special

I had a lot of hatred in my life. It wasn't something outwardly manifested, but there was a kind of inward grinding. I was disgusted with people, with things, with issues. Like so many other people, I was insecure. Every time I met someone different from me, he became a threat to me.

But I hated one man more than anyone else in the world.  My father. I hated his guts. To me he was the town alcoholic.

If you're from a small town and one of your parents is an alcoholic, you know what I'm talking about.  Everybody knows.  My friends would come to high school and make jokes about my father being drunk downtown. They didn't think it bothered me.  I was like other people, laughing on the outside, but let me tell you, I was crying on the inside.  I'd go out in the barn and see mother beaten so badly she couldn't get up, lying in the hay behind the cows.

When we had friends over, I would take my father out, tie him up in the barn, and park the car up around the silo. We would tell our friends he'd had to go somewhere. I don't think anyone could have hated anyone more than I hated my father.

After I made my decision for Christ - five months later - a love from God through Jesus Christ entered my life and was so strong it took that hatred and turned it upside down.  I was able to look my father squarely in the eyes and say, "Dad, I love you." And I really meant it. After some of the things I'd done, that shook him up.

When I transferred to a private university, I was in a serious car accident.  My neck in traction, I was taken home. I'll never forget my father coming into my room. He asked me, "Son, how can you love a father like me?" I said, "Dad, six months ago I despised you." Then I shared with him my conclusion about Jesus Christ: "Dad, I let Christ come into my life. I can't explain it completely, but as a result of that relationship, I've found the capacity to love and accept not only you, but other people just the way they are."

Forty-five minutes later, one of the greatest thrills of my life occurred.  Somebody in my own family, someone who knew me so well I couldn't pull the wool over his eyes, said to me, "Son, if God can do in my life what I've seen Him do in yours, then I want to give Him the opportunity."  Right there my father prayed with me and trusted Christ.

-josh mcdowell

more

A 60-year-old couple was celebrating their 40th year of marriage. During the celebration, a genie appeared and said, "Because you have been such a loving couple all those years, I would like to give you each one wish."

The wife quickly chimed in, "I want to travel around the world." The genie waved his arms and, POOF!, she had the tickets in her hand.

Next, it was the husband's turn. He paused for a moment, then said shyly, "Well, I'd like to have a wife 30 years younger than me." The genie waved his arms and, POOF!, he was 90 years old.

We seem to be fascinated by stories of magic genies granting wishes (why is it usually three wishes?). Which of us hasn't sat and wondered at some point in time, "If a genie granted me three wishes, what would I wish for?"

God is not, as some imagine Him, a magic genie waiting at our beck and call to give us everything we ask for (see James 4:3). But there is certainly that level of power and ability at His disposal. Listen to these words of Paul:

"Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen." (Ephesians 3:20-21, NIV)

God is able to do more than I ask of Him. That's pretty amazing, considering that I have some pretty difficult requests. Furthermore (and this is really mind-boggling), God is able to do more than I can even imagine! I don't know about you, but I can imagine quite a bit. Yet, Paul assures us that God is not only able to do all that we ask or imagine -- he is able to do more, immeasurably more!

When things in life are beyond my control, I find comfort in knowing that God has such power -- not the power of an imaginary genie but the power of a living awesome Father. Sometimes we offer to pray for others saying, "It's the least I can do." How wrong we are. Considering the power of God, it's the most we can do!

-alan smith

remember

A riddle is making the rounds through e-mail. You may have already seen it, but if you haven't, I think you'll enjoy it. It is said that when asked this riddle, 80% of kindergarten students got the answer, compared to 17% of Stanford university seniors. Here's the riddle:

What is greater than God, more evil than the devil, the poor have it, the rich want it, and if you eat it, you'll die?

What is it??

Think about it and then scroll down for the answer.





















































































































The answer is "nothing". Nothing is greater than God, nothing is more evil than the devil, the poor have nothing, the rich want nothing, and if you eat nothing you will die!

It seems so obvious. Maybe that's why younger children have an easier time answering it than educated adults. As we get more educated and more sophisticated, we look for deeper answers. But no matter how much we learn, the question, "What is greater than God?" (and anything else attached to it) will always have the same answer.

