10/30/2011
Weather Report From Heaven: Sunny and bright, with an abundance of light and lots of singing and rejoicing.
Bible Verse of the Day: Proverbs 13:1 " A wise son heeds his father's instruction, but a mocker does not listen to rebuke."
I feel like I have found the key to living a purposeful life, now all that is left is the ability to live it out. Oh for minor details, except that is where the challenge always lies for me, in the details. I am good at seeing the big picture, it is just that all the little things keep getting in the way. You know, little things like fear, and pride and self-consciousnesses and their sinful cousins like lust and anger and greed. If I could just totally remove myself from the equation, things would go so much more smoothly. But I can't and that is my challenge. I must learn how to overcome myself and my own human nature to be able to really achieve the things in my life that can glorify God. You see, I believe strongly in my heart, my soul and my mind That the whole purpose of this life is reconciliation. On many different levels. God reconciling us humans back to Himself, us humans reconciling amongst ourselves, and us as individuals reconciling our own path within and of ourselves.
In the big picture, 2nd Corinthians 5:18 says that "God reconciled the world back to himself through Christ Jesus and also gave us the ministry of reconciliation." We must fully comprehend His big plan in that He provided us a way to be reconciled. That is truly amazing when we think about it. God loves mankind so much, that even in our sinful, fallen state He provided a plan for us to be brought back into His eternal family through the death and resurrection of His only Son for those who believe. That is worth celebrating.
Paul in the book of Ephesians talks about the need for Jews and gentiles to put down the law, and to live as one body in Christ. In Ephesians 2:16-18 he says " and in this one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross, by which he put to death their hostility. He came and preached peace to you who were far away, and peace to those who were near. For through him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit." Humbly, we need to see ourselves as no better than any other group or ethnicity. I believe God hates all types of bigotry and discord. Paul was preaching this message to the Jews and Gentiles, who were not allowed to intermingle let alone be viewed as brothers in Christ Jesus. Christ truly came to break down walls and barriers that exist between us humans, but we still struggle with our inferiority and superiority complexes 2,000 years later. As agents of God's reconciliation, we are called upon to remember and promote the fact that Jesus is the chief cornerstone and that "in him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord," as it states in Ephesians 2:21. When we focus on that fact, it is much easier to forget our differences and remember our similarities in finding a common purpose for us to be reconciled as humanity to one another.
The hardest part sometimes for me is the part of reconciling myself to myself. Letting go of the some of my past mistakes, disappointments, resentments and heartaches and forging ahead towards the goal that lies ahead. While I try very hard to always learn from my past, I am still sometimes fatigued by the experiences that have truly left a mark. By the painful times when I didn't give my best effort, or was too easily distracted. When I used short term bandages instead of intensive introspection and deeper faith to deal with my pain. When I let my fears get in the way of taking risks for His glory. Internal reconciliation is critical to being a player and not a spectator for the Lord's team. My understanding and acknowledgement of my shortcomings and finding the strength to deal with them in Christ is a critical part of my on going growth in self reconciliation. WE CAN'T FOOL OUR OWN SOULS! When we pretend or act like we are something we aren't,or try to seek praise from individuals or things who are also flawed, we only bring chaos and disorder to our lives. When we are open and honest with ourselves, and our need for a Savior, we can make huge progress in reconciling ourselves back to not only ourselves but also to God. Then the power can come streaming in that can truly change our lives. I only wish I could bottle that feeling and break it out every moment of my life. Reconciliation is the goal. I believe it takes not only this lifetime, but all of eternity to fully realize the results of it's depth and beauty.
Sunday, October 30, 2011
Saturday, October 22, 2011
Harbor In The Tempest
10/22/2011
Weather Report From Heaven: Sunny and bright, with an abundance of light and lots of singing and rejoicing.
Bible Verse of the Day: 1 Corinthians 10:12-13 " So if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you do not fall! No temptation has seized you except what is common to man, and God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it."
Life can be difficult, of that we can be sure. Our human nature keeps getting in the way, and we make decisions on occasion that cause us great harm. We spoke last time about the ramifications of sin in our lives, but this message is focused on where we can turn to for protection before we make the mistakes that turn our lives upside down. The Lord is a safe harbor in the tempest of this life. When the storms are raging all around us, he can provide shelter to keep us safe. No matter how strong our faith is and how much we are abiding in Him who gives us hope, we are all vulnerable to falling if we take our eyes off of Him for even one second. Why is this? Because there is a spiritual battle that is raging in the unseen realms for our souls. This is a crucial battle and the forces are diametrically opposed. Galatians 5:17 says " For the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature. They are in conflict with one another, so that you do not do what you want." Understanding that this battle is raging is the first step in helping to live a life safe from the consequences of not being able to defend ourselves. We need help and thank God that His Son is the Good Sheppard He sent to save us from the dark forces that work to destroy us. 1st Peter 5:8 says " We must be alert. Your adversary the devil, prowl around like a roaring Lion, seeking someone to devour." Each one of us is uniquely vulnerable and the devil knows are weaknesses. With me, it may be lust in my heart or a selfish need to gratify my flesh. With others it may be alcohol, drugs, anger or hatred. Whatever our challenges, we must realize how vulnerable we are. We are all sinners and must realize that apart from Christ, we can do nothing but sin. It is in Him that we find peace and the way to walk the straight path, but we like lost sheep, tend to wander and go astray quite easily. Praise God that the Good Sheppard cares about each one of His sheep and will do whatever it takes to bring us safely back to His flock. In this life, there is lots of temptations for us to submit to our sinful nature. We can fall quite easily. Thankfully, in Him, there is a harbor in the tempest, a safe place where we can go to get out of the storms of life and to be renewed and strengthened for the voyage ahead. In the Bible Verse of the Day above, we learn that what is happening us is common to man, and that God will always give us a way out. He will not let us be tempted beyond our ability to handle it. But that requires us to be shielded by Him.That requires us to spend time with Him and to be in His word. The more time we spend in His harbor, the safer we are. But eventually we must shove off and continue our journey, growing in our abilities to defend ourselves from the raging battle as we learn to trust in Him to lead our safe passage. Like a boat that has been through an Ocean storm, we will have some marks on us and be a little worn at the end, but we will feel a great sense of pride in knowing that we finished the race. I believe this life is one big learning experience to prepare us for eternity. It is like a pre-season game preparing a football team for the regular season. You make your mistakes and you learn from them as you continue to grow. You are working towards a goal to finish strong. Then, like Paul says in 2nd Timothy 4:7, we will be able to one day say " I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith."
Weather Report From Heaven: Sunny and bright, with an abundance of light and lots of singing and rejoicing.
Bible Verse of the Day: 1 Corinthians 10:12-13 " So if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you do not fall! No temptation has seized you except what is common to man, and God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it."
Life can be difficult, of that we can be sure. Our human nature keeps getting in the way, and we make decisions on occasion that cause us great harm. We spoke last time about the ramifications of sin in our lives, but this message is focused on where we can turn to for protection before we make the mistakes that turn our lives upside down. The Lord is a safe harbor in the tempest of this life. When the storms are raging all around us, he can provide shelter to keep us safe. No matter how strong our faith is and how much we are abiding in Him who gives us hope, we are all vulnerable to falling if we take our eyes off of Him for even one second. Why is this? Because there is a spiritual battle that is raging in the unseen realms for our souls. This is a crucial battle and the forces are diametrically opposed. Galatians 5:17 says " For the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature. They are in conflict with one another, so that you do not do what you want." Understanding that this battle is raging is the first step in helping to live a life safe from the consequences of not being able to defend ourselves. We need help and thank God that His Son is the Good Sheppard He sent to save us from the dark forces that work to destroy us. 1st Peter 5:8 says " We must be alert. Your adversary the devil, prowl around like a roaring Lion, seeking someone to devour." Each one of us is uniquely vulnerable and the devil knows are weaknesses. With me, it may be lust in my heart or a selfish need to gratify my flesh. With others it may be alcohol, drugs, anger or hatred. Whatever our challenges, we must realize how vulnerable we are. We are all sinners and must realize that apart from Christ, we can do nothing but sin. It is in Him that we find peace and the way to walk the straight path, but we like lost sheep, tend to wander and go astray quite easily. Praise God that the Good Sheppard cares about each one of His sheep and will do whatever it takes to bring us safely back to His flock. In this life, there is lots of temptations for us to submit to our sinful nature. We can fall quite easily. Thankfully, in Him, there is a harbor in the tempest, a safe place where we can go to get out of the storms of life and to be renewed and strengthened for the voyage ahead. In the Bible Verse of the Day above, we learn that what is happening us is common to man, and that God will always give us a way out. He will not let us be tempted beyond our ability to handle it. But that requires us to be shielded by Him.That requires us to spend time with Him and to be in His word. The more time we spend in His harbor, the safer we are. But eventually we must shove off and continue our journey, growing in our abilities to defend ourselves from the raging battle as we learn to trust in Him to lead our safe passage. Like a boat that has been through an Ocean storm, we will have some marks on us and be a little worn at the end, but we will feel a great sense of pride in knowing that we finished the race. I believe this life is one big learning experience to prepare us for eternity. It is like a pre-season game preparing a football team for the regular season. You make your mistakes and you learn from them as you continue to grow. You are working towards a goal to finish strong. Then, like Paul says in 2nd Timothy 4:7, we will be able to one day say " I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith."
Thursday, October 20, 2011
Houston, We Have A Problem
10/20/2011
Weather Report From Heaven: Sunny and bright, with an abundance of light and lots of singing and rejoicing.
Bible Verse of the Day: 1 John 1:9 " If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."
