Articles from this month's issue of the Berean News

Viewpoint Who's the Boss "Who's the boss?" is the question I find myself asking a lot lately. In my own personal life, I find that being the boss or the leader comes with a lot of obligations. As a result, I often defer this role to others. In my family, my son D.J. tells me he is the boss, and at work, I am often reminded by my assistant that she is the boss. After reviewing Colossians and I Thessalonians, I found several characteristics that are required to be a good boss or leader, and I realized that the reason I so often defer this role is because I fall short of the expectations. To be a good leader or boss, you must be encouraging and comforting. This is a message Paul sends throughout First Thessalonians. In verse 2:11, where Paul is reminding the Thessalonians of the love he had for them, he states that he dealt with the Thessalonians "as a father deals with his own children, encouraging, comforting and urging you to live lives worthy of God." In verse 3:2, he states that because of his intense longing to see them again, but his inability to do so, Paul has sent Timothy "to strengthen and encourage you (the Thessalonians) in your faith, so that no one would be unsettled by these trials." Finally, in 5:11, Paul's last request for the Thessalonians is to "encourage one another and build each other up." Paul, like any good boss, realizes that encouragement and support are the foundation to any successful and productive relationship. They enable an employee or individual to be confident in the most harrowing situations because they know they will not be second guessed and the "boss" has confidence that they will handle it the best way possible. In First Thessalonians 4:11, Paul lays out another critical element of being a successful boss: respect. Paul states "Make it your ambition to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business and work with your hands, just as we told you, so that your daily life may win the respect of outsiders and so that you will not be dependent on anybody." Too often bosses do not respect others. They forget that employees work with them and not for them. They let their power go to their heads and they try to bolster their own self-esteem at the expense of those that work with them. Just as large a problem is bosses often do not respect themselves and they become greedy or use flattery to bolster their self-esteem. Paul points out in First Thessalonians 2:5 that these are weakness when he states "You know we never used flattery, nor did we put on a mask to cover up greed. God is our witness." He realized the weakness of these vices and made it a point to warn the Thessalonians to stay clear of them. Paul goes on to give us the guidance we need to earn the respect of others: 1). Colossians 4:1 - Do what is right and be faithful. 2). I Thessalonians 4:6 - Do not wrong your brother or take advantage of him. 3). I Thessalonians 4:9 - Love each other. If you keep these principles in your heart, then whether you are the boss or not does not matter because you will be pleasing to your ultimate boss, the one all Christians answer to: God. --Dan Arends

Perspective The Strange Bush Moses received the best formal education and training that was possible in his time. He was trained as a potential heir to the throne of Pharaoh. And yet, through his own rash act of murder, he had to flee the civilized world of his day to live in the desert of Midian. There for 40 Years he was trained in a very different way until the LORD GOD thought he was ready. "Now Moses was tending the flock of Jethro his father-in-law, the priest of Midian, and he led the flock to the far side of the desert and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. There the angel of the Lord appeared to him in flames of fire from within a bush. Moses saw that though the bush was on fire it did not burn up. So Moses thought, "I will go over and see this strange sight -- why the bush does not burn up" (Exodus 3:1-3). What a strange incident. What a strange bush. It was on fire &emdash; but, unlike any other bush, it did not burn up. The bush just kept burning. It burned and burned and burned, but it was not consumed by the flames of fire. Of course Moses noticed this strange sight &emdash; who wouldn't have? We are told that Yahweh God was revealing Himself through that strange burning bush. What did it mean? What did that strange bush signify? The bush was apparently an acacia bush, the thorn bush of the desert. The thorn is a symbol of sin; it was the result of the curse of Genesis 3. Jesus very significantly had a crown of thorns placed on his head at his crucifixion. According to both the Old and New Testaments (Deuteronomy 4:24 and Hebrews 12:29) "God is a consuming fire." God is holy and righteous. Because of this, sin should be consumed by the judgment of God. But this bush, while being judged and burned, was not consumed. Here is a picture of sin under judgment without being consumed. There is only one thing that makes this possible. You and I along with all of mankind are under judgment because of sin. We should all be instantly consumed, destroyed by the righteous judgment of God. But while we are sinful, we are not consumed. God has made provision for us. This is the GRACE of God. It is only through His grace that we can come to Him, that He calls to us, that He provides His own son as the penalty for sin. It is through grace that Jesus wore the crown of thorns for us. It is that grace which attracts us to God. The bush burns, but is not consumed. May others see that grace in and through us. Larry Urbaniak

A Daughter's Heart Safe in His Arms I can remember as a little girl, the feeling of security that emitted from my dad. When something scared me or overwhelmed me, I would search out my dad and imploringly look up at him silently calling out, "Dad, help me! I can't handle this alone!" He would calmly put down his newspaper, and I would crawl up into his big, warm lap. His strong arms would encompass me, my head would lean against his broad chest, and suddenly I felt as though I could breathe again. Sometimes being held was enough to release a flood of tears and confessions. Even though I am older now (and about 1,800 miles away from my dad), I still occasionally find myself in that kind of need. I want to be near my dad, close to that loving security. A big difference between Mandy the 5 year-old and Mandy the 24 year-old is that I know that there is someone even greater and stronger than Dad - God, our Heavenly Father. I can rest assured that wherever I am, in whatever state I am in, God has a perfect love for me that is shown in Christ Jesus (Ro. 8:38,39; Phil.4:11,13). He who cares for the sparrow and knows how many hairs are on my head cannot conceivably fail. He is an impenetrable fortress, into which no evil or enemy can infiltrate. I find that once I submit everything into this divine dwelling place, all fear and anxiety should dissipate. If I try to handle everything independently, I may very well fear and tremble, for how can "my strength" compare to His absolute security? So why don't I run into this fortified tower and stay in there forever?! How silly it is that when surrounded by the enemy, I should stand outside a refuge and cry out for safety! The answer is clear: "If I want to be safe, I must go in." --Mandy Blake

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