Being More Proactive than Reactive in Our Lives

So, as you heard in the first message, the Feast of Tabernacles is coming up. For those that can make it, they have a chance to interact with many brethren and other people. And those who can't make it, they're still going to be in spirit with us and drinking in what they see and hear from the webcasts. And God wants us to be a good example at the Feast and glorify Him, not us. Notice in Matthew 5, verse 16. Matthew 5, verse 16. Jesus says here in the Sermon on the Mount, Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven. Not glorify us, but pointing toward God the Father, who is guiding and inspiring us. And so, one of the main ingredients for the Feast of Tabernacles is mentioned in Leviticus 23, verse 39. Leviticus 23, verse 29. This is in some routine that you mechanically do. And so God tells us the right attitude to have. It says in Leviticus 23, verse 39. And on the 15th day of the seventh month, this is the seventh month of the biblical calendar we have in the Bible. And on the 15th day means it's going to be a full moon because God designed the term month comes from moon. And basically, from 29 and a half days, it almost is 30 days long, which is the way the moon goes around the earth one time. And God set it up so that when you look at that full moon, that's when the feast takes place because they didn't have watches in those days. They didn't have printed calendars. And so people by observation knew, okay, it's a full moon. This is the time when we celebrate these things. Right? Or a bit for us to be able to keep these feasts. So basically, here what it's telling you is on the seventh moon of the year at the 15th, halfway through its cycle, you see now the sliver getting bigger and bigger until it's a full moon. And then it has 15 days for it to go back to disappear. Just think the clock that God has in disguise that people don't pay any attention to it. All the trouble He took to be able to do that. And notice in verse 40, as we verse 39, it says, let's go to continue in verse 39 and 40, it says, when you have gathered in the fruit of the land. So it has to be at harvest time when you have already gathered everything. This is the time when basically you can take a break from all the gathering that you have done for the last four months or so. The barley harvest being the first one. He says, you shall keep the feast of the Lord. In other words, it's not a feast made by man. It's made by God the Father. The Lord has established it for seven days. So that's how long we have the feast of tabernacles last seven days. That's why we have kept a tenth of our income, as the Bible tells us, to go to these feasts. And God says He will bless you more than you can imagine, because you can never outgive God. God always is going to give so much more than we ever give Him. In James 1 17 it says that every good gift and every perfect gift comes from God the Father. And He says He is the one who never changes His generosity. And so all these things that we take for granted, it all comes from Him. It goes on to say here in verse 40, let's finish 39, says, on the first day there shall be a Sabbath rest. So that's what we do as we arrive in the feast. That's next Monday in the evening is when the 15th takes place, and it is a Sabbath rest.

And on the eighth day a Sabbath rest. So we do that as well. And then it tells us about the physical aspects as the Israelites learned to take for yourselves on the first day the fruit of beautiful trees, branches of palm trees, the boughs of leafy trees, and willows of the brook. And so this has to do with their remembrance of being sustained by God during those 40 years into wilderness. And that says in verse 43, which I'm not going to read, but notice what God says, and you shall rejoice before the Lord your God for seven days. So this isn't just a rejoicing among ourselves. It's rejoicing before the Lord your God. So he set this up even before mankind was created. Genesis 1 14 says that God made all of these stars and planets and everything, the sun in the right place. It says for signs and for religious holidays. These holy days that we keep were set up at that time. And you shall rejoice before the Lord your God for seven days. Imagine telling us have fun and joy. That's what God wants us. Note the word rejoice here means, and the Hebrew word is samak. It means to brighten up your face. It's like brighten up, and people are beaming. That's why they talk about feast fever. Just can't wait to get out there and be with all our brethren. And you don't have to work during those days. You don't have to worry about all the other things. Now you are there now to beam, to show God's Spirit in you, in this attitude. In the topical lexicon, it says, samak portrays a God-centered gladness. It is used some 150 times in the Old Testament. It shows joy as a commanded response, a covenant blessing, and a prophetic hope of redemption. So it is a commanded response. It doesn't want anybody to be out there with a shoulders droop and the weight of the world on it. No. You're there to remove the weight of the world. You are there to be with God's people and to worship before God. He is a generous God. He's a loving God. He and Jesus Christ, how much have they done for us? He gave His only begotten Son for all of us. And so they want us to be appreciative of God, honor Him with our attitude. It's a covenant blessing. We made a covenant with Him. So sure, boy, the best deal in your life can ever be having a covenant and signing it with God the Father and Jesus Christ. What a blessing that is. I heard someone the other day that's preparing, and they came to that realization, look, what happens if I get in a car accident tomorrow? I never got baptized. I never received God's Spirit that way. So we don't end up when Christ gets resurrected, when He resurrects everyone in the first resurrection. We won't be there. We'll be there in the second resurrection with the Africans and the Chinese and everybody else that never got a chance. And I mentioned that because I felt the same way. I was running around trying to grab the minister to baptize me, and it took him quite a while because I was a little bit overzealous about it, but I was baptized, and I just felt a relief that, okay, I signed that pack. I've got that covenant. So whatever happens in my life, at least, yes, my name is written in that book of life up in heaven. Notice what it tells us here in Luke chapter 10. Luke chapter 10.

And this is something we do privately. It's our commitment before God the Father and Jesus Christ. It transcends our church because we hope we will continue the faith and teaching God's truths, but that's not guaranteed. People can come. They can infect the church. They can try to change it, and we have to be keeping the truths of God. But this is what we are doing today. In Luke chapter 10 and verse 20, Christ said to his disciples, nevertheless, do not rejoice. There's that same word that we saw before in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rather rejoice because your names are written in heaven. That's when you make that covenant with God. Your name is written there in the book of life. You have a right to be resurrected and be part of that first resurrection when Christ comes back. And what better offer can a person ever get than that? You know, Christ is going to straighten things out. He's going to remove the evil human nature we have. We get to be with him for a thousand years. You know, he's the boss. I want him to be my boss. He's my boss now.

And so, as we prepare for the feast, one of the keys to show that joy is to apply a simple principle found in the Bible and also in general books on the subject of how to be a success in life. And that is to be proactive instead of reactive toward other people.

Proactive, if you take it and divide the word pro, means something for. It's something positive. Proactive, being actively positive in what your actions are.

Reactive is something instead of being pro, it's negative. It's defensive. It's trying to blame others or do something or not solve the problem as a person should.

And it's something that we all need to work at. And I am one of those. It's a lifetime goal to be more proactive and less reactive. And at the feast, we have the opportunity to show that joy and being proactive in our way. So let's define a little bit more what proactive means. A proactive person sees a need and actively helps to solve it. That person has learned to be proactive, positive, and forward-looking, planning how to solve problems.

Let's look at some biblical examples of this because the Bible is the best teacher about human behavior there is. Notice the difference between Cain and Abel.

The first children here in Adam and Eve, certainly Adam and Eve had many other children, as it mentions in Genesis 5. They had many sons and daughters besides these two, but here in Genesis chapter 4, verses 3, it says, in the process of time, it came to pass that Cain brought an offering of the fruit of the ground to the Lord, and Abel also brought of the firstborn of his flock, their fat. And the Lord respected Abel and his offering, but he did not respect Cain and his offering. And so when you bring something, you have to have the right heart and attitude. And Cain had become reactive, not proactive. And so he had a trigger temper that he had quickly developed. And notice it says, and Cain was very angry, and his countenance fell. I mean, he was mad at God. He was mad at Abel because his brother had a different attitude. And his countenance fell, which means instead of brightening and happy, he was moody. He was going around with his shoulders hunched over and just mad as a hornet. I got bit by a hornet, by the way, the other day. So I know what that that hurts. It says, so the Lord said to Cain, God saw his attitude, why are you angry and why has your countenance fallen?

And then he gives them the solution because God is always proactive. He says, if you do well, you have good actions, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin lies at the door. You're ready to let that wrath control you, and you're going to do a crazy action. You're going to do something that you're going to break one of the Ten Commandments. And it was the Sixth Commandment, you shall not murder. And he was about ready to murder his brother just because of envy. And so again, to be proactive is to be doing things for God, to not let anger control you. Cain is the opposite. He let that anger. Now Cain talked with Abel, his brother, and it came to pass when they were in the field. So Abel, innocently, didn't have a problem with Cain. Saw his brother was in a bad attitude, but he still was willing to help, as he could. He was proactive. And so Cain actually drew him there to be far away from his father and mother, so he could commit this act. They were in the field that Cain rose up against Abel, his brother, and killed him. I mean, people from just a negative reaction, you let hate grow, wrath grow. You are ready to do nasty things.

And then the Lord said to Cain, where is Abel, your brother? God knew perfectly well. He just wanted to hear it from Cain. He said, I do not know. Am I my brother's keeper? And he said, what have you done? The voice of your brother's blood cries out to me from the ground. So God could see where Abel was. And so we see right at the beginning the problem of being reactive instead of proactive. A person that's proactive doesn't let their attitude control them to the point of wrath and all kinds of negative thoughts and actions.

Notice what it tells us in 1 John chapter 3, because you might be asking, well, how can you tell that it was Cain's attitude, the real problem? In 1 John chapter 3 in verse 11, the Bible reveals the answer. It says, for this is the message that you heard from the beginning that we should love one another, not as Cain who was of the wicked one. See, he was letting Satan fill him with all that envy and hate. He just couldn't stand his brother around him. That's how bad it can get. He says, and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his works were evil and his brother's righteous. So you can tell here. It's exactly what God is trying to prevent, that type of reaction. And he just got to the point where he couldn't talk to his brother, hated every time he saw his brother, and finally, just in an impulse killed his brother. Now, we have a second example. Let's go to the New Testament.

Here's one of my favorite persons in the New Testament. His name was Barnabas.

His real name was Joseph, but was given this nickname, which I love, Son of Encouragement. Notice in Acts chapter 4, Acts chapter 4, this person was proactive. You would have liked or loved to be around Barnabas, just like a little cork on the ocean floating. Push it down, pops up again. In Acts chapter 4, then verse 34, it says, Now, nor was there anyone among them who lacked.

For all who were possessors of land or houses sold them, and brought the proceeds of the things that were sold, and laid them at the apostles' feet, and they distributed to each as anyone had need. And Joseph, who was also named Barnabas by the apostles, which is translated Son of Encouragement, a Levite, the country of Cyprus, having land sold it and brought the money and laid it at the apostles' feet. So you see how proactive Barnabas was? He saw a need and met it. The church had just recently been established. The Jewish establishment was against them.

They were matters and hornet with the apostles. They'd beaten them. They'd threatened them. The brethren had to meet somewhere else, because now the word was from the Jewish community and leaders, stay away from these people. The Jesus believers, just stay away. And so, the brethren had to count the costs. They lost jobs, economic support from their families. The church urgently needed funds, and especially to get the gospel out and also to care for the disciples, especially the needy. And so, people didn't say, well, too bad. I'll just go to services. But no, they said, we're going to do something about it, because they were proactive. They saw a problem and they met the need for it, just like Barnabas did. Notice the second example we have of Barnabas being proactive.

He believed in Paul's good intentions when many doubted it. Many thought Paul was planted as a spy by the Jewish leaders. Notice in Acts 9, verse 26.

Acts 9, verse 26, it says, and when Saul had come to Jerusalem, already God had intervened. He had been converted. He tried to join the disciples, but they were all afraid of him and did not believe that he was a disciple. Poor Paul! Here, God was going to use them powerfully, and yet nobody wanted to trust him. But Barnabas took him and brought him to the apostles, and he declared to them how he had seen the Lord on the road, this is Paul speaking, and that he had spoken to him, and now he had preached boldly at Damascus in the name of Jesus. So he was with them at Jerusalem, coming in and going out. And he spoke boldly in the name of the Lord Jesus, and disputed against the Hellenists, which were Greek-speaking Jews, but they all attempted to kill him. And when the brethren found out, they brought him down to Caesarea and sent him out to Tarsus. The brethren said, Paul, you're you attract all of this hostility. And of course, they still, apostles might have been convinced, but there were still people, hey, he persecuted some of my relatives. You know, he put to death some people. He was there at Stephen's stoning and consented to it. But it was Barnabas who said, no, this is a man who has repented, and give him a chance. And he turned the attitude of the rest, because he was proactive. He wasn't reactive.

And then we see the third example in Acts chapter 11.

So people, the brethren sent Paul to Tarsus where he had been born.

But you know what? They forgot about Paul. And when they talk about, oh, no, he's troubled. When he comes, he starts speaking so boldly and powerfully that immediately persecution starts upon us. Who was it that got him out of Tarsus? Acts chapter 11 verse 22.

Then news of these things came to the ears of the church in Jerusalem. This is about the city of Antioch, where people started coming into the church. And so they sent out Barnabas to go as far as Antioch. When he came, it seemed the grace of God that God was calling people. That's a difference. Sometimes we can have, as we had in many lectures, you know, we had hundreds of people come. But out of those, just very few were being called by God. And that's the same way as we see today. We don't know who's receiving that grace and favor, that calling from God.

He said, he was glad and encouraged them. All that with purpose of heart, they should continue with the Lord. For he was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and of faith. And a great many people were added to the Lord. And then Barnabas departed for Tarsus to seek Paul. And when he had found him, so what was Paul doing? He was stuck in Tarsus, didn't say, oh, he came to the church that Paul was taking care of. No, you know, God also was preparing Paul for a great job. And maybe to meditate more time. It was years that it took to finally bring Paul. He was ready then, it says. And when he had found him, he brought him to Antioch. So it was that for a whole year they assembled with the church and taught a great many people and the disciples were first called Christians in Antioch. And so again, just by having this person being so proactive, so positive in his attitudes, it doesn't mean he was immature and naive. No, he could see that this man was, Paul really was converted and willing to give him a chance. So now we have a book in the Bible that is full of counsel and advice of the difference between being proactive and being reactive. Can anybody guess what book that is? The Book of Proverbs. The Book of Wisdom and of the difference between being proactive and being reactive. To me, the Book of Proverbs is the best human relations book there is. Probably, I would put Stephen Covey's book, The Seven Habits of Successful People, probably be the second. And the third would be Dale Carnegie's, How to Win Friends and Influence People. Those are books that changed my life as well. But Proverbs is the first one.

And so, let's go to some of these scriptures to see how well it contrasts. Are we more proactive or are we more reactive? And guess what? Nobody is 100% proactive. Neither is anyone 100% reactive. We're all a mixture of it. Notice in Proverbs chapter 10 in verse 19.

This is from the easy reading version. First, it starts with the reactive person. He says, a person who talks too much gets into trouble. And then the proactive. A wise person learns to be quiet. Be careful with your tongue, because the more you talk, the more you're going to get into trouble. And so, it says that a wise person learns to hold back, to be careful and not talk too much. In Proverbs chapter 12 in verse 18, this is the Bible in basic English, we start out with the reactive person. There are some whose uncontrolled talk is like wounds of a sword. And then the contrast, proactive. But the tongue of the wise makes one well again. See, one is the one that cuts. And believe me, words can be very cutting, they can damage so much, but the tongue of the wise makes one well again. In other words, it heals, it soothes, it talks about good and peaceful things, because it can really cause problems when we talk too much. By the way, that's why personally I don't you know subscribe to Facebook. I call it egg on the face Facebook, because it gets people into all kinds of trouble. I say I know enough about people, I don't need to know more about them. Because most of the time it's too much. People spill things that shouldn't have been said. I've got enough trouble without it. So why am I going to get involved finding all the rumors and attitudes and stuff and people, even best friends, it tells us that even best friends can be separated because they get offended by something. I've got enough trouble just trying to deal with the things that offend me without Facebook, right? Don't need to ask, hey, can you offend me a bit more today? I really need to be offended more. No, no, I want to hear things that are edifying, like it tells us here in Philippians 4 verse 8. It says that we should all think about these things, being loving, being patient, being kind, all of these things. Doesn't tell us to be nasty or something else like that. Let's go to another scripture in Proverbs 14 verse 16 through 15 through 16, the easy reading version. We start out with a reactive person. Fools believe every word they hear, but now we'll see the proactive person. Wise people think carefully about everything. So you're not easily fooled. You don't react immediately to something. You think it through. You take your time. Many times you can make a mistake by imputing motives. I'll never forget that story about when Cady and I lived in Puerto Rico for a couple of months before being transferred to South America.

I was told about this story about this gentleman that rushes out of a house. He's got, in one hand, a bunch of nails. In the other hand, he has a hammer. He goes to the car that's in front, parked him, and he starts nailing each one of the tires on that car.

And people are looking at him, oh, how terrible! What are you doing? You're ruining this car. And then he said, well, I just got out of the house because someone's got a gun and he's going to shoot somebody. And the only thing I could do is try to disarm and not make that car work. And sure enough, the person came out, couldn't use the car, finally cooled down, didn't go and kill somebody.

So you see, we can jump to conclusions. Got to think through. Maybe that person has a reason for what they've done. In the New Living Translation of these verses, the proactive says, the wise are cautious and avoid danger. Reactive people, fools, plunge ahead with reckless confidence. Oh, I know what the right thing is. I know. I can judge. Immediately, you just go out and judge everybody. And you know what's the best thing to do.

And by the way, from these verses we get the principle, fools rush in where angels fear to tread. You ever heard that? It comes from these, these verses. In Proverbs 15, 1, the easy reading version, here's the proactive person. It says, a gentle answer makes anger disappear. And then we have the reactive attitude, but a rough answer makes it grow.

So all it takes is just a, you know, poking a person with some harsh words. And what happens? Anger is. But it says here that a gentle answer makes anger disappear. And again, I have to share with you a humorous story. It wasn't humorous at first. But when I was working for the Spanish apartment in Pasadena, we got a break some weekend. And a couple of us and also two girls, the four of us in the Spanish apartment, we said, let's go to Las Vegas. I've never been to Las Vegas. And one of the girls said, look, I've got a brother there and we can all have, he's invited us to the house and we can have separate rooms with him.

And so, so we went. And so we got to the house and the brother was his big fellow. And he, he looked like a rough cowboy type. And sure enough, he had some guns on the wall and he had a pistol. And I remember we went to the bedroom and he said, let me show you this. This is my newest pistol. And so he handed it to my friend.

And my friend kind of looks at it and immediately pulls the trigger. And there was a bullet. Thankfully, he didn't kill any of us or I could be telling you this story. I was next to him.

But thankfully, he pointed it to the bed of the guy. This was his bedroom. So he blew a hole right through the whole bed. And you saw that guy and I just looked at him and I just, it looked like a thermometer. Just, you know, the anger was rising up. You know, the red, the guy was just, you know, steam was starting to come. He was mad at my friend because, of course, he just ruined a good mattress and everything else.

And my friend immediately said, I'm so sorry. I didn't know this was it. Please forgive me. Please. I just realized my fault. And you know what I saw? I saw that thermometer just starting to go down. And my friend saved himself, maybe a thrashing or whatever. But he just completely, it's like putting wet blankets over a hot stove that's burning.

And so I saw Proverbs 15.1 in action. And so a gentle answer makes anger disappear. During the feast, it's so important. We've all got so many issues that come up, but to give a gentle answer. But a rough answer makes it grow. Proverbs 15, verse 15 and 16.

This is the passion translation. We start out with a reactive person. It says, everything seems to go wrong when you feel weak and depressed. And then you have the proactive. But when you choose to be cheerful, every day will bring you more and more joy and fullness. And so do you look at the glass half full or half empty? Stephen Covey and his seven habits of highly effective people. The first habit, he says, for highly effective people is to be proactive.

He mentioned about Viktor Frankl, who was in a Nazi death camp. And he was a Jew. He was slated to die. He was a psychiatrist at that time. And he chose to be proactive, to live in his positive mental world because it was so horrible what he saw around. He was thinking about, you know, when I get out of this, I'm going to be able to tell my students about the importance of finding meaning in life and not letting things get you down and break your spirit. He produced positive thoughts in the midst of so much misery and it worked. He survived. As Covey mentions, he became an inspiration to those around him. Even to some of the guards, he helped others find meaning in their suffering and dignity in their prison existence. An example of being proactive. Proverbs 15, 28 in the Good News Bible. First, we start with a proactive person. Good people think before they answer. And then we have the reactive. Evil people have a quick reply, but it causes trouble. A person doesn't think, they just react. And our human nature is one that you have to contain. It's like each one has a little animal, a beast, in a cage. And if you just open that cage, that thing is going to come out. And so you got to keep it in there and make sure you control it. Just like a good lion tamer, you know, just get back in there. You're not going to go anyplace. And then later on, guess what? It wasn't so terrible. Those words didn't have to be said. Those words didn't have to be said. I really enjoy that quote that says that happiness or sadness depend upon not saying a few hurtful words every day. You know, if you just keep it, don't say it. Don't get it. Don't provoke. Just don't say those words. How moods change. Attitudes change. People cool down. Things pass over. They blow over.

