The 7-ups
We live in a computerized world. You can do almost anything on a computer now. You can book plane flights, do your banking, order almost anything you could want, listen to music, make presentations, talk to someone halfway around the world, almost anything you can think of. There is a term, though, that anyone who has worked with computers knows, the term GIGO, Garbage In, Garbage Out. A computer is an inanimate object that only does what it’s told. The computer gets the blame for any problems but the responsibility usually is the fault of the person who programmed it. Most computer glitches are human glitches.
You may not like computers or ever want to own one but all of us have a computer. This computer is called the human brain, the greatest computer ever designed. It also relies upon programming. When we were “built” at God’s factory, operations such as conscience, talents, and gut instincts were programmed in. Parents and teachers add social etiquette and cognitive skills.
The human brain is amazing and much more capable than a regular computer. Computers cannot program themselves yet. But after it has been in use for awhile, the brain can. Data is fed into the brain, which then determines how it will use that data, and whether it will accept or reject this data. It can enhance or degrade its performance by these modifications.
The brain’s capabilities are limited to the quality of the data it receives. It can suffer from GIGO. If you input hatred, unbelief, jealousy, lust, greed, etc and you will get garbage for output. If you input faith, hope, charity, selflessness, etc. and you will get a computer working as it was designed by its “builder”.
Too many times we see garbage output in our lives and we blame Satan, the world, or something else. Sometimes we may not process the inputted data correctly, but almost always it’s “garbage in, garbage out”. So “whatever”. “Whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is pleasing, whatever is commendable, think about these things.”
With that in mind, I have some data for you to “input” into your “computer” to help God create in you a clean heart and put a new and right spirit within you. Let’s take a look at the 7 “ups”.
1. Wake UP!! Psalm 118:24 “This is the day that the Lord has made; rejoice and be glad in it.”
Every day is a gift from God. What a privilege and blessing it is to see the dawn of each new day. (and most of you know I don’t mean “see the dawn” literally) We are not promised another day, but most of us take each day for granted, figuring, “oh well, there’s always tomorrow”. No guarantees. Here’s a morning prayer for you.
Dear God,
So far today I’ve done all right. I haven’t gossiped, I haven’t lost my temper, I haven’t been greedy, grumpy, nasty, selfish or over-indulgent. I’m very thankful for that. But in a few minutes, God, I’m going to get out of bed, and from then on, I’m probably going to need a lot of help.
Amen
We have to decide to have a good day. We have been given another day, let’s try to live it with joy in our hearts.
2. Dress UP!! 1 Samuel 16:7
How many of us have ever stood in front of a mirror & wished that we weighed less, or we were taller, or we had a more hair? Most of us, at one time or another have wished that we looked differently than we do.
You all know who comedian Don Knotts is, don’t you? Well, in one of his movies he said, "What I need is a body transplant." Some of us here have felt the same way. We struggle to improve our physical appearance, but why? After all, “beauty is only skin deep” and “beauty is in the eye of the beholder.” And the beholder we need to be concerned about is God.
God says in 1 Samuel 16:7, “Man looks at the outward appearance, but I look at the heart.” God doesn’t care if your nose that is crooked, your feet that are too big, your ears that stick out too far. He doesn’t care whether you’re 4’8” or 6’10” or weigh 370# or 95# soaking wet. He looks inside at the heart.
So sure, we can put on a smile and a nice suit and we can improve our looks that way. But that’s only superficial. We need to look good for God. We need to dress up the inside.
3. Shut UP!! Proverbs 13:3 “Those who guard their mouths preserve their lives; those who open wide their lips come to ruin.”
We live in a world where there is constant noise, someone always talking either on the TV or the radio, or the phone. Cell phones seem to have taken over the world. We hear so much but we are conditioned to listen so little. And when we talk, we often don’t say anything or, at least, anything nice. I guess if we followed the advice of “if you can’t say anything nice about someone, don’t say anything at all”, we might have more silence and listening.
We read so often in Scripture about God’s people hearing God but refusing to listen. It is important to listen to God because listening opens the pipeline to His blessings. Listening helps us to grow and mature. It keeps us accountable and from being close-minded. Listening to God brings lasting happiness and allows Him to care for us.
