Patti Davis once said: "I felt so guilty about being white and privileged. I felt very guilty about it." Her feelings were not uncommon for a young woman of her generation. Patti is the daughter of Ronald Reagan and Nancy Davis, and she was a teenager in the ‘60s. I was faced with the same information she had, but I had a totally different reaction. I felt grateful. Why should I feel guilty about something I can’t help?

But this made me think long and hard about why people feel guilty and how guilt affects our view of the world and people around us. Patti Davis’ reaction was that she wanted to turn herself and her whole family black. (She was just a kid when she said this).

Feeling guilty about being well off is easier to remedy. Jesus told a rich man who came to him to sell everything he had, give it to the poor and come follow him. Unburdening oneself of wealth is simple. Unburdening of being white is not so easy. But why should a person feel guilty about being white, black, Asian, tall, short, male, or female? For that matter, why feel guilty about being well off—unless you stole it?

I present, for your consideration, two sets of feelings: (1) Guilt. (2) Gratitude. Which of these emotions is the most influential in your life? I may be wrong, but I suspect the answer has a lot to do with your happiness.

Feeling Guilt

Consider a story from the life of the Apostle Paul as an example. Paul and Silas had come to Philippi and had made some disciples there among the Jewish women who met for prayer. One day, as they were on their way to a prayer meeting, they encountered a girl whom Luke described as "possessed with a spirit of divination." She was, in our terms, a fortuneteller, and she made a lot of money for her masters.

She began to follow Paul and Silas everywhere they went, crying out, "These men are the servants of the most high God, which show unto us the way of salvation" (Acts 16:17). Paul finally had enough. He turned around and addressed the spirit: "I command thee in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her." The spirit immediately left, and the girl’s fortunetelling came to an end. When her masters realized what had happened, they grabbed Paul and Silas and dragged them before the authorities in the agora. The crowd rose up against them, and the governors had them stripped, flogged, and thrown into prison. Being given a severe charge, the jailor put them in the most secure part of the prison and locked their feet in the stocks (vv. 22-24).

It is hard to imagine a more miserable situation, their backs bleeding from a flogging and their feet in stocks, the men could find no way to be comfortable. Wounded and in pain, miserable in the dark, how should they feel about what happened to them? Was there any reason to feel guilty? After all, a real miracle had followed on Paul’s words, and they were where they were because they were carrying on a ministry for God. They had done nothing wrong, but that doesn’t keep a person from feeling guilty, does it? So how did they feel?

In the dark of night, Paul and Silas prayed and began to sing praises to God. Every prisoner in the place heard them. "And suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken: and immediately all the doors were opened, and every one’s bands were loosed" (v. 26). The earthquake woke the jailor and, when he saw the prison doors wide open, he drew out his sword to kill himself. He knew what would happen to him the next day if he lost all those prisoners, whether it was his fault or not.

"Do yourself no harm," came Paul’s voice from the darkness. "We are all here." The end result was the conversion and baptism of the jailor and his entire household.

This incident is worthy of our attention. They had been whipped and had to be in a lot of pain. Bleeding, bruised, they were miserable, with their feet in stocks. What was their response? They sang praises to God in the middle of the night. I have an idea that there is something very encouraging and emboldening about being punished for having served God faithfully. They were grateful they had been accounted worthy to serve God in the first place. Not only worthy to serve, worthy to suffer.

This wasn’t the first time this had happened to the leaders of the early church. Earlier, Peter and the Apostles were arrested, beaten, and threatened. They went out, "rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for his name" (Acts 5:41).

A long time ago, when I was a very young minister, a series of remarkable things happened to me. I found myself deeply troubled by what I called at the time "wrong thoughts." It was a very disturbing thing. I would be trying to pray and thoughts would enter my mind that had no business being there. Mind you, I had spent four years in the Navy and I had all the vocabulary that went with that. But it wasn’t just that. It was more. I fought that battle and won, but that didn’t end the story.

