe this truth as deeply as he did. God's hand will guide us, no matter on which side of the ocean we may be living.
Simple truth, obvious and stated many times in Scripture. But this morning, phrased in just the way it was, it seemed an especially fitting affirmation for us today. And I respond with the psalmist "Oh how I love your law (your Word) O Lord."
When you read the Bible daily, pay attention. You never know when a familiar passage may suddenly become very personal and relevant for this day, right where you are. Watch for it.

FREEDOM

Yesterday, April 30, was a national holiday here in Vietnam.  Liberation Day commemorates the end of what is in much of the world known as the Vietnam War. On April 30, 1975, the capital of the South, Saigon, fell to the forces of North Vietnam. That day, after many terrible years of war,and mi the tanks rumbled through the city, burst through the gates and entered the Presidential Palace (now a historic tourist place known as the Reunification Palace) grounds in the heart of the city.
Liberation or freedom has always been a human quest. It is pursued on the personal and community level. Two thousand years ago Jesus spoke to the human need for freedom. His statement has been often misunderstood and misconstrued because so often misquoted or quoted only in part. "The truth shall set you free."
Many educators have thought that the pursuit of truth is enough; that somehow discovering scientific truth about our world, or about ourselves would somehow set us free. The results of our great increase in knowledge clearly prove their misunderstanding. Others in the media or in politics have also quoted "the truth shall set you free" as though their quest to discover the hard facts about "what really happened" or "what that person really will do" would somehow bring freedom.
However Jesus was talking about absolute, life changing, eternity changing liberation. Jesus said, "If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free." He was calling his listeners to become his disciples, to submit their wills and their lives to Him. What appears to be absolute slavery - submitting to Christ as our absolute Master - in fact brings us in touch with ultimate truth and ultimate liberation.
When this happens (when we become true disciples) we are freed to become all we were created to be.
When this happens we are transformed by the renewing of our minds (Romans 12:2) so that we can know God's truth and to apply it especial to all of our relationships. We are given the Holy Spirit's power to be freed from the sinful habits and addictions which have enslaved us.
We not only can comprehend the truth but have the power  to let that truth set us free to live as God means us to live. Here is the paradox: when we give up our personal freedom; when we submit ourselves absolutely to the King (Jesus) and to His Kingdom (or reign/rule) we then enter the freedom of true self fulfillment. We are free to reach our true God given potential. We are free to live a life of love. We are free to become like Jesus. Imagine what would happen if everyone who claims to be a Christian were to truly live like this. We would transform society.
So Jesus taught us to pray: "Your Kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven."