The Word of God

All men/women have this thing inside of them that pulls them away from God. It's an inherited condition that we have due to the sin that Adam committed in the garden. Since that time, man/woman has had a problem wrapping his head around the fact that there is a God who wants to have relationship with him/her. It's been far easier for people to believe that there is no God, create false gods, chase the god of pleasure or pain.

The God of the Bible has always reached out to those who seek Him in an attempt to show His love. God gave His laws and a series of sacrifices to show man the "high level overview" of what it means to be in relationship with God. Jesus summed all 10 commandments into 2 major premises: there is only one God, love Him, and as I have shown my love to you, love others. 

God didn't stop there. Understanding that man/woman could not by his own strength serve a holy God, He sent His son to be a perfect sacrifice for us so we could have relationship with God. He did not stop there, He also placed a portion of Himself in each of us called His Holy Spirit, who teaches us all things and brings all things to our memory.

The death of Jesus and the salvation that it brings is free to all who believe that God loved the world and gave His only son. If we believe this - we shall have eternal life.

That, is the Gospel in the nutshell. It doesn't take anything more than that to obtain the free gift of salvation.

So... why do I write about struggling to be a Christian? Because we are spirit and we are also a body. Years before we understood what salvation was, we were entrenched in sin. We also live in a world that is filled with sin AND we are in the middle of a spiritual battle.

We have to fight against living our life on autopilot, because our bodies... our sin nature will naturally take us away from the work that was done on the cross. It is a battle to shut down the world around us and spend time reading the Word of God. It is a battle to take time out of our busy day and to pray... not just for what we want or the people that we love... but to intercede for people that God has placed on our hearts. Not just a sentence prayer, but truly intercede! We have to fight against our own anxiety when it comes to sharing the good news that Jesus came and died for our sins. 

Christianity is not just a set of check boxes that we check to say we've completed our spiritual obligation. It is life. Every aspect of our day should be accomplished with the thought in mind that God is resident in me. I have fellowship with the most high God... not because of anything I've done... but because He loves me!

And... this is a love that I have to fight hard to not take for granted on a daily basis.

Are you all in?

I was listening to an interview with a professional poker player, and have to admit... I thought the person was crazy. The person that they interviewed discussed how at one time they had over $1 million in winnings, an had lost it all. As a professional poker player, they had done this multiple times.

The didn't think there was anything wrong with their lifestyle. They knew there would be times when they were up... and times they would be down. In order to play at that level... you have to be all in. You have to be committed to the lifestyle.

Christianity is the same way... or rather it should be the same way. You should be all in. You should be willing to put everything on the line to pursue what God is calling you to do. I think about the rich young ruler in the gospels.

    18An important man asked Jesus, "Good Teacher, what must I do to have eternal life?"
    19Jesus said, "Why do you call me good? Only God is good. 20You know the commandments: `Be faithful in marriage. Do not murder. Do not steal. Do not tell lies about others. Respect your father and mother.' "
    21He told Jesus, "I have obeyed all these commandments since I was a young man."
    22When Jesus heard this, he said, "There is one thing you still need to do. Go and sell everything you own! Give the money to the poor, and you will have riches in heaven. Then come and be my follower." 23When the man heard this, he was sad, because he was very rich.        Luke 18:18-23 Contemporary English Version

Jesus said... are you all in? And unfortunately, this man was not. I am not saying that God is calling us to sell everything that we have, but He is asking us to follow Him and trust Him with all our strength, and when we don't have the strength to follow through, He has promised to provide us strength. (2 Cor 12:9-11)

I was reading the book of 1 Kings - when Elijah called Elisha. God told Elijah to chose Elisha to be his successor as prophet to the people. Elijah told Elisha to "think about what I have done to you" - or think about what this calling means. Elisha responded by killing his oxen, breaking his plow, using the wood to cook the oxen, and was ready to go. For him, there was no turning back.

19 So Elijah went and found Elisha son of Shaphat plowing a field. There were twelve teams of oxen in the field, and Elisha was plowing with the twelfth team. Elijah went over to him and threw his cloak across his shoulders and then walked away. 20 Elisha left the oxen standing there, ran after Elijah, and said to him, “First let me go and kiss my father and mother good-bye, and then I will go with you!” 

Elijah replied, “Go on back, but think about what I have done to you.”