About two weeks after the end of the battle, I was out on a ministerial visit and a woman told me that she had been fighting a terrible battle with—you might have guessed it—what she called "wrong thoughts." I was able to encourage her in several ways. One, she was not the only person who had to fight that battle. Two, I was able to tell her how to deal with it. Three, I was able to tell her that the battle could be won.

I went through this cycle with other problems about three or four times before I finally woke up and realized what was going on. How could I possibly understand people who were suffering when I had not suffered myself? How could I tell people how to overcome some-thing when I had not overcome it myself?

Then one day, I found myself in trouble again, and I had an epi-phany. I realized that this trouble I was in was necessary for something that lay in the future, and that it was important that I overcome it. I had to win for the sake of people I would yet come to know. Sure enough, it wasn’t all that far down the road that the same thing happened again. So, imperfectly, I have learned to be grateful for every scar on my body.

Years ago, while I was in the Navy, I had major surgery and I have a huge scar across my left rib cage. I am grateful for that scar because I know what it is like to lie in a hospital bed in total misery and pain, with tubes coming out of my body, yearning for my next pain pill. I have come to realize that if I am going to be a minister, I have to be trained, and only a part of the training is in the Bible; a lot of the training is in life.

I learned some of this from Paul. In his second letter to the Corinthians, he recounted his own experience and the lesson he learned from it. It seems that many years before, Paul had been caught up in a vision. In his vision, he had entered paradise and had heard words he had been forbidden to utter (much like John, in part of his vision in Revelation). We should have no problem in understanding how such an experience might affect a man. The temptation to self exaltation would have been significant. To forestall that, Paul was given what he called, "A thorn in the flesh" (2 Corinthians 12:7). He never explains what it was, but calls it "a messenger of Satan to buffet me."

Paul naturally prayed a great deal about this, and asked to be rid of it. He doesn’t explain how God sent the answer, but tells us in clear terms what the answer was: "My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness."

It took a while for this to all come together for me, but it did. Complaining about our problems may seem to give some temporary relief, but accepting them as the cross we have to bear gives lasting relief. Paul’s conclusion: "Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ’s sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong."

I won’t bore you with more examples. Suffice it to say, I learned painfully that what Paul said is true. When I am weak, then I am strong. And I think all this comes back to the difference between guilt and gratitude. There is a segment of our society who are white and privileged and they feel guilty about it. This is one thing for a 12 year old girl, and another thing altogether for a mature adult. This segment of our society is extremely influential. The reason this is a problem is, these people don’t know God and therefore can’t be grateful for who they are and what they have.

They blame themselves for the intractable social problems they see because they are unable to blame sin. None of this would be a very big deal if they didn’t project their own guilt feelings onto the rest of us. They see us as a guilty society, and then set out to solve man’s problems without any help from God. And they want to drag the rest of us along with them.

This is the secular, privileged class in America, what some people mistakenly call liberal. They aren’t really liberal. They are merely guilt ridden. They are guilt ridden because they are unable to feel grateful.

Don’t let yourself be caught up in that way of thinking. Consider what James learned about facing trials: "Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything" (James 1:2-4 NIV).

What a novel idea. Don’t feel guilty. Be grateful that God is shaping you into a tool he can use. James goes on to explain that we should ask God for the things we lack—wisdom, insight, understanding—and then he warns that we should not waver in our requests. He that wavers, James says, is like a wave of the sea, driven with the wind. The man who wavers probably thinks he doesn’t deserve what he is asking for. He is not grateful for the experience he is getting. He feels guilty.

"Let the brother of low degree," James continued, "rejoice that he is exalted: But the rich, in that he is made low: because as the flower of the grass he shall pass away" (vv. 9-10). Why should anyone feel guilty about being privileged? It is just a flower of the grass and will soon be gone anyway. It is nothing to be proud of or guilty for.

James concludes his observations by telling us we should be grateful. We shouldn’t just sit around feeling guilty, we should go to work.

The going won’t be easy. Jesus said, "Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness’ sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you" (Matthew 5:10-12).

It is one thing to be grateful for a trial when it is over, and when you can see with your own eyes the blessings wrought by it. It is another thing altogether to be grateful for it while it is going on. Jesus said elsewhere: "Blessed are ye, when men shall hate you, and when they shall separate you from their company, and shall reproach you, and cast out your name as evil, for the Son of man’s sake. Rejoice ye in that day, and leap for joy: for, behold, your reward is great in heaven: for in the like manner did their fathers unto the prophets" (Luke 6:22-23).

This is not just for then. This is for now. Again and again in the early chapters of Revelation, Jesus said that it was the overcomers, the winners, who would be rewarded—and the rewards are mind boggling. But without obstacles, there is nothing to overcome.

All those who receive these great rewards are winners. They are not necessarily privileged. They are people who were tried in the fire and won. You want to know what it means to overcome? Then you need to read the stories of the people who did. Read the stories of Gideon and Barak, of Samson and Jephtha. Don’t forget to read the stories of Samuel, David, and the prophets (Hebrews 11:32).

These people were not necessarily privileged. They were people who were tried in the fire and won. You want to know what it means to overcome? Read the stories of men and women:

These people were not losers. They were not whiners. They were winners all. And they were not guilty. They were grateful.

Many options are available that can increase your contributions to charities. Some strategies are simple, others require the assistance of a professional, such as an attorney or tax advisor. You don’t need to be wealthy to help. In fact, you can even make substantial, tax-favored gifts without taking a hefty bite out of your current income or assets. All it takes is a little planning. As a part of your team, CEM stands ready to help you make charitable gifts that may provide these benefits and more.

"Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely"
(Lord Acton).

It is a challenging task to remain humble when people tell you how great you are. Look at the leaders of Israel, many of whom began as humble servants, but who later battled and sometimes lost the war with their egos.

Moses, who was called the meekest man on earth, one time lost his patience and struck a rock for water, shouting, "Must we fetch water from a rock for you?" In thus doing, he claimed the credit for himself, and not for God.

King Saul, the reluctant first king of Israel, came to crave his position and power so much that he ceased to obey God and his prophet, seeking his own ways.

King David, called a man after God’s own heart, abandoned God’s ways too many times, stealing other men’s wives, having innocent men killed, allowing his wayward children to wreck the nation, and taking a military census in order to glorify his own power rather than God’s. His repeated acts of sincere repentance brought him back to God, but it could not undo much of the damage he brought to others’ lives.

David’s son, Solomon, began his reign humbled before God. "I am but a child," he proclaimed. The greatness God gave him was his ruin, as he accumulated wealth through heavy taxation and worker’s levies, pursued too many women, built too many palaces, and followed too many gods.

Hezekiah, Josiah, and Jehosaphat, generally righteous kings, all succumbed to the arrogance of power.

All of these men were men of God and knew his greatness. When they were little in their own eyes, God honored them as they honored God, but success has a way of taking a surrendered, humble disposition and turning it into an overbearing presence.

That’s a major reason why we should pray for those running for political office, that they may understand the limits of their power. The adulating crowds that surround them are a potential millstone that can drag them—and us—into despairs we don’t want.

But it is not just the rich and famous who are susceptible to the viper’s head of egotism. Anyone given a small bit of notoriety or leadership can come to believe that he deserves it and even created it. Those in leadership at church or employment can succumb to the subtle creep of arrogance. The danger lurks for all of us.

If we realize that it is God who sets up kings and takes down kings, and that authority is a responsibility and not a privilege—if we realize that it is loaned to us for a short time for works of service, then we will not abuse it. We get into trouble when it becomes all about us. That’s when the arrogance of power corrupts.