"I will remember the works of the LORD; Surely I will remember Your wonders of old. I will also meditate on all Your work, and talk of Your deeds. Your way, O God, is in the sanctuary; Who is so great a God as our God? You are the God who does wonders..." (Psalm 77:11-14a).

forget

Dr. Harold Urey, Nobel prize winner in Chemistry, was walking along a sidewalk one day when he ran into another professor. They chatted for a few minutes, then, as they parted, Dr. Urey asked the other, "John, which way was I going when I met you?" "That way," said the other, pointing. "Oh, good. That means I've already had my lunch," muttered the professor as he walked away.

I have to confess to being somewhat absent-minded myself. That's one of the advantages of growing older -- every year, I have a more acceptable excuse for forgetting things. I forget where I've left my keys, I forget others' names, and perhaps most irritating of all, I sometimes forget where I've left the remote control for the TV (how in the world did people ever cope with having to get up to change the channel? -- but that's another subject)!

All of those forgotten things bother me, but what bothers me even more is that I have a tendency to forget God. Not so much when times are rough (I need Him then!), but when times are good. God knew that might happen. That's why He warned the Israelites before they entered the land of Canaan:

"Beware that you do not forget the LORD your God..lest -- when you have eaten and are full, and have built beautiful houses and dwell in them; and when your herds and your flocks multiply, and your silver and your gold are multiplied, and all that you have is multiplied; when your heart is lifted up, and you forget the LORD your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt." (Deuteronomy 8:11-14a).

Would you forget your head if it wasn't screwed on tight? Just don't forget who your Head is!

-alan smith

chipping

There is a story about a man who had a huge boulder in his front yard. He grew weary of this big, unattractive stone in the center of his lawn, so he decided to take advantage of it and turn it into an object of art. He went to work on it with hammer and chisel, and chipped away at the huge boulder until it became a beautiful stone elephant. When he finished, it was gorgeous, breath-taking.

A neighbor asked, "How did you ever carve such a marvelous likeness of an elephant?"

The man answered, "I just chipped away everything that didn't look like an elephant!"

You may have heard a version of this story that uses the name of Michelangelo as the man who is doing the sculpting (sometimes the story gives his explanation of how the statue of David was created, other times the statue of Moses).

But the story also illustrates how God creates men in His likeness. He starts with nothing much more than a boulder, but like a great artist, he sees the potential for what lies within and chips away until we are shaped in His image.

Look at how Jesus dealt with men like Peter. Who would have looked at Peter -- the loud mouth who was always saying things he would later regret -- and seen the disciple he would become? Who would have looked at James and John -- nicknamed "Sons of Thunder" because of their temper -- and considered them to be ideal candidates? But Jesus had a way of looking into the hearts of men and women, seeing not only what they were, but what they had the potential to become. Then he set about the task of "chipping away" to uncover the beauty that lay beneath the surface.

Wouldn't it be great if we could learn to look at men and women the same way -- to see not only what they are, but to see what they can become? If we would only do that, perhaps instead of dismissing people as "worthless boulders", we would set about the task of chipping away to reveal their full potential.

"Now when Jesus looked at him, He said, 'You are Simon the son of Jonah. You shall be called Cephas" (which is translated, A Stone)." (John 1:42)

paid

The following true story comes from Christian Reader magazine:

When I was a child, our church celebrated the Lord's Supper every first Sunday of the month. At that service, the offering plates were passed twice: before the sermon for regular offerings, and just prior to Communion for benevolences. My family always gave to both, but they passed a dime to me only to put in the regular offering.

One Communion Sunday when I was nine, my mother, for the first time, gave me a dime for the benevolent offering also. A little later when the folks in our pew rose to go to the Communion rail, I got up also. "You can't take Communion yet," Mother told me.

"Why not?" I said. "I paid for it!"

--Paul Francisco, Rockford, IL, Christian Reader, "Lite Fare."

Looking at it through the eyes of a child's, it's easy to see how Paul could have made the mistake of thinking that Communion is something we pay for the privilege of partaking. But, the truth is, we don't pay for it. In fact, if we had all the money in the world, we could never pay for it. But, by the grace of God, Jesus did "pay for it" with His own blood, and bids us remember his sacrifice through the emblems of the unleavened bread and the fruit of the vine.