There is a big problem in every person's life and it is called Sin. Sin is defined as the willful disobedience of God. If left unresolved, it will bring us much hardship and pain in our lifetime's. The problem with sin is it lasts longer than we want it to stay, and it costs us more than we want to pay. We cannot hide from our sin, even though we pretend that we can just sweep it under the carpet and pretend it never happened or has no lasting consequences. Sin will torment our souls as long as we allow it to lay dormant in our lives. But thankfully, God understands our condition and proclivity to sinning, so He gives us a way out. If we are willing to admit our mistakes, and ask for His forgiveness through His precious Son, Jesus Christ, than we can be free from our guilt and shame and be "cleansed from all unrighteousness" as the Bible Verse above tells us. There is incredible freedom in laying your sin at His feet and letting go of all of those things that have been weighing your soul down. We cannot trick our souls. We may be able to fool some people for some amount of time, and even believe ourselves that we have gotten away with whatever sinful act that we have committed, but our soul knows the truth and it cannot be deceived. We eventually will become tired of carrying around the weight of our unresolved sin. We will become restless. We must lay our head on our pillow at night, and when we become subconsciously aware of the deep seeded sin in our lives, we have to make a choice. Do we continue to try to hide from the truth or do we confess our mistakes, let go of our burdens and find rest and peace in God's promises of forgiveness. Isaiah 1:18 says " Let us reason together, says the Lord: though your sins be as scarlet they shall be as white as snow; though they be red as crimson, they shall be as wool." God always is waiting to forgive us and release us from our self inflicted bondage. He is as patient as we are stubborn. He won't grow weary in waiting for His lost sheep to return home as illustrated in the Parable of the Prodigal Son. However, we often try to manipulate the situation into one of control and we think that we have the right to make decisions in a vacuum while trying to escape the dogma of religious doctrine. We are, after all, masters of our domain. But in reality, when we choose ourselves in acts of sin, the consequences of that action always reverberate through many other lives. Adultery is a good example, for it is born of our pride to conquer another body for physical enjoyment. The physical pleasure may last a short while, but the pain that the sinful act can cause can last a lifetime and effect many lives.This is what God is trying to prevent. He knows that our sin will have a cascading effect on the lives of those around us and he wants to protect us from our own destruction and the destruction of many lives who get caught up in the friendly fire of our sinful decisions. When our response is to ignore the ramifications of our actions, and instead we dig our heels in a little deeper, we only worsen our predicament. We usually commit more egregious sins as we try to run from our initial sin. See the story of David and Bathsheba for a useful reference. Instead of just admitting his error in judgement for sleeping with the wife of his best friend Uriah, he compounds the situation through lies and manipulation that ultimately leads him to the desperate situation of feeling the only way out of this predicament is to have his friend killed in battle. His original sin, rather than being repented of and dealt with through the forgiveness of the grace of God, instead quickly ensnared him and led to a much larger problem. God is saying, I know you and your sinful ways, and I still am able to forgive you. Won't you come to me and let my grace wash over you? I have personally experienced that feeling of the weight of sin being washed away in God's grace and there is no feeling like it in the world. I literally felt like I was floating once I was willing to admit my mistakes, take comfort from the storms of my own doing in His love and find forgiveness in His grace. I find now that I am more willing to quickly admit my sins to Him on an ongoing basis, as the therapy soothes my soul. He continues to reveal the depths of my sin to me, some so subtle that I didn't even know they existed, so that I can be purged. God wants to give us a clear conscience, free from the restlessness that is born out of our own guilt and shame. What are we waiting for? Our pride and lust for control keeps us from experiencing the incredible power of God's forgiveness in our lives. Instead of running from Him, we should be running to Him. For that is where we will find forgiveness that will truly set us free and we will feel the grace that can change our lives forever. All glory and honor be to God.
Weather Report From Heaven: Sunny and bright, with an abundance of light and lots of singing and rejoicing.
Bible Verse of the Day: 1 John 1:9 " If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."
There is a big problem in every person's life and it is called Sin. Sin is defined as the willful disobedience of God. If left unresolved, it will bring us much hardship and pain in our lifetime's. The problem with sin is it lasts longer than we want it to stay, and it costs us more than we want to pay. We cannot hide from our sin, even though we pretend that we can just sweep it under the carpet and pretend it never happened or has no lasting consequences. Sin will torment our souls as long as we allow it to lay dormant in our lives. But thankfully, God understands our condition and proclivity to sinning, so He gives us a way out. If we are willing to admit our mistakes, and ask for His forgiveness through His precious Son, Jesus Christ, than we can be free from our guilt and shame and be "cleansed from all unrighteousness" as the Bible Verse above tells us. There is incredible freedom in laying your sin at His feet and letting go of all of those things that have been weighing your soul down. We cannot trick our souls. We may be able to fool some people for some amount of time, and even believe ourselves that we have gotten away with whatever sinful act that we have committed, but our soul knows the truth and it cannot be deceived. We eventually will become tired of carrying around the weight of our unresolved sin. We will become restless. We must lay our head on our pillow at night, and when we become subconsciously aware of the deep seeded sin in our lives, we have to make a choice. Do we continue to try to hide from the truth or do we confess our mistakes, let go of our burdens and find rest and peace in God's promises of forgiveness. Isaiah 1:18 says " Let us reason together, says the Lord: though your sins be as scarlet they shall be as white as snow; though they be red as crimson, they shall be as wool." God always is waiting to forgive us and release us from our self inflicted bondage. He is as patient as we are stubborn. He won't grow weary in waiting for His lost sheep to return home as illustrated in the Parable of the Prodigal Son. However, we often try to manipulate the situation into one of control and we think that we have the right to make decisions in a vacuum while trying to escape the dogma of religious doctrine. We are, after all, masters of our domain. But in reality, when we choose ourselves in acts of sin, the consequences of that action always reverberate through many other lives. Adultery is a good example, for it is born of our pride to conquer another body for physical enjoyment. The physical pleasure may last a short while, but the pain that the sinful act can cause can last a lifetime and effect many lives.This is what God is trying to prevent. He knows that our sin will have a cascading effect on the lives of those around us and he wants to protect us from our own destruction and the destruction of many lives who get caught up in the friendly fire of our sinful decisions. When our response is to ignore the ramifications of our actions, and instead we dig our heels in a little deeper, we only worsen our predicament. We usually commit more egregious sins as we try to run from our initial sin. See the story of David and Bathsheba for a useful reference. Instead of just admitting his error in judgement for sleeping with the wife of his best friend Uriah, he compounds the situation through lies and manipulation that ultimately leads him to the desperate situation of feeling the only way out of this predicament is to have his friend killed in battle. His original sin, rather than being repented of and dealt with through the forgiveness of the grace of God, instead quickly ensnared him and led to a much larger problem. God is saying, I know you and your sinful ways, and I still am able to forgive you. Won't you come to me and let my grace wash over you? I have personally experienced that feeling of the weight of sin being washed away in God's grace and there is no feeling like it in the world. I literally felt like I was floating once I was willing to admit my mistakes, take comfort from the storms of my own doing in His love and find forgiveness in His grace. I find now that I am more willing to quickly admit my sins to Him on an ongoing basis, as the therapy soothes my soul. He continues to reveal the depths of my sin to me, some so subtle that I didn't even know they existed, so that I can be purged. God wants to give us a clear conscience, free from the restlessness that is born out of our own guilt and shame. What are we waiting for? Our pride and lust for control keeps us from experiencing the incredible power of God's forgiveness in our lives. Instead of running from Him, we should be running to Him. For that is where we will find forgiveness that will truly set us free and we will feel the grace that can change our lives forever. All glory and honor be to God.
Friday, October 14, 2011
Success vs. Significance
10/14/2011
Weather Report From Heaven: Sunny and bright, with an abundance of light and lots of singing and rejoicing.
Bible Verse of the Day: Ephesians 4:12 " For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. "
To quote one of my least favorite entertainers ,Madonna, "We are living in a material world." That is evident everywhere we look. People equate success with stuff. What you have is probably the most important factor in deciding how you're measuring up. But in the long run, our worldly possessions won't amount to much. If the question is how much will we leave behind when we die, the answer is the same for everyone on earth: Everything! Luke 9:25 says, " what shall it profit a man to gain the whole world yet forfeit his very soul?" We are focused as Americans at accumulating things that make us feel good about ourselves; Houses, cars, boats , planes, women. The list is almost endless. But how much significance is gleamed from our stuff? Is it more important to have significance or success? Who's richer, the person who has all the money in the world like Donald Trump or the person who needs the least and still has abundant happiness like Mother Theresa? Success is based on achievement and performance. It is a fairly objective way to measure ourselves against others. In sports, it's called "scoreboard." The scoreboard never lies about who won and who lost. The record of each team is there for everyone to see, and to measure how they are doing . Significance is harder to define. It is much more subjective. What is significant to one person may be utterly meaningless to another. In the book Seven Days at the Links of Utopia the main character Johnny is mentoring to a young golfing protege named Luke Chisolm. Luke is searching for his significance in the world of golf, but more importantly in his own heart. Johnny defines significance for him as " character, relationships, values, virtues and faith. " In other words, what do you do with the time you have on this earth that will leave a mark or influence something or someone in a positive manner? What do people who meet you say about you? Do they know what you stand for? Do they know what you believe in? No matter how much stuff we have, we can't touch another person's life in a meaningful and significant way by the type of car we have or how many square feet our house is. But we can touch someone's life by giving them a ride when their car is broken down in the middle of a thunder storm or giving them a place to stay when they are in need. We can influence people by our actions and our love towards them when they are brought into our life for one reason or another. I am trying to apply these principles in my own life currently, with decidedly mixed results. Some days I do better than others, but at least now I am thinking about the lasting affects that my actions can have on others, both good and bad. I want to have an impact on people's lives that will illustrate to them the same love I have felt from my relationship with Jesus Christ. I want to be man of character and integrity who's word is worth something and who's values are easy to discern in any part of my life. I am striving for that level of faith that allows me to be proactive in reaching out to a hurting world and to be impactful in the lives of those whom I may not even know. To me, success and significance are intertwined to some degree. When I am significant in the ways defined above, then I will be successful. Money can be a very useful tool in helping to impact people's lives. I hope and pray for good stewardship with the financial blessings that come my way. I hope to accumulate experiences more than possessions, and to create memories of changed lives through my actions. I want to leave a lasting legacy of which Jesus Christ would be proud. In His name I pray, amen!
Weather Report From Heaven: Sunny and bright, with an abundance of light and lots of singing and rejoicing.
Bible Verse of the Day: Ephesians 4:12 " For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. "
To quote one of my least favorite entertainers ,Madonna, "We are living in a material world." That is evident everywhere we look. People equate success with stuff. What you have is probably the most important factor in deciding how you're measuring up. But in the long run, our worldly possessions won't amount to much. If the question is how much will we leave behind when we die, the answer is the same for everyone on earth: Everything! Luke 9:25 says, " what shall it profit a man to gain the whole world yet forfeit his very soul?" We are focused as Americans at accumulating things that make us feel good about ourselves; Houses, cars, boats , planes, women. The list is almost endless. But how much significance is gleamed from our stuff? Is it more important to have significance or success? Who's richer, the person who has all the money in the world like Donald Trump or the person who needs the least and still has abundant happiness like Mother Theresa? Success is based on achievement and performance. It is a fairly objective way to measure ourselves against others. In sports, it's called "scoreboard." The scoreboard never lies about who won and who lost. The record of each team is there for everyone to see, and to measure how they are doing . Significance is harder to define. It is much more subjective. What is significant to one person may be utterly meaningless to another. In the book Seven Days at the Links of Utopia the main character Johnny is mentoring to a young golfing protege named Luke Chisolm. Luke is searching for his significance in the world of golf, but more importantly in his own heart. Johnny defines significance for him as " character, relationships, values, virtues and faith. " In other words, what do you do with the time you have on this earth that will leave a mark or influence something or someone in a positive manner? What do people who meet you say about you? Do they know what you stand for? Do they know what you believe in? No matter how much stuff we have, we can't touch another person's life in a meaningful and significant way by the type of car we have or how many square feet our house is. But we can touch someone's life by giving them a ride when their car is broken down in the middle of a thunder storm or giving them a place to stay when they are in need. We can influence people by our actions and our love towards them when they are brought into our life for one reason or another. I am trying to apply these principles in my own life currently, with decidedly mixed results. Some days I do better than others, but at least now I am thinking about the lasting affects that my actions can have on others, both good and bad. I want to have an impact on people's lives that will illustrate to them the same love I have felt from my relationship with Jesus Christ. I want to be man of character and integrity who's word is worth something and who's values are easy to discern in any part of my life. I am striving for that level of faith that allows me to be proactive in reaching out to a hurting world and to be impactful in the lives of those whom I may not even know. To me, success and significance are intertwined to some degree. When I am significant in the ways defined above, then I will be successful. Money can be a very useful tool in helping to impact people's lives. I hope and pray for good stewardship with the financial blessings that come my way. I hope to accumulate experiences more than possessions, and to create memories of changed lives through my actions. I want to leave a lasting legacy of which Jesus Christ would be proud. In His name I pray, amen!
Thursday, October 13, 2011
Time Passages
10/13/2011
Weather Report From Heaven: Sunny and bright, with an abundance of light and lots of singing and rejoicing.
Bible Verse of the Day: 2nd Peter 3:8 " But do not forget this one thing, dear friends; With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and thousand years are like a day."
Gandhi once said " there is more to life than increasing its speed." The Bible often talks about time from an eternal standpoint and focuses us on our need to understand time from God's perspective. Psalm 46:10 tells us to " be still and know that I am God." God wants us to slow down and not hurry our way through life. To literally stop and take time to smell the roses. God is not constrained by the same time and space restrictions that limit our abilities here on earth. Sometimes I feel like the velocity of time is increasing and the corresponding pressure to fit everything into a day that needs to be accomplished seems overwhelming. But we still have the same 24 hours in a day that we have always had, so what's changed? We live in a fast paced, information driven age where are brains are always required to be "on" and where there is little time for relaxation and reflection. The world has taught us that if we want to get ahead in life, that we must work harder, longer and smarter than our competitors. For the most part this is true. But at what cost? I know people that are extremely talented and hard working and they have gained much material success from their efforts, but the other areas of their lives have suffered greatly. Divorce, illness and substance abuse are some of the side affects of placing all of their efforts, or time, into being successful in the world's eyes. They've spent so much time on one area of their lives, that they've had no time for the other areas, such as family, health, balance and enjoyment. How we prioritize our time I believe is very important to God. I have seen that when I put God 1st, my family second and everything else after that, there is a hierarchy to my life that flows very well. It seems like I am more patient and less rushed in my day when I start off the day alone in prayer with God and end it with reflection and thanks for all He did for me that day. I wish I did this everyday, but I don't. It is a goal of mine, and I will keep pursuing it, until I crowd everything else out in order to make more room and time for God instead of visa-verse. Time is the one thing that we can never get back, and the one thing that we never seem to have enough of. In this internet age, where information to anything is available almost at will, I struggle with being distracted by things that ultimately will be proven to be of little worth. Ultimately, these distractions lead me to feeling more hurried and less peaceful as they crowd out more important tasks. It sometimes feel like an endless loop of time vs. fatigue. This summer I have been blessed to have some time off to really focus on the Lord and on my family, and it has been incredibly fulfilling and rewarding. I have got to see what my wife goes through in an average day for her and I have a new found respect for that time commitment and how hard it is when you are dealing with kids who are never worried about being some place, any place, on time. There have been many moments this summer though where I have really tried to just enjoy the time alone with them. I have seen how this time spent with them translates directly into a deeper love for them and also how they respond to the time spent in a like manner. Love is time spent. When you love something or someone, you prioritize it. I think that the Bible verse of the Day above from 2nd Peter 3:8 lets us know that God's view of time is a more patient view of time, less hurried. He wants us to know that He loves us and He prioritizes his relationship with us. He is willing to wait for us. As I live out my life,I want to try and have that mindset with the relationships that are most significant in my life. I want my God, my wife and kids, and clients and friends to know that I value my relationships with them. In order for them to feel this, I need to slow down. I need to be more patient. I think the whole world does.
Weather Report From Heaven: Sunny and bright, with an abundance of light and lots of singing and rejoicing.
Bible Verse of the Day: 2nd Peter 3:8 " But do not forget this one thing, dear friends; With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and thousand years are like a day."
Gandhi once said " there is more to life than increasing its speed." The Bible often talks about time from an eternal standpoint and focuses us on our need to understand time from God's perspective. Psalm 46:10 tells us to " be still and know that I am God." God wants us to slow down and not hurry our way through life. To literally stop and take time to smell the roses. God is not constrained by the same time and space restrictions that limit our abilities here on earth. Sometimes I feel like the velocity of time is increasing and the corresponding pressure to fit everything into a day that needs to be accomplished seems overwhelming. But we still have the same 24 hours in a day that we have always had, so what's changed? We live in a fast paced, information driven age where are brains are always required to be "on" and where there is little time for relaxation and reflection. The world has taught us that if we want to get ahead in life, that we must work harder, longer and smarter than our competitors. For the most part this is true. But at what cost? I know people that are extremely talented and hard working and they have gained much material success from their efforts, but the other areas of their lives have suffered greatly. Divorce, illness and substance abuse are some of the side affects of placing all of their efforts, or time, into being successful in the world's eyes. They've spent so much time on one area of their lives, that they've had no time for the other areas, such as family, health, balance and enjoyment. How we prioritize our time I believe is very important to God. I have seen that when I put God 1st, my family second and everything else after that, there is a hierarchy to my life that flows very well. It seems like I am more patient and less rushed in my day when I start off the day alone in prayer with God and end it with reflection and thanks for all He did for me that day. I wish I did this everyday, but I don't. It is a goal of mine, and I will keep pursuing it, until I crowd everything else out in order to make more room and time for God instead of visa-verse. Time is the one thing that we can never get back, and the one thing that we never seem to have enough of. In this internet age, where information to anything is available almost at will, I struggle with being distracted by things that ultimately will be proven to be of little worth. Ultimately, these distractions lead me to feeling more hurried and less peaceful as they crowd out more important tasks. It sometimes feel like an endless loop of time vs. fatigue. This summer I have been blessed to have some time off to really focus on the Lord and on my family, and it has been incredibly fulfilling and rewarding. I have got to see what my wife goes through in an average day for her and I have a new found respect for that time commitment and how hard it is when you are dealing with kids who are never worried about being some place, any place, on time. There have been many moments this summer though where I have really tried to just enjoy the time alone with them. I have seen how this time spent with them translates directly into a deeper love for them and also how they respond to the time spent in a like manner. Love is time spent. When you love something or someone, you prioritize it. I think that the Bible verse of the Day above from 2nd Peter 3:8 lets us know that God's view of time is a more patient view of time, less hurried. He wants us to know that He loves us and He prioritizes his relationship with us. He is willing to wait for us. As I live out my life,I want to try and have that mindset with the relationships that are most significant in my life. I want my God, my wife and kids, and clients and friends to know that I value my relationships with them. In order for them to feel this, I need to slow down. I need to be more patient. I think the whole world does.
Wednesday, October 12, 2011
First Pride, Then The Fall
10/12/2011
Weather Report From Heaven: Sunny and bright, with an abundance of light and lots of singing and rejoicing.
Bible Verse of the Day: 1st peter 5: 5-6 " God opposes the proud, but shows favor to the humble. Humble yourselves, therefore, under God's mighty hand, that He may lift you up in due time."
I believe that pride is the most dangerous sin. Why? Because it keeps us from admitting our need for a savior, One greater than us who can redeem our sins and transform us back into the relationship with God that we were always meant to share. Pride is the control mechanism the devil uses to make us feel like we are in control of our lives and our eternal destination. Pride is being so wise in our own eyes that we fail to recognize the disastrous effects that sin in our lives is having on the relationships that are most important to us; our relationship with God, with our families and with our friends and acquaintances. Pride keeps us from feeling the power of God in our lives because we are unwilling to trust in Him when we feel like we are in control. Pride is what makes us blame other people or other factors when we fail at things that are important to us. Pride makes us haughty. We don't realize we are in need of a Doctor until we admit that we are sick. God tells us throughout the book of Proverbs that our own pride will eventually lead to our downfall. He warns us of the dangers of pride and how much He loathes it in Proverbs 8:13 " I hate pride and arrogance," in 16:18 " Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall," and in 29:23 " a man's pride brings him low, but a man of lowly spirit gains honor." God hates pride out of His love for us because it causes us separation from Him. God is not jealous of us, he is jealous for us. He wants us to walk with Him so He can protect us from ourselves. Like always, when God points out a problem in our nature, he always give us a solution. In this case he tells us what a contrast to our pride looks like. It looks like humility. Humility is not thinking less of yourself, it is thinking of yourself less. It is establishing the pecking order in your life: God first, your family second and everything after that next. When we are intentional in our realization that we are dependent on God for our strength and wisdom, then we become humble and He can work marvelous things in and through us. That is why Psalm 111:10 says " the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom." Humility is about recognizing our limitations and God's infinite power and wisdom. It helps us to put order into our personal universe when we acknowledge our need for God. Some people think of that as a weakness, to admit your dependence on another being or higher power to help you achieve your goals. I view it as spiritual maturity and growth. It is a breakthrough born of painful self examination.When we recognize who is ultimately in control, and "we humble ourselves before the mighty hands of God," it helps relieve stress, remove fear and tap us into a new energy source that can propel us to greater things. I am working on humility each and every day because I have come to recognize how destructive my ( false ) pride has been in my life. I think for me that has been the beginning of wisdom that has helped me in further developing my relationship with God. I continue to pray for His leadership in helping me to recognize and remove prideful areas of my life. He is doing that and I am very much a work in progress. But I now feel the blessings of humility in my life more easily and more quickly. As the Apostle Paul said, "for when I am weak, then am I strong," has started to make sense to me. His power truly is made perfect in my weakness. Praise God for His unending mercy and grace in revealing these truths to me before my pride took me for a great fall. Although we can fall in our pride which is part of our human nature at any moment, I now at least am aware of the problem. I have admitted my sickness and need for a Doctor. It will take me the rest of my lifetime to learn to become a good patient. Thankfully, I know the guy that can lead me. All praise and glory be to Jesus Christ!
Weather Report From Heaven: Sunny and bright, with an abundance of light and lots of singing and rejoicing.
Bible Verse of the Day: 1st peter 5: 5-6 " God opposes the proud, but shows favor to the humble. Humble yourselves, therefore, under God's mighty hand, that He may lift you up in due time."
I believe that pride is the most dangerous sin. Why? Because it keeps us from admitting our need for a savior, One greater than us who can redeem our sins and transform us back into the relationship with God that we were always meant to share. Pride is the control mechanism the devil uses to make us feel like we are in control of our lives and our eternal destination. Pride is being so wise in our own eyes that we fail to recognize the disastrous effects that sin in our lives is having on the relationships that are most important to us; our relationship with God, with our families and with our friends and acquaintances. Pride keeps us from feeling the power of God in our lives because we are unwilling to trust in Him when we feel like we are in control. Pride is what makes us blame other people or other factors when we fail at things that are important to us. Pride makes us haughty. We don't realize we are in need of a Doctor until we admit that we are sick. God tells us throughout the book of Proverbs that our own pride will eventually lead to our downfall. He warns us of the dangers of pride and how much He loathes it in Proverbs 8:13 " I hate pride and arrogance," in 16:18 " Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall," and in 29:23 " a man's pride brings him low, but a man of lowly spirit gains honor." God hates pride out of His love for us because it causes us separation from Him. God is not jealous of us, he is jealous for us. He wants us to walk with Him so He can protect us from ourselves. Like always, when God points out a problem in our nature, he always give us a solution. In this case he tells us what a contrast to our pride looks like. It looks like humility. Humility is not thinking less of yourself, it is thinking of yourself less. It is establishing the pecking order in your life: God first, your family second and everything after that next. When we are intentional in our realization that we are dependent on God for our strength and wisdom, then we become humble and He can work marvelous things in and through us. That is why Psalm 111:10 says " the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom." Humility is about recognizing our limitations and God's infinite power and wisdom. It helps us to put order into our personal universe when we acknowledge our need for God. Some people think of that as a weakness, to admit your dependence on another being or higher power to help you achieve your goals. I view it as spiritual maturity and growth. It is a breakthrough born of painful self examination.When we recognize who is ultimately in control, and "we humble ourselves before the mighty hands of God," it helps relieve stress, remove fear and tap us into a new energy source that can propel us to greater things. I am working on humility each and every day because I have come to recognize how destructive my ( false ) pride has been in my life. I think for me that has been the beginning of wisdom that has helped me in further developing my relationship with God. I continue to pray for His leadership in helping me to recognize and remove prideful areas of my life. He is doing that and I am very much a work in progress. But I now feel the blessings of humility in my life more easily and more quickly. As the Apostle Paul said, "for when I am weak, then am I strong," has started to make sense to me. His power truly is made perfect in my weakness. Praise God for His unending mercy and grace in revealing these truths to me before my pride took me for a great fall. Although we can fall in our pride which is part of our human nature at any moment, I now at least am aware of the problem. I have admitted my sickness and need for a Doctor. It will take me the rest of my lifetime to learn to become a good patient. Thankfully, I know the guy that can lead me. All praise and glory be to Jesus Christ!
Tuesday, October 11, 2011
Darkness vs. Light
10/11/2011
Weather Report From Heaven: Sunny and bright, with an abundance of light and lots of singing and rejoicing.
Bible Verse of the Day: 1st John 1:5-10 " God is light; in Him there is no darkness at all. If we claim to have fellowship with him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin. If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. If we claim we have not sinned, we make Him out to be a liar and His word has no place in our lives."
I remember being in Florida as a kid visiting my grandparents. I think I was about 8 years old at the time. I had never seen a cockroach before until I went to Florida. I went to the refrigerator in the middle of the night onetime to get some orange juice, and when I turned the light on, it was like the Indy 500 of roach racing. Those hideous bugs were running everywhere as fast as they could to escape the light that had rained down upon the darkness they were thriving in. I believe that this illustrates how many of us humans, me included, respond at first when Jesus Christ begins to shine His light into our darkness. We don't like it and we try to run and hide. Why? Because our foolish pride gets in the way! We don't want to change from our sinful ways. We like being masters of our own domain, doing what we want, when we want and with whom we want. We are happy living for self gratification and view any outside influences give up our "rights" as a threat. But this ultimately leads us into sitting in our own quagmire. We soon find out that the rush the world promises never lives up to the hype. As a pastor friend of mine, Gary Stubblefield, once preached "When we deny the power of God in our own lives and try to be our own kings, we quickly find that the enslaving chords of this world begin to grip around us and capture us, and they begin to chip away at our own personal beauty." You see, light and darkness cannot coexist together at the same time. God and sin cannot be present together at the same time. God sent His Son Jesus Christ into the world to shine His light into the darkness, and the world rejected that light. The world was enslaved to the darkness. We humans scattered like roaches, trying to hang on to our sinful ways. But Christ has a way of permeating that darkness with His light and eventually, when we grow tired of trying to do things our way, with our plans and our purposes, He can reach into the fire and pull us out, usually just in time. He is a very patient God and as a Sheppard, He cares deeply about all of His lost sheep. Not all of us will come and that is sad. Those who reject Him are letting their pride make an eternal decision for them that they will regret the second they die and see the disparity between true darkness and eternal light. We grow so rigid in our pride that we forgo the thing that we have been searching for our whole life, that only Christ can bring, and that is lasting inner peace. When we are walking in the light, we are at peace with ourselves and with our lives. It doesn't mean that we won't fall back into the darkness occasionally and make sinful decisions, for that is part of our human nature, but hopefully, we won't stay there for long. We will crave the freedom and the peace we have in the light enough to abandon our previous ways. Paul puts it this way in 2nd Corinthians 5:17 " Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come." That is what the light does to the darkness, it shatters it. To quote a famous song by the Doors and their lead singer Jimmy Morrison, " YOU KNOW THE DAY DESTROYS THE NIGHT, THE NIGHT DIVIDES THE DAY, TRY TO RUN, TRY TO HIDE, BREAK ON THROUGH TO THE OTHER SIDE." The other side of our dark, sinful and prideful nature is a beautiful light in Christ Jesus that breaks us free from our enslaving chords and brings us to a peaceful place where our sins have been forgiven and our heavy burdens are lifted. It took me 38 years to find that truth. It was worth the wait. I finally found something, in Jesus Christ, that lived up to the hype.
Weather Report From Heaven: Sunny and bright, with an abundance of light and lots of singing and rejoicing.
Bible Verse of the Day: 1st John 1:5-10 " God is light; in Him there is no darkness at all. If we claim to have fellowship with him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin. If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. If we claim we have not sinned, we make Him out to be a liar and His word has no place in our lives."
I remember being in Florida as a kid visiting my grandparents. I think I was about 8 years old at the time. I had never seen a cockroach before until I went to Florida. I went to the refrigerator in the middle of the night onetime to get some orange juice, and when I turned the light on, it was like the Indy 500 of roach racing. Those hideous bugs were running everywhere as fast as they could to escape the light that had rained down upon the darkness they were thriving in. I believe that this illustrates how many of us humans, me included, respond at first when Jesus Christ begins to shine His light into our darkness. We don't like it and we try to run and hide. Why? Because our foolish pride gets in the way! We don't want to change from our sinful ways. We like being masters of our own domain, doing what we want, when we want and with whom we want. We are happy living for self gratification and view any outside influences give up our "rights" as a threat. But this ultimately leads us into sitting in our own quagmire. We soon find out that the rush the world promises never lives up to the hype. As a pastor friend of mine, Gary Stubblefield, once preached "When we deny the power of God in our own lives and try to be our own kings, we quickly find that the enslaving chords of this world begin to grip around us and capture us, and they begin to chip away at our own personal beauty." You see, light and darkness cannot coexist together at the same time. God and sin cannot be present together at the same time. God sent His Son Jesus Christ into the world to shine His light into the darkness, and the world rejected that light. The world was enslaved to the darkness. We humans scattered like roaches, trying to hang on to our sinful ways. But Christ has a way of permeating that darkness with His light and eventually, when we grow tired of trying to do things our way, with our plans and our purposes, He can reach into the fire and pull us out, usually just in time. He is a very patient God and as a Sheppard, He cares deeply about all of His lost sheep. Not all of us will come and that is sad. Those who reject Him are letting their pride make an eternal decision for them that they will regret the second they die and see the disparity between true darkness and eternal light. We grow so rigid in our pride that we forgo the thing that we have been searching for our whole life, that only Christ can bring, and that is lasting inner peace. When we are walking in the light, we are at peace with ourselves and with our lives. It doesn't mean that we won't fall back into the darkness occasionally and make sinful decisions, for that is part of our human nature, but hopefully, we won't stay there for long. We will crave the freedom and the peace we have in the light enough to abandon our previous ways. Paul puts it this way in 2nd Corinthians 5:17 " Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come." That is what the light does to the darkness, it shatters it. To quote a famous song by the Doors and their lead singer Jimmy Morrison, " YOU KNOW THE DAY DESTROYS THE NIGHT, THE NIGHT DIVIDES THE DAY, TRY TO RUN, TRY TO HIDE, BREAK ON THROUGH TO THE OTHER SIDE." The other side of our dark, sinful and prideful nature is a beautiful light in Christ Jesus that breaks us free from our enslaving chords and brings us to a peaceful place where our sins have been forgiven and our heavy burdens are lifted. It took me 38 years to find that truth. It was worth the wait. I finally found something, in Jesus Christ, that lived up to the hype.
Monday, October 10, 2011
Networking 101
10/10/2011
Weather Report From Heaven: Sunny and bright, with an abundance of light and lots of singing and rejoicing.
Bible verse of the Day: Mark 3:13-14 "Jesus went up to a mountainside and called to him those he wanted, and they came to him. He appointed twelve-designating them apostles- that they might be with him and that he might send them out to preach."
Jesus was the best net-worker that ever lived. There, I said it. No I-phone, no lap top, no cell phone ,no fax machine, no Nike's, no car, no planes. Just the most perfectly executed networking strategy in history. Take 12 rag tag guys, mostly uneducated fisherman and despised tax collectors, and tell them that they are the plan. In their hands the Gospel lies. There job? Nothing less than to ensure that the gospel is heard throughout the world. They are to spread the good news of Christ's coming, His death and resurrection, and the eternal implications of that for all of humanity. TALK ABOUT PRESSURE! No last minute drive to win the Super Bowl or playing golf for $5 a hole with only $2 in your pocket can even shake a stick at this amount of pressure. But here we are over 2,000 years later and the gospel is still being preached in Judea, in Samaria and to the ends of the earth. How did Jesus know that His plan would work and why did he chose to carry it out this way? Couldn't He have done a better job if He just handled it himself? After all, we are imperfect human beings, prone to errors in judgement and weak in character. The fact that Jesus choose 12 guys to carry the gospel message reveals some deep and interesting things about Him; He understood math and the compounding of numbers. He values a relationship with us more than we could ever imagine. He is a great delegator, communicator and coach. He knows that for the Kingdom to grow, that we must personally grow in our faith and as a result, be involved in helping the Kingdom to grow. Finally, Jesus knew that this wasn't a sprint but a marathon. He spent three solid years with the disciples teaching, rebuking, preparing and motivating them for the task at hand. He imparted wisdom from His Father unto them, but they didn't get it. He was patient with them. He understood their human condition to doubt, whine and betray. He never stopped investing in them. As a matter of fact, He took great joy in investing in them. Nearly 2,000 years later these same things apply to us. By the grace of God, He never leaves us or betrays us. When we fall down, he picks us up, dusts us off and gets us back in the game. No condemnation, only love and joy. He is willing to invest in us as along as it takes for us to get our act together. Sometimes that takes awhile. To him, it is always worth it. Each soul a precious treasure to be redeemed. I am humbled at the thought of His amazing grace, unfailing mercy and incomprehensible love. I pray that one day it will truly sink in and I will burst forth with an energy and freedom that I have never imagined. All fears set aside, for if He is for me, what can stand against me? I am not sure if in our human condition we can even come close to grasping how His plan for spreading the gospel involves each one of us as His hands and feet and what that means for our lives. How the plan He put in place with His 12 disciples now continues on today with every Christian alive today able to take part in His plan. His joy is in including us in His great work of spreading the gospel. The foundation was laid so solidly, that there is nothing in the world that can keep it from its destination. Billions of souls throughout history will attest to it. Jesus is the greatest net-worker that ever lived. Hallelujah!
Weather Report From Heaven: Sunny and bright, with an abundance of light and lots of singing and rejoicing.
Bible verse of the Day: Mark 3:13-14 "Jesus went up to a mountainside and called to him those he wanted, and they came to him. He appointed twelve-designating them apostles- that they might be with him and that he might send them out to preach."
Jesus was the best net-worker that ever lived. There, I said it. No I-phone, no lap top, no cell phone ,no fax machine, no Nike's, no car, no planes. Just the most perfectly executed networking strategy in history. Take 12 rag tag guys, mostly uneducated fisherman and despised tax collectors, and tell them that they are the plan. In their hands the Gospel lies. There job? Nothing less than to ensure that the gospel is heard throughout the world. They are to spread the good news of Christ's coming, His death and resurrection, and the eternal implications of that for all of humanity. TALK ABOUT PRESSURE! No last minute drive to win the Super Bowl or playing golf for $5 a hole with only $2 in your pocket can even shake a stick at this amount of pressure. But here we are over 2,000 years later and the gospel is still being preached in Judea, in Samaria and to the ends of the earth. How did Jesus know that His plan would work and why did he chose to carry it out this way? Couldn't He have done a better job if He just handled it himself? After all, we are imperfect human beings, prone to errors in judgement and weak in character. The fact that Jesus choose 12 guys to carry the gospel message reveals some deep and interesting things about Him; He understood math and the compounding of numbers. He values a relationship with us more than we could ever imagine. He is a great delegator, communicator and coach. He knows that for the Kingdom to grow, that we must personally grow in our faith and as a result, be involved in helping the Kingdom to grow. Finally, Jesus knew that this wasn't a sprint but a marathon. He spent three solid years with the disciples teaching, rebuking, preparing and motivating them for the task at hand. He imparted wisdom from His Father unto them, but they didn't get it. He was patient with them. He understood their human condition to doubt, whine and betray. He never stopped investing in them. As a matter of fact, He took great joy in investing in them. Nearly 2,000 years later these same things apply to us. By the grace of God, He never leaves us or betrays us. When we fall down, he picks us up, dusts us off and gets us back in the game. No condemnation, only love and joy. He is willing to invest in us as along as it takes for us to get our act together. Sometimes that takes awhile. To him, it is always worth it. Each soul a precious treasure to be redeemed. I am humbled at the thought of His amazing grace, unfailing mercy and incomprehensible love. I pray that one day it will truly sink in and I will burst forth with an energy and freedom that I have never imagined. All fears set aside, for if He is for me, what can stand against me? I am not sure if in our human condition we can even come close to grasping how His plan for spreading the gospel involves each one of us as His hands and feet and what that means for our lives. How the plan He put in place with His 12 disciples now continues on today with every Christian alive today able to take part in His plan. His joy is in including us in His great work of spreading the gospel. The foundation was laid so solidly, that there is nothing in the world that can keep it from its destination. Billions of souls throughout history will attest to it. Jesus is the greatest net-worker that ever lived. Hallelujah!
Friday, October 7, 2011
The Law of Unintended Consequences
10/7/2011
Weather Report From Heaven: Sunny and bright, with an abundance of light and lots of singing and rejoicing.
Bible Verse of the Day: Psalm 9:15 " The nations have fallen into the pit they have dug. Their feet are caught in the net they have hidden."
When Nations turn away from God, the results can be devastating. Throughout the old testament of the Bible, there is a seemingly never ending cycle of deliverance and pain that takes place with the Nation of Israel and God. God will do something amazing for His "chosen" people and then after an amount of time goes by, they will turn their back on God and start trying to do things on their own accord. From their own prideful position, they suffer and then they fall, and then God will have to humble them through a painful trial in order to have them turn back to Him for their deliverance once again. God loves overcoming huge odds and doing things that can only be done through His supreme power and wisdom, but at some point you get the idea that He is just sitting up in Heaven shaking His head, going, here we go again. You still don't believe in me, do you? Oh yeah of little faith. Well, Israel continues to go through the peaks and valleys of their relationship with God as their faith ebbs and flows like the ocean's tide. Every time they think they've arrived as a Nation, someone in the command and control structure disobeys God's orders and they fall back into the pit they have dug for themselves as our Bible verse of the day above explains. Well, here we are thousands of years later, and the same challenges are happening right now in America. We have been a blessed Nation that was founded on the Judeo- Christian values espoused in the bible and we prospered more than any nation ever has because of our founders realization of our dependence on God. But as time has gone on and our financial success has grown, we have slowly but surely stopped given God the credit, and instead have become convinced that we are something special and that we are responsible for our prosperity. So we have slowly and surely legislated God out of certain areas of our Country's foundational structure, the classroom, the courtroom, the public marketplace, the nativity scenes of our cities. The consequences speak for themselves. Our Country has fallen into the pit we have dug. We have become the victims of what we asked for. Freedom from God that the Atheist movement has espoused, leads to a Nation free of the blessings of God. We wonder where God is? He is right where we have put him, in the bleachers, just waiting for us to invite Him back to where He should be, leading us on the playing field. The parallels between what happened to Israel in the Old Testament and what we are going through now in America are striking. Our prideful condition has led us to suffer the unintended consequences of our own success. The unintended consequences of our actions have led to our decline as a nation. In the story of King Midas the law of unintended consequences is best laid out. King Midas gets his wish and everything he touches turns to gold. At first glance, Midas is as happy as can be with the granting of his wish. He is only focused on the wealth benefits of having gold anywhere at anytime in his fingertips. He can be the wealthiest man in the world and buy anything he desires. Everything changed for Midas though was the unintended consequences of his granted wish began to manifest themselves and he realized that by touching his loved ones they became lifeless and by his embrace all food became inedible. Suddenly, all the wealth in the world lost its meaning if he would never have anyone to share it with, nor would he ever have any food to eat. This story reminded me to be very careful in what I pray for in my life. The old saying of be careful what you wish for because you just might get flashed into my mind. Sometimes not getting what we prayed for is God protecting us from the law of unintended consequences. We may not even realize it until much later in our life, or until after we die, but we must trust that sometimes by God not answering our prayers, He is actually working more powerfully in our lives than if he did. In my own life, I have often prayed for comfort, but later realized that He wanted me to have deeper character. He was working for my eternal benefit rather than for a short term need that I perceived to be important. He was protecting me from myself, knowing that I was not ready to handle all of the temptations that would come with "material comfort." I am hoping that someday, should that in fact be a blessing He bestows upon me, that I will be ready to handle it, like in Matthew 25:21 when Jesus says to His servant " Well done good and faithful servant. You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your Master's happiness." That is something that someday I hope to hear my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ whisper in my ear, "well done my good and faithful servant." I pray for our country to have a revival, that we can find our way back to the dependence on God that made us great. I pray for myself that I will never turn my back on the one who saved me!
Weather Report From Heaven: Sunny and bright, with an abundance of light and lots of singing and rejoicing.
Bible Verse of the Day: Psalm 9:15 " The nations have fallen into the pit they have dug. Their feet are caught in the net they have hidden."
When Nations turn away from God, the results can be devastating. Throughout the old testament of the Bible, there is a seemingly never ending cycle of deliverance and pain that takes place with the Nation of Israel and God. God will do something amazing for His "chosen" people and then after an amount of time goes by, they will turn their back on God and start trying to do things on their own accord. From their own prideful position, they suffer and then they fall, and then God will have to humble them through a painful trial in order to have them turn back to Him for their deliverance once again. God loves overcoming huge odds and doing things that can only be done through His supreme power and wisdom, but at some point you get the idea that He is just sitting up in Heaven shaking His head, going, here we go again. You still don't believe in me, do you? Oh yeah of little faith. Well, Israel continues to go through the peaks and valleys of their relationship with God as their faith ebbs and flows like the ocean's tide. Every time they think they've arrived as a Nation, someone in the command and control structure disobeys God's orders and they fall back into the pit they have dug for themselves as our Bible verse of the day above explains. Well, here we are thousands of years later, and the same challenges are happening right now in America. We have been a blessed Nation that was founded on the Judeo- Christian values espoused in the bible and we prospered more than any nation ever has because of our founders realization of our dependence on God. But as time has gone on and our financial success has grown, we have slowly but surely stopped given God the credit, and instead have become convinced that we are something special and that we are responsible for our prosperity. So we have slowly and surely legislated God out of certain areas of our Country's foundational structure, the classroom, the courtroom, the public marketplace, the nativity scenes of our cities. The consequences speak for themselves. Our Country has fallen into the pit we have dug. We have become the victims of what we asked for. Freedom from God that the Atheist movement has espoused, leads to a Nation free of the blessings of God. We wonder where God is? He is right where we have put him, in the bleachers, just waiting for us to invite Him back to where He should be, leading us on the playing field. The parallels between what happened to Israel in the Old Testament and what we are going through now in America are striking. Our prideful condition has led us to suffer the unintended consequences of our own success. The unintended consequences of our actions have led to our decline as a nation. In the story of King Midas the law of unintended consequences is best laid out. King Midas gets his wish and everything he touches turns to gold. At first glance, Midas is as happy as can be with the granting of his wish. He is only focused on the wealth benefits of having gold anywhere at anytime in his fingertips. He can be the wealthiest man in the world and buy anything he desires. Everything changed for Midas though was the unintended consequences of his granted wish began to manifest themselves and he realized that by touching his loved ones they became lifeless and by his embrace all food became inedible. Suddenly, all the wealth in the world lost its meaning if he would never have anyone to share it with, nor would he ever have any food to eat. This story reminded me to be very careful in what I pray for in my life. The old saying of be careful what you wish for because you just might get flashed into my mind. Sometimes not getting what we prayed for is God protecting us from the law of unintended consequences. We may not even realize it until much later in our life, or until after we die, but we must trust that sometimes by God not answering our prayers, He is actually working more powerfully in our lives than if he did. In my own life, I have often prayed for comfort, but later realized that He wanted me to have deeper character. He was working for my eternal benefit rather than for a short term need that I perceived to be important. He was protecting me from myself, knowing that I was not ready to handle all of the temptations that would come with "material comfort." I am hoping that someday, should that in fact be a blessing He bestows upon me, that I will be ready to handle it, like in Matthew 25:21 when Jesus says to His servant " Well done good and faithful servant. You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your Master's happiness." That is something that someday I hope to hear my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ whisper in my ear, "well done my good and faithful servant." I pray for our country to have a revival, that we can find our way back to the dependence on God that made us great. I pray for myself that I will never turn my back on the one who saved me!
Thursday, October 6, 2011
How deep do we want to go?
10/06/2011
Weather Report From Heaven: Sunny and bright, with an abundance of light and lots of singing and rejoicing.
Bible verse of the Day: Psalm 38:39-40 " The salvation of the righteous comes from the Lord; he is their stronghold in time of trouble. The Lord helps them and delivers them; he delivers them from the wicked and saves them, because they take refuge in him."
How do we know when we are on the right track as Christians? How deep should we go in pursuit of our faith? Jesus said in Matthew 22:37 that the greatest commandment of all was to ''love the lord your God with all of your heart, with all of your soul, and with all of your mind." How do we know when we have arrived at that place? Do we ever arrive? These questions and many others have been bothering me lately as I seek an ever growing relationship with God. I want their to be intensity in my relationship with God. I want to fervently pursue Him and explore the mysteries of that relationship. I recently read an amazing book by Mark Batterson called " In a pit with a lion on a snowy day." At the end of this book, he talks about getting back to the primal aspects of what first attracted us to Christ and to being a Christian. That moment when we first realized that He truly was " the way, the truth and the life." Like the first kiss with our significant other, there was a magical and life altering moment when we first felt the present of Christ in our life and we realized that our lives would never be the same. Batterson explores the concept of simplicity on the near side of complexity vs. simplicity on the far side of complexity in exploring how deep our relationship is with the Lord. he states that simplicity on the near side of complexity is only mind deep; people know what they believe, but they don't know why they believe what they believe. Their faith is fragile. Simplicity on the far side of complexity on the other hand, takes into account an awareness of the unanswerable questions and unexplainable experiences of God that lead to a heightened appreciation for the mystery and majesty of who God is. God calls us to faith on the far side of doubt, joy on the far side of sorrow and love on the far side of anger. So how do we get there? That is the journey that we should all be pursuing as Christians! Batterson recognizes that we as Christians have a problem. While we are quick to point out what is wrong with our culture, we are slow to seek out what is wrong with us, meaning the church in the 21st Century. Instead of asking what is wrong with this generation who has all but abandoned the church, we should be asking what is wrong with the church? He believes that the answer lies in the fact that we are not great at the great commandment. We need more compassion, more wonder, more curiosity and more energy when it comes to fulfilling the great commandment. This requires a period of painful introspection about how intense is our pursuit of God. We may need to learn and unlearn some things that have kept us from being great, or even good, at fulfilling the great commandment. One question that Batterson poses is " Does your heart break for the things that break the heart of God?" The answer to that question, I believe, reveals a lot to us about where we are in our walk with the Lord. We all have sin in our lives that surely breaks the heart of God. But how seriously do we take that sin? Are we truly repentant and striving to remove those things which breaks God's heart, or do we just casually wave it off as just a condition of our human nature. I for one know that I have lots of room for growth in being more intentional and having more intensity around correcting those things in my life that break God's heart. A partial list would include not always being all in with my trust of God's ability to run my life, a lustful heart, an ability to want to have a backup plan, a level of impatience that is unacceptable and a hard time living out the same amount of grace and forgiveness,, that He has shown me, to others in my life.Those things break God's heart and my heart must truly break for that until I am able to fix those things through a deeper understanding of who God is and what He is capable of achieving in my life. I pray that I would find the all consuming passion and energy to make that the highest priority of my life. Nothing else will truly matter in the end. As Batterson points out, Anything less is not enough. It is not just unfulfilling, it is also unfaithful.
Weather Report From Heaven: Sunny and bright, with an abundance of light and lots of singing and rejoicing.
Bible verse of the Day: Psalm 38:39-40 " The salvation of the righteous comes from the Lord; he is their stronghold in time of trouble. The Lord helps them and delivers them; he delivers them from the wicked and saves them, because they take refuge in him."
How do we know when we are on the right track as Christians? How deep should we go in pursuit of our faith? Jesus said in Matthew 22:37 that the greatest commandment of all was to ''love the lord your God with all of your heart, with all of your soul, and with all of your mind." How do we know when we have arrived at that place? Do we ever arrive? These questions and many others have been bothering me lately as I seek an ever growing relationship with God. I want their to be intensity in my relationship with God. I want to fervently pursue Him and explore the mysteries of that relationship. I recently read an amazing book by Mark Batterson called " In a pit with a lion on a snowy day." At the end of this book, he talks about getting back to the primal aspects of what first attracted us to Christ and to being a Christian. That moment when we first realized that He truly was " the way, the truth and the life." Like the first kiss with our significant other, there was a magical and life altering moment when we first felt the present of Christ in our life and we realized that our lives would never be the same. Batterson explores the concept of simplicity on the near side of complexity vs. simplicity on the far side of complexity in exploring how deep our relationship is with the Lord. he states that simplicity on the near side of complexity is only mind deep; people know what they believe, but they don't know why they believe what they believe. Their faith is fragile. Simplicity on the far side of complexity on the other hand, takes into account an awareness of the unanswerable questions and unexplainable experiences of God that lead to a heightened appreciation for the mystery and majesty of who God is. God calls us to faith on the far side of doubt, joy on the far side of sorrow and love on the far side of anger. So how do we get there? That is the journey that we should all be pursuing as Christians! Batterson recognizes that we as Christians have a problem. While we are quick to point out what is wrong with our culture, we are slow to seek out what is wrong with us, meaning the church in the 21st Century. Instead of asking what is wrong with this generation who has all but abandoned the church, we should be asking what is wrong with the church? He believes that the answer lies in the fact that we are not great at the great commandment. We need more compassion, more wonder, more curiosity and more energy when it comes to fulfilling the great commandment. This requires a period of painful introspection about how intense is our pursuit of God. We may need to learn and unlearn some things that have kept us from being great, or even good, at fulfilling the great commandment. One question that Batterson poses is " Does your heart break for the things that break the heart of God?" The answer to that question, I believe, reveals a lot to us about where we are in our walk with the Lord. We all have sin in our lives that surely breaks the heart of God. But how seriously do we take that sin? Are we truly repentant and striving to remove those things which breaks God's heart, or do we just casually wave it off as just a condition of our human nature. I for one know that I have lots of room for growth in being more intentional and having more intensity around correcting those things in my life that break God's heart. A partial list would include not always being all in with my trust of God's ability to run my life, a lustful heart, an ability to want to have a backup plan, a level of impatience that is unacceptable and a hard time living out the same amount of grace and forgiveness,, that He has shown me, to others in my life.Those things break God's heart and my heart must truly break for that until I am able to fix those things through a deeper understanding of who God is and what He is capable of achieving in my life. I pray that I would find the all consuming passion and energy to make that the highest priority of my life. Nothing else will truly matter in the end. As Batterson points out, Anything less is not enough. It is not just unfulfilling, it is also unfaithful.
Wednesday, October 5, 2011
Love will keep us together
10/5/2011
Weather Report From Heaven: Sunny and bright, with an abundance of light and lots of singing and rejoicing.
Bible Verse of the Day: Matthew 22:37-39 " Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the greatest commandment. And the 2nd is like it; Love your neighbor as yourself."
My wife had surgery yesterday and I was thinking about what true love is as she was taken off to surgery and then I came home to my young children and they were so concerned and upset for their mommy. They love her so much and couldn't function properly without her. Neither could I. Our family unit was out of whack all day without the love, expressed in many ways at many times during the day, of my wife and their mother. My wife is great at expressing her love to her family in her acts of unselfishness. She lives out her love for her family by putting the needs of the kids and me before her own. She loves by example. Tonight we had a mother of a classmate from my son's school deliver food to us so we wouldn't have to cook or clean. Talk about living out the love thy neighbor creed. That was an amazing example of love to me. This woman didn't even really know us, but as a result of a prayer circle, was led by the Spirit to do this as an act of kindness. My son's school is filled with this type of loving attitude from the faculty, to the parents and then to the children. They are learning all about love in the sense of living it out in their daily lives towards one another within that school community. It is so cool to be a part of such a special place. They exemplify the type of love that Jesus was teaching about constantly in His earthly ministry.