We have all heard the old saying about every cloud having a silver lining. Well, for CEM Feast-goers, that seems to be true for the 2008 Feast. Every few years, the ECCC Facility that we use in Ft. Walton is not available. This is one of those years. However, we have been able to locate a facility that seems to be almost tailor-made for the CEM Feast in Panama City Beach. It is the Boardwalk Beach Resort.

One of the best things about having the CEM Feast at the Boardwalk Beach Resort is the opportunity for fellowship. For the first time since its inception, almost all attendees can stay at the same facility. That means morning and evening fellowship in the coffee house, on the deck, around the pool, or even on the beach.

The Boardwalk Beach Resort Convention Center is located right on the beach and has spacious facilities. There is plenty of room for the excellent YEA classes, interesting and informative seminars, and daily Worship Services. Staying there will allow you to walk directly from your room to the meetings and activities without moving your car, saving both time and gas.

The Boardwalk Complex offers high-speed elevators, some covered parking, a fitness center, sauna and steam rooms, massage therapy, an activity center, a children’s swimming pool with interactive water toys, a 2500 square foot pool with two hot tubs, and private beaches.

The hotel rooms feature a variety of amenities: microwaves, refrigerators, hair dryers, and irons/ironing boards. Some rooms have Internet access. Choose two double beds or one king, and pool or gulf views.

As always, there will be many planned activities, such as the much anticipated Pie and Ice Cream Social, two dances, the Seniors Luncheon, the picnics and pool parties, golf, fishing, the Variety Show, and some excursions. Youth Day promises to be another Feast highlight which you won’t want to miss. . . the youth always do an awesome job! Please make your reservations now if you haven’t already done so, and look forward to inspirational sermons and wonderful fellowship. . . see you there! http://www.borntowin.net/2008tabernacles.aspx?depart=Accommodations.

The issue of life after death turns out to be more complicated than any of us have imagined. I got a surprise recently when I read an interview with a high ranking Anglican bishop who said "Christians do not go to heaven when they die." The interviewer, David Van Biema of Time Magazine observed, "At one point you call the common view of heaven a ‘distortion and serious diminution of Christian hope.’"

Bishop Tom Wright’s reply is going to shock a lot of people. He said, "It really is. I’ve often heard people say, ‘I’m going to heaven soon, and I won’t need this stupid body there, thank goodness.’ That’s a very damaging distortion, all the more so for being unintentional."

His view of heaven and what happens at death will be viewed as rank heresy by some theologians I have read, and it is tied up inexorably in the old doctrine of the bodily resurrection of the saints. So who is right on this issue? Do Christians go straight to heaven when they die, freed forever from their mortal bodies, or are they going to wait in some state for the resurrection?

As I said, the issue is complicated, and I analyze the bishop’s interview and Paul’s theology in an unreleased radio program titled Life after Death. For a FREE CD of the message, call our office at 1-888-BIBLE-44 and request your copy. Or, you can click this link to listen to it right now.

Are today’s youth being trained to perform in an adolescent world? Are you unwittingly setting your kids up for failure by not preparing them to function and stand tall in an adult world? Are they developing the skills and discipline they will need to succeed in a career? Are you proactively teaching them good work ethics?

Staying married these days seems to be a tricky business. What concrete things are you doing to ensure your grandchildren will have a two-parent stable home without the trauma of divorce? What systematic approach are you taking to prepare your child, or teenager for eternity? Where can you get the help you need to prepare your children, through practice and training, for the adult world they will soon face?

God has blessed us with two dedicated school teachers with master’s degrees in elementary education. These ladies have a passion to make a difference in your children through the YEA! Let’s R.E.A.C.H. Activities. Every time I look at this ongoing project I’m impressed with the potential it has to make a real difference in the lives of our youth today, as adults, and for all eternity. Let’s look at what these teachers have done, and how this program can make a difference in your children.

The mother of a three year old can go to www.borntowin.net, download and print out these FREE PDF files, read the instructions, gather the supplies, and spend a little time each day teaching her precious little one the Bible, using the phonics method. What are the benefits?