21 So Elisha returned to his oxen and slaughtered them. He used the wood from the plow to build a fire to roast their flesh. He passed around the meat to the townspeople, and they all ate. Then he went with Elijah as his assistant. 1 Kings 19:19-21

Are you all in? Do you let God influence every aspect of your life? Do you place it on the altar as a sacrifice with the full expectation that God will honor your faithfulness? Are you willing to risk all? Are you... all in?

... but do you understand?

When I was in college, I had friends that loved the large lecture style classes. You didn't have to know your teacher. You didn't even have to show up for class. All you had to do was understand what the teacher's tests were like and you would almost be assured a passing grade.

I always preferred the smaller classes with the harder teachers. The teachers that made you dig. The ones that wanted you to understand the material that was being presented because they were passionate about it.

Don't get me wrong, I've taken some lecture classes that had dynamic teachers that had personalities that filled the room, but it was completely up to me in terms of how much I got out of it.

I am writing about this today because church... is becoming like large lecture hall to me. I've been saying it for years in an unashamed way. What's missing is the personal accountability that comes from being able to hide anonymously in a crowd.

Our faith is life! Our belief in God should encompass every part of our life. Our service should be done as if we are serving the living God himself... because we are!

The Israelites understood this and today practice a prayer called "The Shema" - The Shema is found in Deuteronomy 6:4-6

4 Listen, O Israel! The Lord is our God, the Lord alone. 5 And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your strength. 6 And you must commit yourselves wholeheartedly to these commands that I am giving you today.

This prayer is a reminder that everything that we do is secondary to the love of our God. If we love God with all our heart, soul, and strength - it does not leave any power for you to do anything else. So, if we love our Family, it is a part of our worship of God. If we are in the market place, it is a part of our worship of God. Our whole life... should be in the context of worship.

Deuteronomy 6:7-9 takes it further:

7 Repeat them again and again to your children. Talk about them when you are at home and when you are on the road, when you are going to bed and when you are getting up. 8 Tie them to your hands and wear them on your forehead as reminders. 9 Write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.

How would your life, my life, the lives of those around us change if we lived out our love of our God with everything we had? Sometimes, we get so busy with life.. we forget to include God in it... let us strive to remember the Name of the Lord our God today.

I'm no blacksmith... but I am a friend.

When I was in elementary school we went to The Erie Canal village. It was a great field trip. We had the chance to watch a blacksmith work really easily with iron... applying heat, twisting and hammering iron until it became a thing of beauty.

Later on in the trip, we each had the chance to try to make a simple S hook. We had the chance to use the bellows to stoke the fire, use tongs to place the iron in the heat until it was red hot. We shaped the hot iron on an anvil with a hammer, dipping it into cooling water so it would retain its shape.



Each one of us was proud of our S shaped piece of metal. None of it looked like the work that the blacksmith did... honestly.

I was thinking about that because relationships have been on my mind lately. Some people are skillful at building meaningful relationships, others... aren't. I think everyone really wants meaningful relationships... but building them can be painful. You have to apply heat, be put into uncomfortable positions. Be willing to be shaped by others.

There's a verse in Proverbs that says: As iron sharpens iron, so a friend sharpens a friend. (Prov 27:17 NLT) I think for the first time, I really understand this in a way that I didn't even just a few minutes ago.


We will be shaped by our friends. If you surround yourself by people that hold you accountable and call you to be better... you will become better. If you surround yourself by people who practice deceit, lie, skirt responsibility... you will become... useless.


In 2 Timothy 2:2-3 Paul tells Timothy

2 Timothy, my dear son, be strong through the grace that God gives you in Christ Jesus. 2 You have heard me teach things that have been confirmed by many reliable witnesses. Now teach these truths to other trustworthy people who will be able to pass them on to others.

Paul basically says "I have surrounded myself by reliable people who can bear witness to what I say. You teach the same thing to people with good reputations that will share this with others. We become who we surround ourselves with.

Let's take a moment today and consider who makes ups our inner circle. Think about the direction that they are going, and ask yourself if that's the direction you want to go in.

I'm sorry...

I was in my small group today when one of the guys made the statement "There is hope. There is only one way, and there's nothing wrong with that." I wanted to stand up and applaud because this simple truth was so eloquently stated.