I have always thought of love from the context of what it means in my life. To me, love is a devotion to someone or something that will cause you to prioritize it, to fight for it, and if necessary to even die for it. Jesus tells us in the scripture above that the one thing that we should be prioritizing in our lives above all else is to love God with all we have. That love will bind us together. I find it fascinating that He leads with loving with our hearts. When we love with all of our heart, we are vulnerable and there is a commitment to make it work out. In poker parlance, we are all in. Jesus is saying that the love of God is something that we need to be all in for in our lives. He knows that the benefits of that relationship will be a blessing to us of utmost importance. When we love God as best as we know how, we are illustrating our humility and dependence upon Him to lead us throughout our lives. We benefit from the time spent with Him just like with any other loving relationship we have. We are more easily able to discern His will for us in difficult circumstances, in tough decisions, and in managing both successes and failures in our lives. How do we accomplish loving God? I believe the answer is in prayer. When we pray to God, we are actually loving Him. We are exhibiting the importance of Him in our life by our willingness to spend time with Him in conversation. When we make God a priority, we show how much we love Him. We should take time out of our days to be alone with Him in prayerful thought. Call me crazy, but I find that when I start my days this way in the early morning ,they tend to go better. I often find that something that I prayed on, or that was revealed to me, inevitably comes up during the day and I am better prepared to handle that circumstance. There are many potential hindrances to our prayer life, including busyness, distraction, disappointment and neglect. But just like in our relationship with our wife or kids, if we continually put off spending quality time with them, our relationship will suffer because of the neglect. Love is best defined by another four letter word, time. As a mentor of mine once said, don't tell me why you don't have time for something, tell me why it's not a priority in your life. We all have the same amount of time in a day, and how we prioritize it says a lot about what and who we love. Jesus, in the bible verse above from the book of Matthew, calls this the greatest commandment of all. He knows that we will have to make sacrifices with our time occasionally in order to spend quality time with God, but the benefits will be so much greater than the cost, that He is urging us to make this priority #1. God delights in our willingness to spend time with him and will richly bless us by imparting His wisdom and love upon us. We can fake many things in our lives, but we cant fake showing up. Showing up for God is worth our time. In fact, it is the most important thing that we can ever do.
Weather Report From Heaven: Sunny and bright, with an abundance of light and lots of singing and rejoicing.
Bible Verse of the Day: Matthew 22:37-39 " Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the greatest commandment. And the 2nd is like it; Love your neighbor as yourself."
My wife had surgery yesterday and I was thinking about what true love is as she was taken off to surgery and then I came home to my young children and they were so concerned and upset for their mommy. They love her so much and couldn't function properly without her. Neither could I. Our family unit was out of whack all day without the love, expressed in many ways at many times during the day, of my wife and their mother. My wife is great at expressing her love to her family in her acts of unselfishness. She lives out her love for her family by putting the needs of the kids and me before her own. She loves by example. Tonight we had a mother of a classmate from my son's school deliver food to us so we wouldn't have to cook or clean. Talk about living out the love thy neighbor creed. That was an amazing example of love to me. This woman didn't even really know us, but as a result of a prayer circle, was led by the Spirit to do this as an act of kindness. My son's school is filled with this type of loving attitude from the faculty, to the parents and then to the children. They are learning all about love in the sense of living it out in their daily lives towards one another within that school community. It is so cool to be a part of such a special place. They exemplify the type of love that Jesus was teaching about constantly in His earthly ministry.
I have always thought of love from the context of what it means in my life. To me, love is a devotion to someone or something that will cause you to prioritize it, to fight for it, and if necessary to even die for it. Jesus tells us in the scripture above that the one thing that we should be prioritizing in our lives above all else is to love God with all we have. That love will bind us together. I find it fascinating that He leads with loving with our hearts. When we love with all of our heart, we are vulnerable and there is a commitment to make it work out. In poker parlance, we are all in. Jesus is saying that the love of God is something that we need to be all in for in our lives. He knows that the benefits of that relationship will be a blessing to us of utmost importance. When we love God as best as we know how, we are illustrating our humility and dependence upon Him to lead us throughout our lives. We benefit from the time spent with Him just like with any other loving relationship we have. We are more easily able to discern His will for us in difficult circumstances, in tough decisions, and in managing both successes and failures in our lives. How do we accomplish loving God? I believe the answer is in prayer. When we pray to God, we are actually loving Him. We are exhibiting the importance of Him in our life by our willingness to spend time with Him in conversation. When we make God a priority, we show how much we love Him. We should take time out of our days to be alone with Him in prayerful thought. Call me crazy, but I find that when I start my days this way in the early morning ,they tend to go better. I often find that something that I prayed on, or that was revealed to me, inevitably comes up during the day and I am better prepared to handle that circumstance. There are many potential hindrances to our prayer life, including busyness, distraction, disappointment and neglect. But just like in our relationship with our wife or kids, if we continually put off spending quality time with them, our relationship will suffer because of the neglect. Love is best defined by another four letter word, time. As a mentor of mine once said, don't tell me why you don't have time for something, tell me why it's not a priority in your life. We all have the same amount of time in a day, and how we prioritize it says a lot about what and who we love. Jesus, in the bible verse above from the book of Matthew, calls this the greatest commandment of all. He knows that we will have to make sacrifices with our time occasionally in order to spend quality time with God, but the benefits will be so much greater than the cost, that He is urging us to make this priority #1. God delights in our willingness to spend time with him and will richly bless us by imparting His wisdom and love upon us. We can fake many things in our lives, but we cant fake showing up. Showing up for God is worth our time. In fact, it is the most important thing that we can ever do.
Tuesday, October 4, 2011
The Wilderness
10/4/2011
Weather Report From Heaven: Sunny and bright, with an abundance of light and lots of singing and rejoicing.
Bible verse of the day: Deuteronomy 31:6 " Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you."
The wilderness means different things to different people. If you say to someone that you have just returned from the wilderness, they probably think you went camping or shot the rapids in a raft or canoe or went mountain climbing. They would think that you went to get away, to relax and recharge. They may think that you needed time alone to think about your life, away from the hustle and bustle of everyday life. To escape the frantic pace at which we live our lives in the 21st century. The wilderness conjures up vivid memories for most people. For me, it represents freedom, beauty, open space, quietness, serenity, adventure and most importantly, time for personal introspection and reflection. I have found my soul many times during various 'wilderness' excursions. But in my Christian walk, as I am sure is the case with many other folks, the wilderness can represent something more scary. It can represent the times that truly test a man's faith. it can represent our black hole experiences, where we are alone and afraid, with little feedback or communication from God. Jesus was tempted by the devil in the wilderness to prove his ministry was not about the kingdom of this world, but the kingdom of the unseen heavenly realms for which God had sent him. Jesus suffered greatly in the wilderness, but he stood strong by rebuking the devil with scripture, " it is written that Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God." Matthew 4:4 " It is also written: Do not put the Lord your God to the test." Matthew 4:7 " Away from me Satan! For it is written: Worship the Lord your God, and serve Him only." Matthew 4:10 The fact that Jesus, the Son of God, suffered greatly when tempted in the wilderness should give us all perspective and encouragement when facing our own wilderness experiences. In fact, Hebrews 2:18 tells us, " Because he himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted." That He understands what we are going through in our darkest hours of questioning our faith, and that He is able to help us and intercede on our behalf when we're wondering where God is in our lives, when our prayers aren't being answered, when we can't hear God's voice, is what has kept me going many times. It is that personal relationship and fellowship with Christ, God incarnate, that defines our walk. That He can relate to our human experiences, since he also experienced them as a human, is what sets our whole Christian life apart from any other religion in the world. Because when we are in the midst of a wilderness experience, when God is building up our trust in Him through a season of preparation, there is no other practical way to get through that except to know that our savior, Jesus Christ, suffered as well and can relate to what we are going through. Not surprisingly, the place where we are most likely to experience testing is exactly the place where we struggle most to trust God. For me, that has been patience and fully surrendering my financial future over to Him. I am slowly learning how to let go and trust Him for this part of my life and as I have tried to hang on too tight to what isn't mine to begin with and to what I can never keep. He has been teaching me some necessary and painful lessons. I find it laughable as I look back on my experiences, how I could clearly hear Him saying to me, " We can either do this the easy way or the hard way, but the lesson is going to get taught one way or another," and how my pride kept me from doing it the easier way. He needed me to trust Him more in this area of my life, and because I was a reluctant learner, it took more time and cost me more resources than He probably wanted it to. I firmly believe that God always wants what is best for us, and He uses our wilderness experiences to help prepare us for a bigger dream that He wants us to accomplish. He teaches us how to surrender our dreams to Him, how to persevere during a difficult trial, how to leave our comfort zones, so He can help us reach our full potential as our dream is realized, and to glorify Him. He needs to transform us into the person that is capable of living out the dream, which we were created for. This sequence repeats itself over and over in the Bible, when God uses the biggest underdogs to help achieve His purposes. He removes people from their comfort zone, helps them overcome obstacles, grows their faith via trials and tribulations, temporarily leaves them alone, leaves them discouraged, prepares them through a deepening trust, releases them from captivity, gains an improbable victory and achieves a fulfillment of His big purposes. The whole time the players in the various stories, whether it's Moses, Joseph, David, or a slew of others, are going 'we're not worthy.' You must have the wrong guy or gal. We are filled with self doubt, we are murderer's, adulterer's, stutterer's, surely you must mean someone else. God must just shake His head and go "oh yeah of little faith!" He has been preparing them their whole life for everything He needs them to accomplish, He knows everything about them and still they are reluctant to accept the fact that they can trust Him fully. Human nature is nothing if not consistent, we must have to see it to believe it, I guess. God is in the resume building business and He often uses our wilderness experiences to help mold us into what he needs us to be. That usually requires some pain on our part, and it always requires a greater level of patience and trust. God knows how badly we want our dream to be accomplished, He wants it even more. He must refine us first. For when our "lack" is finished, whatever that is for each of us personally, then our preparation in the wilderness is finished. We are finally ready to claim our dreams and glorify our God!
Weather Report From Heaven: Sunny and bright, with an abundance of light and lots of singing and rejoicing.