• The child will love doing the R.E.A.C.H. Activities and look forward to doing them each day.
• This quality time together will bond mother and child.
• The child will be ahead of the class when she starts school.
• A biblical and moral foundation will be laid.

There are fun and challenging activities for five age groups. As the child attends the first three years of school, his daily R.E.A.C.H. Activities will include such things as sword drills, keeping a Bible notebook, related arts and crafts projects, role plays, Bible songs, learning to use a concordance and Bible encyclopedia, writing acrostic poems, and doing experiments. There are other fun activities such as preparing and delivering a "Live Breaking News" report of Noah building the ark, the arrival of the animals, and giving a weather report for that time. Then the child can present this to his church, YEA class, or family.

Activities such as these will implant within the minds of small children the desire for career opportunities they may never consider without this stimulus. A side benefit is the development of writing and speaking skills—all done in a fun way while learning the Bible.

Activities are used to reinforce the sanctity of marriage, that it is between one man and one woman for life. These activities are especially important at a time when so many children experience the trauma of their parents divorcing, live with a single parent, or are taught in school where it’s okay to have two mommies or two daddies.

As the child matures, the activities become more age appropriately challenging. Emphasis is put on a love for facts, analysis of facts, logical thinking, a strong sense of right and wrong, moral reasoning, biblical knowledge and values, and a plan to apply what he has learned.

We urge every parent to encourage their child or children to do these FREE YEA! Let’s R.E.A.C.H. Activities. Better yet, we urge parents to join in with their child or teen in doing these activities. These are designed for children to do by themselves, for teachers, parents, and home schooling parents to use them. The activities are to be done in conjunction with the YEA Lessons for Home or Sabbath School. You can order these lesson books online at www.borntowin.net or by calling 1-888-BIBLE-44.

So what’s so great about these activities? They give training and practice to produce good character and behavior to ensure your child is employable and marriageable. If you will spend time as a family doing these activities every day, you’ll experience a bonding effect in your family. The benefits from your investment in your child’s or children’s future will be enormous. Anchoring your children to Christ in this way will pay eternal rewards beyond imagination! You have within your power to change the world one child at a time. Go to www.borntowin.net, check out YEA! Let’s R.E.A.C.H., and find a child with whom you can do them.

Memorial Day Weekend Family Retreat will be held at the Paris Landing State Park, Buchanan, TN on the banks of Kentucky Lake beginning at 6 p.m. May 23rd with a Meet and Greet. CEM will furnish sandwiches, chips, and drinks. Seminars, YEA classes, a worship service, social events for the entire family, and great fellowship are available until noon Monday, May 26. To book your accommodations call 1-800-250-8614 and give CEM’s group number 3355.

YEA Summer Camp, June 22-29 will be held at Camp Wewoka Woods, near Wewoka, OK. Teens who will be 13 and have not yet turned 19 by June 29, 2008, regardless of their church affiliation may apply by contacting Larry Watkins at 1-888-BIBLE-44 or lsw@cemnetwork.com.

Christian Educational Ministries gratefully acknowledges very generous donation made in memory of the following people:

• Elba Dale Grubbs of La Plata, Missouri, whose life was taken by an automobile accident November 30, 2007. Our hearts are saddened, and our sympathy and prayers go out to his sister Norma Grubbs, his only surviving close relative.
• Margaret Gray, Terry Gray’s mother, of Dublin, Pennsylvania passed away March 9th. Mrs. Gray will be greatly missed and our hearts and prayers go out to her loved ones in their time of grief.
• Adele Maley, with loving memories, who is survived by her husband of Eastevan, Saskatoon, Canada.
• Henrietta Freda of Minot, ND, our sympathy and prayers go out to Mr. and Mrs. Russell Larson.
• Lillian Hinton of Spokane, Washington will be greatly missed by her family who lives in Richmond, Washington