Proverbs 18, verse 13. Here's the reactive again. He who answers a matter before he hears it, it is folly and shame to him. The believer's commentary says a man should get all the facts before giving his opinion. Otherwise, he will be embarrassed when the full details are made known.

There are two sides to every question. Every divorce, every quarrel, etc. Don't agree with a person if you have not heard the other person's side. Again, the worst sport in the world is jumping to conclusions.

Proverbs 29, verse 11. Easy reading version. First, we start with the reactive person. Fools are quick to express their anger. Proactive person, but wise people are patient and control themselves. In God's word, translation of this, it says a fool expresses all his emotions, but a wise person controls them. We all started as little kids that are all just emotional creatures, and anything sets them off. Are they hungry? They're cold? They want this? They want that? But as mature people, we can't let those emotions control us. We have to control our emotions.

And the best example of being proactive was Jesus himself. He always did the right thing and was constantly proactive. He was positive even while being crucified. The worst and cruelest death imaginable.

What was his focus? It was on others. He said about the crowd that taunted him and had him crucified, Father forgive them for they not what they do. I mean he had all the reasons. He never sinned. He could have railed against them, say how insensitive, but he was thinking about them. He forgave and encouraged the thief that was there on the stake. He was concerned about what was going to happen with his mother when he died, and so he asked John to take care of her. He was proactive, even despite all the suffering and cruelty that he was facing.

So, what about when we are living with difficult people? How can we be proactive?

I'd like to read 1 Peter chapter 2 verse 17 through 21. 1 Peter chapter 2 verse 17 through 21. Read it again in the Passion Translation because it's a little more vivid, more modern. It says here, Recognize the value of every person and continually show love to every believer. Live your lives with great reverence and in holy awe of God. Honor your rulers, those who are servants. Submit to the authority of those who are your masters. Not only to those who are kind and gentle, but even to those who are hard and difficult.

You find God's favor by deciding to please God even when you endure hardships because of unjust suffering. For what merit is it to endure mistreatment for wrongdoing? Yet, if you are mistreated when you do what is right and you faithfully endure it, this is commendable before God. In fact, you were called to live this way because Christ also suffered in your place, leaving you his example for you to follow.

As Covey says in this book that I've already mentioned, he says, our most difficult experiences can become the crucible. The crucible is where you mix the chemicals and they are combined to make it something valuable. It can be the crucibles that forge our character and develop the internal spiritual powers. It gives us the freedom to handle difficult circumstances in the future. If you overcome your temper one time, it's easier to overcome it two times or three times and to inspire others to do so as well. So it's easy to preach. It's a lot harder to practice. It's a lot harder to practice. So we have a chance, whether we can go to the feast or not, to be proactive instead of reactive. Just think of a reactor. Just think how those huge atomic reactors can blow up like the one in Chernobyl. And we don't want that. We want to be proactive. Don't let that thing build up like a steam cooker. And it will lead to more productive and spiritually fulfilled lives. So why should we be reactive?

We should be proactive and not reactive? Want to correct that? Why should we be proactive? Paul, inspired by God, said this in Romans 8, 18. I'll finish with this because Paul was an example of being so proactive. Romans 8, 18, he says, For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. Whatever we're suffering, it's not worthy to be compared with that coming glory. That's when we're going to rest when Christ comes back. And verse 28, why should we be so positive about things? It says, And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. God is guiding us. We're going to go through tests that He allows us to test us because it's easy when it's the good times. He wants to see how we are in the bad times when trials and difficulties come that sometimes we don't deserve. And yet, if we do the right thing and focus on being proactive and not reactive, you're going to see. God is going to see you through. Have a wonderful coming feast.