Bible verse of the day: Deuteronomy 31:6 " Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you."
The wilderness means different things to different people. If you say to someone that you have just returned from the wilderness, they probably think you went camping or shot the rapids in a raft or canoe or went mountain climbing. They would think that you went to get away, to relax and recharge. They may think that you needed time alone to think about your life, away from the hustle and bustle of everyday life. To escape the frantic pace at which we live our lives in the 21st century. The wilderness conjures up vivid memories for most people. For me, it represents freedom, beauty, open space, quietness, serenity, adventure and most importantly, time for personal introspection and reflection. I have found my soul many times during various 'wilderness' excursions. But in my Christian walk, as I am sure is the case with many other folks, the wilderness can represent something more scary. It can represent the times that truly test a man's faith. it can represent our black hole experiences, where we are alone and afraid, with little feedback or communication from God. Jesus was tempted by the devil in the wilderness to prove his ministry was not about the kingdom of this world, but the kingdom of the unseen heavenly realms for which God had sent him. Jesus suffered greatly in the wilderness, but he stood strong by rebuking the devil with scripture, " it is written that Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God." Matthew 4:4 " It is also written: Do not put the Lord your God to the test." Matthew 4:7 " Away from me Satan! For it is written: Worship the Lord your God, and serve Him only." Matthew 4:10 The fact that Jesus, the Son of God, suffered greatly when tempted in the wilderness should give us all perspective and encouragement when facing our own wilderness experiences. In fact, Hebrews 2:18 tells us, " Because he himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted." That He understands what we are going through in our darkest hours of questioning our faith, and that He is able to help us and intercede on our behalf when we're wondering where God is in our lives, when our prayers aren't being answered, when we can't hear God's voice, is what has kept me going many times. It is that personal relationship and fellowship with Christ, God incarnate, that defines our walk. That He can relate to our human experiences, since he also experienced them as a human, is what sets our whole Christian life apart from any other religion in the world. Because when we are in the midst of a wilderness experience, when God is building up our trust in Him through a season of preparation, there is no other practical way to get through that except to know that our savior, Jesus Christ, suffered as well and can relate to what we are going through. Not surprisingly, the place where we are most likely to experience testing is exactly the place where we struggle most to trust God. For me, that has been patience and fully surrendering my financial future over to Him. I am slowly learning how to let go and trust Him for this part of my life and as I have tried to hang on too tight to what isn't mine to begin with and to what I can never keep. He has been teaching me some necessary and painful lessons. I find it laughable as I look back on my experiences, how I could clearly hear Him saying to me, " We can either do this the easy way or the hard way, but the lesson is going to get taught one way or another," and how my pride kept me from doing it the easier way. He needed me to trust Him more in this area of my life, and because I was a reluctant learner, it took more time and cost me more resources than He probably wanted it to. I firmly believe that God always wants what is best for us, and He uses our wilderness experiences to help prepare us for a bigger dream that He wants us to accomplish. He teaches us how to surrender our dreams to Him, how to persevere during a difficult trial, how to leave our comfort zones, so He can help us reach our full potential as our dream is realized, and to glorify Him. He needs to transform us into the person that is capable of living out the dream, which we were created for. This sequence repeats itself over and over in the Bible, when God uses the biggest underdogs to help achieve His purposes. He removes people from their comfort zone, helps them overcome obstacles, grows their faith via trials and tribulations, temporarily leaves them alone, leaves them discouraged, prepares them through a deepening trust, releases them from captivity, gains an improbable victory and achieves a fulfillment of His big purposes. The whole time the players in the various stories, whether it's Moses, Joseph, David, or a slew of others, are going 'we're not worthy.' You must have the wrong guy or gal. We are filled with self doubt, we are murderer's, adulterer's, stutterer's, surely you must mean someone else. God must just shake His head and go "oh yeah of little faith!" He has been preparing them their whole life for everything He needs them to accomplish, He knows everything about them and still they are reluctant to accept the fact that they can trust Him fully. Human nature is nothing if not consistent, we must have to see it to believe it, I guess. God is in the resume building business and He often uses our wilderness experiences to help mold us into what he needs us to be. That usually requires some pain on our part, and it always requires a greater level of patience and trust. God knows how badly we want our dream to be accomplished, He wants it even more. He must refine us first. For when our "lack" is finished, whatever that is for each of us personally, then our preparation in the wilderness is finished. We are finally ready to claim our dreams and glorify our God!
Monday, October 3, 2011
What are we running from, what are we running to?
10/3/2011
Weather Report From Heaven: Sunny and bright, with an abundance of light and lots of singing and rejoicing.
Bible Verse of the Day: 2 Timothy 4:7 " I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith."
They say when you wake up in the morning in Africa and your a Gazelle, you better be running because if you don't run fast enough, a Lion will catch you and kill you, and if you wake up and you're a Lion in Africa, you better be running because if you aren't fast enough to catch a Gazelle, you will starve to death. So either way, you better be running. Life is like a race.For some they treat it like a sprint, for others that pace is way too fast and they treat it like a marathon. But whether we treat life like a sprint or a marathon, we all are running a race. But a race against what exactly? Most people would answer that question as a race against time. Some want to get as much pleasure out of life in the time that they have to enjoy it. Others want to grow in whatever endeavor they are called to pursue and have a lifetime of meaning and significance. Most of us are usually running away from something and running towards something new. That could include relationships, careers, addictions, ourselves, responsibility, reality, and the list goes on and on. Paul in the Bible verse above was talking about having accomplished the goal of his faith, to persevere and finish the race strong. He had run away from his past life as a persecutor of those who followed the Christian faith, and ran to a fervent commitment to Jesus Christ and to preach the gospel on His behalf. Though he endured many hardships as a result of his commitment to Christ, he kept his eye on his eternal promise, " the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day." 2nd Timothy 4:8 We all have to make a decision on what we are going to pursue in our lives. I have met many people whose lives are stuck in the past and their dreams have been mired by the sin that still controls them. Rather than coming to a place of repentance and freedom in Christ, their self pride keeps them from accepting the free gift of salvation, and they just keep making the same mistakes over and over. It is almost as if they are like a hamster on a wheel, running and running, and yet making no progress. They spend their entire life running from themselves and they tend to be running right towards their own destruction. There is a clear alternative. You can make yourself a new path forward filled with hope and joy and free from the guilt of your past mistakes. How can you do this? By accepting the invitation of Jesus Christ as your savior. 2nd Corinthians 5:17 says, " Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has passed away and the new has come." The result of our mistakes to not have to define us. Although there are always consequences to our actions and our sinful acts, there doesn't have to been a lifetime of condemnation and guilt. We love to beat ourselves up, Christ wants to set us free. We view God as a traffic cop, with a radar gun, behind a billboard just waiting to bust us. So we do everything in our power to avoid Him and his 'judgement.' But if we trust in the Lord, and His plan for us, we soon come to realize that rather than judgement, He dispenses mercy, grace, forgiveness and love. All the things we need for moving forward from our past quagmire are found in Christ Jesus. We find, like Paul, a new direction and purpose in our life through Him. He will protects us from the true judgement of God at our day of reckoning through his merciful sacrifice on the Cross. He waits to lead us forward, forgetting the past, striving towards the future. Our sins are left behind us, their binding shackles removed once and for all. We are free to run and win the race of life, energized through our risen Lord. We find the strength to finish strong and claim the prize that awaits us at the finish line; An eternal resting place where we no longer have to race, but rather can rest from this life's grueling race. Praise and glory be to God.
Weather Report From Heaven: Sunny and bright, with an abundance of light and lots of singing and rejoicing.
Bible Verse of the Day: 2 Timothy 4:7 " I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith."
They say when you wake up in the morning in Africa and your a Gazelle, you better be running because if you don't run fast enough, a Lion will catch you and kill you, and if you wake up and you're a Lion in Africa, you better be running because if you aren't fast enough to catch a Gazelle, you will starve to death. So either way, you better be running. Life is like a race.For some they treat it like a sprint, for others that pace is way too fast and they treat it like a marathon. But whether we treat life like a sprint or a marathon, we all are running a race. But a race against what exactly? Most people would answer that question as a race against time. Some want to get as much pleasure out of life in the time that they have to enjoy it. Others want to grow in whatever endeavor they are called to pursue and have a lifetime of meaning and significance. Most of us are usually running away from something and running towards something new. That could include relationships, careers, addictions, ourselves, responsibility, reality, and the list goes on and on. Paul in the Bible verse above was talking about having accomplished the goal of his faith, to persevere and finish the race strong. He had run away from his past life as a persecutor of those who followed the Christian faith, and ran to a fervent commitment to Jesus Christ and to preach the gospel on His behalf. Though he endured many hardships as a result of his commitment to Christ, he kept his eye on his eternal promise, " the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day." 2nd Timothy 4:8 We all have to make a decision on what we are going to pursue in our lives. I have met many people whose lives are stuck in the past and their dreams have been mired by the sin that still controls them. Rather than coming to a place of repentance and freedom in Christ, their self pride keeps them from accepting the free gift of salvation, and they just keep making the same mistakes over and over. It is almost as if they are like a hamster on a wheel, running and running, and yet making no progress. They spend their entire life running from themselves and they tend to be running right towards their own destruction. There is a clear alternative. You can make yourself a new path forward filled with hope and joy and free from the guilt of your past mistakes. How can you do this? By accepting the invitation of Jesus Christ as your savior. 2nd Corinthians 5:17 says, " Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has passed away and the new has come." The result of our mistakes to not have to define us. Although there are always consequences to our actions and our sinful acts, there doesn't have to been a lifetime of condemnation and guilt. We love to beat ourselves up, Christ wants to set us free. We view God as a traffic cop, with a radar gun, behind a billboard just waiting to bust us. So we do everything in our power to avoid Him and his 'judgement.' But if we trust in the Lord, and His plan for us, we soon come to realize that rather than judgement, He dispenses mercy, grace, forgiveness and love. All the things we need for moving forward from our past quagmire are found in Christ Jesus. We find, like Paul, a new direction and purpose in our life through Him. He will protects us from the true judgement of God at our day of reckoning through his merciful sacrifice on the Cross. He waits to lead us forward, forgetting the past, striving towards the future. Our sins are left behind us, their binding shackles removed once and for all. We are free to run and win the race of life, energized through our risen Lord. We find the strength to finish strong and claim the prize that awaits us at the finish line; An eternal resting place where we no longer have to race, but rather can rest from this life's grueling race. Praise and glory be to God.
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