"For I received from the Lord that which I also delivered to you: that the Lord Jesus on the same night in which He was betrayed took bread; and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, 'Take, eat; this is My body which is broken for you; do this in remembrance of Me.' In the same manner He also took the cup after supper, saying, 'This cup is the new covenant in My blood. This do, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.' For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord's death till He comes." (I Cor. 11:23-26)

Next time, as you partake of the Lord's Supper, I hope you will remember the one who paid the price for your sins.

-adapted from alan smith

volatile

As I'm sure you are aware, every year the Darwin Awards are given to those people who do the stupidest things (and don't live to tell about it). This award was given a few years ago (in 1999):

In a west Texas town, employees in a medium-sized warehouse noticed the smell of gas. Sensibly, management evacuated the building, extinguishing all potential sources of ignition -- lights, power, etc.

After the building had been evacuated, two technicians from the gas company were dispatched. Upon entering the building, they found they had difficulty navigating in the dark. To their frustration, none of the lights worked.

Witnesses later described the vision of one of the technicians reaching into his pocket and retrieving an object that resembled a lighter. Upon operation of the lighter-like object, the gas in the warehouse exploded, sending pieces of it up to three miles away.

Nothing was found of the technicians, but the lighter was virtually untouched by the explosion. The technician that was suspected of causing the explosion had never been thought of as "bright" by his peers.

I have never known anyone who caused such a great explosion. There are, however, some people who make the same mistake in a spiritual sense. They encounter a volatile situation and handle it poorly -- with an angry response, an unkind word of sarcasm, or a lack of respect for the feelings of others. And before anybody realizes the foolishness of what is said, everything explodes, and there is nothing left to do but pick up the pieces for years to come.

Have I known someone like that? Sadly, there are times that I have been someone like that.

"Where there is no wood, the fire goes out; and where there is no talebearer, strife ceases. As charcoal is to burning coals, and wood to fire, so is a contentious man to kindle strife." (Proverbs 26:20-21)

May God help us to be people known for having a calming influence on volatile situations rather than those whose actions result in explosions.

looks

A little old Jewish lady is flying out of New York City on her way to Miami Beach. She looks at the businessman sitting next to her and asks him, "Excuse me sir, but are you Jewish?"

The man responds politely, "No, ma'am, I'm not Jewish."

After a little while she again queries him. "You're really Jewish, aren't you?"

Again he responds, "No, ma'am, I am not Jewish."

Barely 10 minutes later, the little old lady asks him once more, "Are you sure you're not Jewish?"

To which, in exasperation and in a final effort to shut her up, he replies, "OK. Yes, ma'am, I am Jewish."

"Funny," she says, looking puzzled. "You don't look Jewish!"

Makes me wonder. If anyone approached me and asked me, "Are you a Christian?" and I answered, "Yes", would they be inclined to say, "Funny, you don't look like a Christian"?

I'm not talking about looking like the world's stereotype of a Christian -- a sour-looking guy with a scowl on his face, not enjoying life at all. I merely wonder if my Christianity is something that can be seen by the people who see me every day. I know what I believe, but is that belief translating into action? Can anyone tell?

"You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven." (Matthew 5:14-16)

Do you look like a Christian?

-alan smith

enjoy

I read a parable recently that bothered me when I read it the first time. It is a story that was reportedly told by Buddha:

A traveler, fleeing a tiger who was chasing him, ran till he came to the edge of a cliff. There he caught hold of a thick vine, and swung himself over the edge.

Above him the tiger snarled. Below him he heard another snarl, and behold, there was another tiger, peering up at him. The vine suspended him midway between two tigers.

Two mice, a white mouse and a black mouse, began to gnaw at the vine. He could see they were quickly eating it through. Then in front of him on the cliffside he saw a luscious bunch of grapes. Holding onto the vine with one hand, he reached and picked a grape with the other. How delicious!

That's the end of the parable. That's it??? If you're like me, you want to know how the story ends. Does the man get eaten by one of the tigers? Does he manage to find a way of escape? We don't know. And how can a man possibly stop to enjoy eating a grape while in the midst of such a crisis???