God is so big, we expect to hear this voice of thunder that rattles the house like an explosion. But God often speaks in gentle whispers. We can listen for His shouts but we also must listen intently for His whispers. Remember, God gave us two ears and one mouth, so He must have meant for us to do twice as much listening as talking.
4. Stand UP!! Galatians 6:9 “So let us not grow weary in doing what is right, for we will reap at harvest time, if we do not give up.”
There was a country song not too long ago that said, “you’ve got to stand for something or you’ll fall for anything”. Too many people today straddle the fence. They won’t take a stand for what they believe in. That young girl back at Columbine stood up for what she believed in. Those people on that plane that crashed in PA. last Sept. 11th stood up for what they believed in.
We can’t give up or “grow weary in doing what is right” because if we don’t stand up for what we believe in, we’ve lost. By not saying, “Wait a minute here. This is not right. This is not what we stand for. This is not what we want”, we are giving in to those who would lead us astray. That is why we don’t have prayer in schools now.
It’s time to, as the song says, “Stand up, Stand up for Jesus”. And just remember, what ever you’re facing, it will not prevail if you stand up for your belief in God. Which leads us to our 5th UP.
5. Look UP!! Philippians 4:13 “I can do all things through him who strengthens me.”
Look up to the Lord. We need to remember who’s in charge. Samson had no strength without God. Do you think Joshua knocked down the walls of Jericho? No! It was God. In His call to Jeremiah God tells him, “I am with you and will rescue you”. We are nothing without God. So turn your eyes upon Jesus.
6. Reach UP!! Proverbs 3:5 “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not rely on your own insight.
Who do you trust? We have trusted our families, we have trusted our friends. We have trusted our transportation services, we trusted our national security services, we trusted our military services.
What do all of these things have in common? Sometimes they fail our trust. Our trusts in others have been damaged and our feelings hurt because others have let us down and we become bitter.
Who do you trust? It wasn’t Allah who loved me enough to send his only son to die for me. I can’t trust him. It wasn’t Mohammad who took his cross and stamped “pardon” on my soul to save me. I can’t trust him. It wasn’t Buddah who divinely inspired the writing of an infallible, inerrant revelation of his character to me. I can’t trust him. It isn’t Sun Myung Moon who gives me peace that passes all understanding. I can’t trust him. It isn’t L. Ron Hubbard who is the same yesterday, today and forever. I can’t trust him. It isn’t Merrill Lynch or Charles Schwab who promises to provide my every need. I can’t trust them.
A tourist visited the Grand Canyon and while he was looking over the side he slipped, and as he fell he caught a scrub bush and held on for dear life.
Man - “Is there anybody up there?”
Voice speaks: “Yes, there is”
Man - “Can you help me? Can you help me?”
Voice - “Yes, I can most likely be of assistance. What is your problem?”
Man - I slipped and fell off of the cliff and I am dangling by this bush”
Voice - I’ll do my best. Do you believe?”
Man - “Yes, I believe!”
Voice - Do you have faith?
Man - Yes I have faith
Voice - Do you trust me?
Man – Yes, I trust you!
Voice - Let go of the branch and everything will turn out fine
Man - Is there anybody else up there?
Reach up for something higher. Reach up for God.
7. Lift UP!! Philippians 4:6 “Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.”
How many here this morning would like to learn how to worry more? How many of you feel that your life would be improved if only you could spend more time worrying? We all would like to worry less (except for those who only seem happy when they’re miserable).
Why do we worry? Life is hard. Bad things happen to good people, to bad people, and everyone in between.
The good news is that you can worry less. God has given us an antidote for worry. It’s called prayer. We can pray to God about everything. There is nothing too big or too small for God to hear about. He wants us to bring Him our every concern. Because He’s not just a God out there somewhere, He’s a God here, with us.
In this world in which we live, we are surrounded by garbage. We must be more careful of what we allow into our lives through our heart, eyes, ears, etc. “Whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is pleasing, whatever is commendable, think about these things.” If you will “input” these 7 “Up”s into your “computer”, then God will create in you a clean heart and put a new and right spirit within you.
