Reading the Fine Print

I had an unfortunate occurrence this week. I realized that I'd been scammed. Yes, it happens to all of us at some point or another. We enter into an agreement with good faith only to find out that the other party had malicious intentions in mind.

It all started about a month back when I read a blog about some products that I found interesting. Ok, I'll admit, it was for a tooth whitening product. Evidently the blogger, a former smoker, had success in using two different products. She suggested that by only purchasing a trial sample of each product and using them one at time you'd see great results. And her before and after pictures proved it.

So, I figured, "What's the harm?" I signed up for a trial of both products on-line, paid a nominal shipping fee and within days the products were sent to my house. Then about three weeks later I received a bill for $79.99 from one of the companies. Then a few days after that I received a new shipment of both products.

I figured something wasn't right about this situation, so I called up the first company and asked why they were charging me an additional fee and sending me more product. I was then told that in the fine print of my trial agreement it stated that I had 10 days to call and cancel my account or I'd be automatically enrolled into their "VIP" club.

I adamantly, but kindly, refused to be part of their club and asked for my money back. I was denied. I asked to speak to the manager, told him my complaint and requested my money back. He not only denied me, he hung up on me!!!

I then called my credit card company to dispute the charges only to find out that the other company had also charged me - twice. Fortunately, the second company was willing to remove all the charges once I sent back the additional product to their warehouse.

All of this trouble started because I didn't take the time to carefully read the fine print. I chalked this up as a lesson to be learned and put a stake in the ground - "From this point forward I will carefully and diligently read all the fine print before entering into any binding agreement".

Lo and behold, I received a piece of mail just this week with fine print. After reading it, I realized that I had to respond quickly to prohibit this company from using my personal information for their marketing purposes. My new conviction of reading the fine print was already paying off dividends.

I can give you plenty of reasons (read: excuses) that I never spent the time to carefully read the fine print - I considered it boring, redundant legal language that can be difficult to understand and time consuming.

I think at times we look at the Bible the same way. The same excuses abound, "I don't understand what I'm reading." "It's boring." "I've read it before." "I don't have the time."

Yet, if we avoid reading God's Word and knowing what it says, we will also suffer consequences that are more grave than a mere loss of money. WE CAN LOSE OUR SOUL!

Here are some quick tips I've learned about reading the fine print that I think we can also apply to our daily Bible reading to bring about greater results:

1)Read slowly - When I read fine print, I'm more concerned about my comprehension than I am about my speed. The same goes with Bible reading. It's not a race. It's more important that you comprehend one sentence than read a whole chapter.
2)Stop and ponder - When you read something that jumps out at you or that you don't understand, read it over until you do. In my Bible reading, if a word or phrase jumps out, I've learned to stop and meditate to allow the Holy Spirit to speak to my heart.
3)Ask questions - If I feel uneasy or uncertain about something I'm reading in fine print, I make sure to ask questions. In the same way, it's a good and healthy practice to ask questions in our Bible reading and then seek God for the answers.
4)Seek Wise Counsel - I'm no lawyer, so if I have a question about a legal document, it's smart to ask someone who is proficient in interpreting the law. In the same light, I use many guides in my Bible reading - a good concordance and commentary can go a long way to gain insight from others who know more about the Scriptures.
5)Pray about what you've read - When I'm in doubt about what I'm signing up for, it's always wise to stop and ask God for clarity and guidance. When I apply the same rule to my Bible reading, God provides me with insight and revelation.

"Study to show yourself approved unto God, a workman that needs not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth." (2 Timothy 2:15) Amen.

Where you been? What are you up to?

It's been over a month since I wrote my last blog or made an update to the Christian Growth Network website. If you've been a regular reader of my writings, you may have wondered where I've been and what I've been up to over the last month plus.

On "Ash Wednesday", the day that marks 40 days before Easter, I attended an evening service at my church. Our pastor was speaking about fasting for the lent season, the days leading up to Easter. He was challenging each of us to find something to surrender to the Lord for the next 40 days that will help us focus more on God and the work of Christ on the cross. He suggested some traditional ideas like fasting from certain foods and some more eccentric ones like giving up complaining (now that would be a good one!). He encouraged us to seek God for what He'd have us give up.

I took out my notepad and wrote God a question, "What would you have me to give up this lent season that I may focus more on You, Lord?" Almost instantly, the words, "the Internet" came to mind. I quickly balked, "I can't do that!" And as soon as I uttered those words I knew that this was exactly what God wanted me to surrender. So I committed to give up the Internet at night for the next 40 days.

At first, I have to admit, it was a difficult sacrifice to make. It was like the first dry days for an alcoholic, I had the Internet shakes. It's not that I'm on-line all the time and can't get off the computer, but it's more of a habit that I've developed to check e-mail, or write, or surf late at night after the kids are to bed.

After the first week, I not only felt more refreshed, I felt like my concentration on the Lord and my family had in some qualitative way improved. On a practical note, I also got to bed earlier, which meant waking up earlier to spend more time with the Lord in prayer and in His Word. All in all, it was a refreshing season.

Over this last week, I've been back on-line and have spent a couple nights working on some ministry opportunities - a speaking engagement to fellow writers, a new website that I'm building (more on that later). Although I have used my time wisely for the Lord, there have been nights where I went to bed too late and suffered the consequences of a groggy next morning, or next whole day.

So what's the moral to this story? Here are a few things that my fast has taught me:

1)Any habit that distracts you from God or your family is destructive. Even a good thing can become bad when misused and not under the Lordship of Christ.

2)If God calls you to surrender a habit, a relationship, an attitude or whatever else, it's always for YOUR good, not because He wants to see you suffer.

3)Rest is invaluable. God has made us as beings that need good nutrition and good rest. When we deprive our body of these essentials we rob ourselves, others and God of the life and vitality we've been given from the Lord.

Take a moment to quiet yourself before the Lord and ask this one question,

"Is there anything that I need to give up, temporarily, or permanently, so that I can be a more dedicated and loving follower of Christ?"

If God has brought something to mind, I encourage you to surrender it to Him. He will honor your sacrifice and bless you with greater joy and life in Him. Amen.