We live in a world that is need of hope. Just this past week people were in an outrage over a war in Uganda where children are recruited to be soldiers. Gas prices are at an all time high. There are still people facing being jobless. Sometimes it's overwhelming, people need hope. Unless... that hope is in Jesus. For some reason people are not willing to have hope in a savior. I am sorry you don't have hope.

Hebrews 10:22-24 New Living Translation (NLT)
22 let us go right into the presence of God with sincere hearts fully trusting him. For our guilty consciences have been sprinkled with Christ’s blood to make us clean, and our bodies have been washed with pure water.
23 Let us hold tightly without wavering to the hope we affirm, for God can be trusted to keep his promise. 24 Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works

I was talking with some other friends of mine who are a part of a major denomination. Their church is about to leave the affiliation because the want to change their doctrine to say "Jesus is A way" and not the only way. I am sorry you are wrong. There is only one way.

John 14:6 (NLT)
6 Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me. 7 If you had really known me, you would know who my Father is. From now on, you do know him and have seen him!”

Admittedly, I have friends that don't believe in God and they do not adhere to what the Bible teaches. I love them as friends. I am sorry they will never know the love of God.

I am sorry I don't pray for those who don't know Jesus as their personal savior as much as I should.

I am sorry that sometimes I miss the queue to share the good news.

Now that I have apologized, I can now unapologetically start. This weekend, let's embrace the fact that there is hope, there is only one way - and there is nothing wrong with that... and lets share that message with others.

Free Climbing

The person in the picture is doing something called "Free Climbing." Free climbing is when you decide to climb a rock or a structure without the use of tools and ropes. It's basically you... and the rock. When you free climb you have to be certain of every step of every rock that your grab hold to. You must be sure and you must be deliberate.

In some areas in my life I feel like I'm free climbing. Most notably in my struggle with keeping a normal weight. There are times when I'm very disciplined in what I put in my body and my work out, and the pounds fall off. Then there are times where I am not as careful and it comes back on. It's frustrating!

Christianity is really the same way as Free Climbing, and for me the battle to be at a healthy weight.

The Apostle Paul recognized this and wrote an entire letter to a young minister named Timothy. In 1 Tim 4, Paul warns Timothy by saying that people will turn away from true faith, they will follow deceptive spirits and teachings that come from demons. He warns that these people are hypocrites and liars with a dead conscience. [1 Time 4:1-2]

He is basically warning Timothy that if he doesn't pay attention - you can find yourself in a dangerous position, and not realize how you got there!

Give your complete attention to these matters. Throw yourself into your tasks so that everyone will see your progress a close watch on how you live and on your teaching. Stay true to what is right for the sake of your own salvation and the salvation of those who hear you. [1 Tim 4:15-16 NLT]

Your thing may not be food... but guaranteed...  you have "a thing" that keeps getting in your way. It's that thing that slips up on your when you're not paying attention. In Hebrews 12:1, Paul calls it "the sin that so easily trips us up."

We can't think that we are immune to this - that it won't happen to us. We see people getting comfortable and not paying attention to God's word on a regular basis... and we see the consequences.

Let's try to stay present in our Christian struggle today, and not get sidetracked.

When all else fails...

I was at a men's Bible study this morning when one of the leaders asked the following question: "What is God saying to you, and what are you doing about it?"

That is a huge question. It causes you to ask a whole series of questions:

Does God still speak to men/women?

Have I ever heard His voice?

What if I can't do what He asks me to do?

Of course, I would add to that list:

Do you set time aside to hear from God?

Do you ask Him what you should be doing?

Do you pray?

Do you read your Bible?

James 1:22-25
New Living Translation (NLT)
 22 But don’t just listen to God’s word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves. 23 For if you listen to the word and don’t obey, it is like glancing at your face in a mirror. 24 You see yourself, walk away, and forget what you look like. 25 But if you look carefully into the perfect law that sets you free, and if you do what it says and don’t forget what you heard, then God will bless you for doing it.

You may be surprised at the number of times God speaks to us through His holy words as written in the Bible. Do you read more than single verses? Have you ever read an entire book in the Bible?

Take 15 minutes out of your day today and read the book of Ephesians. It's just 6 short chapters. Then take a moment and ask God what he wants you to do.

Ummm... That's not what I meant!