I can't tell you for sure what the parable was intended to teach, but after giving it considerable thought, here's the lesson that I gained from it. We are sometimes so focussed on wanting to know what's going to happen in the future that we fail to enjoy what we have right here, right now.

What is the doctor going to find when I go in for these tests? How can I posssibly meet the deadline my boss has given me since I have more work to do than I can possibly get done? How will my wife react when I talk to her about the need to go see a counselor to deal with the deep-rooted problems we're having? How am I going to pay the bills that are due next week when there's not enough money in the bank to cover them? How should I react to the racial prejudice that's causing students to say ugly things to me at school?

None of those things are unimportant (nor are the countless other trials and difficulties you could add to that list from your own experience); some may even be life-threatening But today, all day long, I am surrounded by countless blessings from God -- a beautiful sunrise, the changing autumn leaves, a child's kiss, a bunch of grapes, a warm bed, hot water, and the list goes on and on. Is it possible to focus on the blessings at hand even when we are surrounded by difficulties and we don't know how the story will turn out? For a child of God, it is not only possible, it is essential that we learn to do so.

"I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want." (Philippians 4:11-12)

Are you surrounded by tigers today? Take a moment to enjoy the grape that God has placed right in front of you.

-alan smith

language

"A friend was lecturing in Latin America. He was going to use a translator, but to identify with his audience; he wanted to begin his talk by saying in Spanish, "Good evening, ladies and gentlemen." He arrived at the auditorium a little early and realized he did not know the Spanish words for ladies and gentlemen. Being rather resourceful, he went to the part of the building where the restrooms were, looked at the signs on the two doors, and memorized those two words.

When the audience arrived and he was introduced, he stood up and said in Spanish, 'Good evening, ladies and gentlemen.'

The audience was shocked. He didn't know whether he had offended them or perhaps they hadn't heard him or understood him. So he decided to repeat it. Again in Spanish he said, "Good evening, ladies and gentlemen."

One person in the audience began to snicker. Pretty soon the entire audience was laughing. Finally, someone told him that he had said, 'Good evening, bathrooms and broom closets!'" (Author unknown)

There is a world of difference between someone who merely pays a visit and someone who "speaks your language". And it's more than just knowing the proper vocabulary. If you have suffered the loss of a loved one, there are some people who can comfort you, but there are others who truly "speak your language" because they've experienced a loss themselves. If your marriage seems to be falling apart, there are some people who can give you advice, but there are others who truly "speak your language" because they have faced the same difficulties. If you're struggling to make ends meet, there are some people who can lend a hand, but there are others who truly "speak your language" because they have known hard times in their lives.

That's why the incarnation of Christ is so very important. One of the reasons that Jesus took on flesh and blood was so that we would truly understand that God "speaks our language." He has been through what we're going through, he has overcome the obstacles that we are facing, he has been tempted in the same ways that we are tempted. He didn't just come for a visit -- he was one of us, and he understands.

"For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need." (Hebrews 4:15-16)

-alan smith

encourage

It was a sunny Saturday morning, and Joe was beginning his pre-shot routine, visualizing his upcoming shot when a voice came over the clubhouse loudspeaker - "Would the gentleman on the woman's tee please back up to the men's tee, please!"

Joe was still deep in his routine, seemingly impervious to the interruption. Again the announcement - "Would the man on the women's tee kindly back up the men's tee!"

Joe had had enough. He shouted, "Would the announcer in the clubhouse kindly shut up and let me play my second shot!"

I am very familiar with not being as far down the golf course as I am expected to be after my first shot! :-) And sometimes, I'm not as far along spiritually as others think I should be. There are some others who are not as far along spiritually as I think they should be.

What is to be our attitude toward these "weak" brethren? Sometimes the situation calls for some words of gentle rebuke (Heb. 5:12-14). Sometimes the situation calls for patient forbearance (Rom. 14:1). In all things, our goal is to encourage and build up.

"We who are strong ought to bear with the failings of the weak and not to please ourselves. Each of us should please his neighbor for his good, to build him up." (Rom. 15:1-2, NIV).

May be truly encourage one another as we live our Christian lives, with those who are strong helping those who are weak. We need all the help we can get!

neither

Linda was on vacation, playing the slot machines. It was her first time in a casino, and she wasn't sure how the machines operated.

"Excuse me," she said to a casino employee. "How does this work?" The worker showed her how to insert a bill, hit the spin button, and operate the release handle.

"And where does the money come out?" she asked.

He smiled and motioned to a far wall before saying, "Usually at the ATM."

That's the trouble with gambling and other "get rich quick" schemes. There's only one person getting rich, and it's not you! The lure is strong, though. The temptation to come away with that big jackpot, to go home with your pockets full without putting forth much effort. It's easy to see that Paul was right when he said, "Those who desire to be rich fall into temptation and a snare...." (I Tim. 6:9a)

Considering the constant temptation of money, it's not surprising that Jesus had much to say about the subject. It is significant, though, that Jesus didn't talk as much about what to do with our money as he talked about the right kind of attitude we ought to have toward it.

Agur, in his pearls of wisdom contained in Proverbs, also had much to say about our attitude toward wealth. One of my favorite verses on the subject is this one:

"Give me neither poverty nor riches -- Feed me with the food allotted to me; lest I be full and deny You, and say, "Who is the LORD?" Or lest I be poor and steal, and profane the name of my God." (Prov. 30:8b-9)

May you be sufficiently blessed. But may your riches (or your desire for them) never diminish your sense of need for God.

-alan smith

understanding

There's a man trying to cross the street. As he steps off the curb, a car comes screaming around the corner and heads straight for him. The man walks faster, trying to hurry across the street, but the car changes lanes and is still coming at him.

So the guy turns around to go back, but the car changes lanes again and is still coming at him.

By now, the car is so close and the man so scared that he just freezes and stops in the middle of the road.

The car gets real close, then swerves at the last possible moment and screeches to a halt right next him.

The driver rolls down the window. The driver is a squirrel. The squirrel says to the man says, "See, it's not as easy as it looks, is it?"

There have been times when I've discovered that experiencing something is more difficult than it looks. For example, when I was younger, I was full of ideas on how parents ought to be raising their children. However, after having three of my own, I've discovered that "it's not as easy as it looks."

Maybe there was a time when you thought someone ought to be handling a divorce or a death in the family better than they do. But after experiencing it for yourself, you found out that "it's not as easy as it looks."

Sometimes there's no way to know what it feels like to go through something without actually experiencing it yourself. That's why the incarnation is so important. There's no way we can say to God, "Living here on this earth -- it's not as easy as it looks!" God knows. He's taken on flesh and blood and walked this earth. He's experienced temptation, frustration, persecution, disappointment and a host of human emotions. He knows how tough it is. He understands. And that's why He is in a position to be of help to us.

"For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need." (Heb. 4:15-16)

It's true. Living life on this earth is "not as easy as it looks." But may you find comfort today in knowing that God understands that more that you can begin to imagine.

look

Don't you think Moses, after a discouraging day, may have pulled open his tent flap to see the pillar of fire high in the sky and said, "Everything's fine. LOOK WHO'S HERE."

And what about Daniel, charter member of the Lion's Club. He laid his head on the mane of a lion and said, "I'm not afraid. LOOK WHO'S HERE."

King Nebuchadnezzar had those three fellas thrown in the fire but when he looked down he saw four. Shadrach and Company were just fine. "LOOK WHO'S HERE."

And what about Elijah? Water was scarce and still he ordered twelve barrels to be poured upon the altar. God or Baal? Choose you this day whom ye will serve! Ol' Elijah just chuckled to himself and said, "LOOK WHO'S HERE."

David, the shepherd boy who would become King, looked at Goliath, loaded his slingshot, and said "Your time's up. LOOK WHO'S HERE."

Remember when Walter Cronkite signed off every evening with, "And that's the way it is." A preacher friend of mine would say "No Walter, that's not the way it is, that's just the way it looks. LOOK WHO'S HERE."

Lazarus had been dead four days when Jesus said "roll the stone away." But Lazarus walked out of that tomb because Almighty God turned death on its heels and said "LOOK WHO'S HERE."

One of these days "it may be at morn when the day is awakened, it may be at midday, it may be at twilight, it may be per chance in the blackness of midnight" – in one mighty shout around the world, we will look up and cry "Hallelujah! He's back! LOOK WHO'S HERE!"

-vance havner

mirror

Have you ever been guilty of looking at others your own age and thinking, "surely I can't look that old?" I love this story below that has been widely circulated:

I was sitting in the waiting room for my first appointment with a new dentist. I noticed his DDS diploma, which bore his full name. Suddenly, I remembered a tall, handsome, dark-haired boy with the same name had been in my high school class some 37 years ago. Could he be the same guy that I had a secret crush on, way back then?

Upon seeing him, however, I quickly discarded any such thought. This balding, gray-haired man with the deeply lined face was way too old to have been my classmate. Hmmm..., or could he?

After he examined my teeth, I asked him if he had attended Morgan Park High School.

"Yes. Yes, I did. I'm a Mustang," he gleamed with pride.

"When did you graduate?" I asked.

He answered, "In 1967. Why do you ask?"

"You were in my class!" I exclaimed.

He looked at me closely. Then, that ugly, wrinkled old man asked, "What did you teach?"

It's so easy, isn't it, to see the faults in someone else? We see their wrinkles. We see their gray hair. Even more than that, we see all the "specks" in their eyes (Matthew 7:3). But we are not so quick to notice those flaws in ourselves.

When I was young, I was determined to change the world and make it a better place. As I grew older, I realized that was an unrealistic goal and re-committed myself to changing the people around me. I've gotten a little bit older (and grayer). I still want to try to influence people around me, but I have learned that, ultimately, the only person I can change is me, and there is plenty that still needs to be changed.

James compares reading the Word of God with looking in a mirror:

"But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror; for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was. But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does." (James 1:22-25)

May we truly view the Word of God, not as a microscope to examine the lives of others, but as a mirror to search into our own hearts and lives.

-alan smith

compassion

I'd had a pretty hectic day with my four-year-old. When bed-time finally came, I laid down the law: "We're putting on your pajamas, brushing your teeth, and reading ONE book. Then it's lights out!"

Her arms went around my neck in a gentle embrace, and she said, "We learned in Sabbath school about little boys and girls who don't have mommies and daddies."

Even after I'd been such a grouch, I thought, she was still grateful to have me. I felt tears begin to well up in my eyes, and then she whispered, "Maybe you could go be THEIR mom?" (author unknown)

You would think that being aware of others who are in need would make us more appreciative for what we have, but that's not always the case. I can remember growing up hearing those words every child heard when we complained about not wanting to eat what was being served for dinner -- "You need to eat your vegetables. There are children in China who are starving right now." My first reaction was usually to think, "How is my eating this plate of food going to help them?" My second reaction was usually to think, "How about if we just stick this food in an envelope and ship it off to them?"

Unfortunately, being aware of others who are in need does not always make us more appreciative for what we have. Though it should, it doesn't. Being aware of people in the world who are suffering famine doesn't seem to make us appreciate that we have plenty of food. 

Being aware of Christians in the world who are being persecuted for their faith doesn't seem to make us appreciate us that we have freedom of religion. Being aware of people in the world who have no family or friends doesn't seem to make us appreciate that we have both.

Sadly, it seems that often the only thing that makes us appreciate something is having it removed from our own lives for a while. Think about it. When do you most appreciate the fact that you enjoy electricity and running water? I'm guessing (if you're like me) that it's after you've had one or the other unavailable for a while.

In the prophets, over and over, God rebuked his people for ignoring the needs of people all around them. Perhaps more than any other sin, the Israelites were guilty of a lack of compassion:

"Woe to you....who lie in beds of ivory, stretch out on your couches, eat lambs from the flock and calves from the midst of the stall....who drink wine from bowls, and anoint yourselves with the best ointments, but are not grieved for the affliction of Joseph." (Amos 6:3-4,6)

Open your eyes to the needs of those around you. Take advantage of opportunities to help those whom you can. And allow the needs of others to cause you to reflect on how blessed you are, and the responsibility you have to use what God has blessed you with in a way that will glorify Him.