I was at a business lunch last week when I witness something... interesting. One of the older women on the team was excited by the number of younger women on the team and decided that they should get together for some bonding activities. After all, the older woman is a successful wife, mother, business woman - with so much knowledge that could help the next generation of you professional women!

While they were talking about possible activities, a younger woman said "I know! We can do a bar crawl! There's a really big one coming up next week and it will be a great time. Last time I got sooooooo wasted, it was so much fun!"

The older woman has this look of sadness come across her face because she realized that no matter how much she wanted to explain that's not what she meant, the conversation would be lost.

That's how many Christians feel when they talk with people that don't know salvation. We love God... they love the world.

But... sometimes, it's tiring to do what's right. Sometimes, we think that if we concede and do one bar crawl, that they'll come around and do something that we want them to do... like visit church on a Sunday. This is a dangerous road to travel. The world can be a very appealing mistress.

 15 Do not love this world nor the things it offers you, for when you love the world, you do not have the love of the Father in you. 16 For the world offers only a craving for physical pleasure, a craving for everything we see, and pride in our achievements and possessions. These are not from the Father, but are from this world. 17 And this world is fading away, along with everything that people crave. But anyone who does what pleases God will live forever. 1 John 2:15-17 NLT

Let us continue to pray for our friends that are lost, and try to reach them without compromising  who we are.

An army of one?

The Navy Seals have one of the hardest training programs in the American military. They have this things called Log Training. Log training is when a small group of Seals is responsible for manipulating a log in various ways. They have to hold it over their head, run with it, perform squats. It is grueling and it is painful. It teaches them one thing... if you're going to survive... it's going require a team effort.

Christianity is the same way. If we are going to survive as Christians, we are going to have to realize that we cannot do it by ourselves. We need fellowship with other Christians.

Jesus knew this. Although He was God and had a closer relationship with God than any other person that ever walked the earth, Jesus never  performed His ministry in a vacuum. Even though the people that were with Him were far from perfect, Jesus realized the need to have them around and to help Him with His successful ministry!

Before Jesus died on the cross for us, He demonstrated this in the garden of Gethsemane

32 They went to the olive grove called Gethsemane, and Jesus said, “Sit here while I go and pray.” 33 He took Peter, James, and John with him, and he became deeply troubled and distressed. 34 He told them, “My soul is crushed with grief to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me.” Mark 14:32-34 NLT

If you open your Bible and look at Mark 14:37, Mark 14:39, and Mark 14:41 - you will see that Jesus came back 3 times because He realized and wanted the prayer of those that were closes to Him. He was demonstrating that we should support each other. Christianity IS a team sport!

In the same way, you younger men must accept the authority of the elders. And ALL OF YOU, SERVE EACH OTHER in humility, for God opposes the proud but favors the humble. 1 Peter 5:5

 The Bible is filled with lessons on community. The original children of Israel were families! When God said that He would bless Abraham, and all nations would be blessed by that blessing, He was talking about us too! The Bible talks about how we have the "spirit of adoption." - We are family! ... and families care about each other.

My dear brothers and sisters, if someone among you wanders away from the truth and is brought back, you can be sure that whoever brings the sinner back will save that person from death and bring about the forgiveness of many sins. James 5:19 NLT

As Christians, we have a responsibility to each other - to be the strongest that we can be, and when weak, lean on each other. In God's family, there is no Army of one!

Watch this video on Navy Seal pole training. I apologize in advance for any language that you may find offensive.

 

Stop!

On my commute to work today I came to a light that turned yellow. I had to make an assessment... should I go through the light or do I have time to stop. I chose to stop. There was a car in the lane beside me that decided to go through the light.

As they ran the red light, a motorcycle cop in the oncoming lane made a left into a gas station. I am sure the person driving the car made a sigh of relief because the they didn't get pulled over by the cop.
What the driver didn't realize, and what I saw as well as the police officer was that there were traffic enforcement cameras. The person that thought no one caught them running the light will receive a ticket in the mail some time in the future!

This made me think about church... I'm not making a judgment call at all, but there are times in church where some people do things because they think others are watching... or sometimes they DON"T do things because other people are watching...

What happened to doing things just because it's the right thing to do? I'm not going to explore that, because that's a topic reserved for another day.

What I did want to do today was put things into perspective. As Christians, everyone is watching us on a daily basis. In all honesty, it doesn't matter what others think about what we do. Our primary goal should be to live our lives constantly aware that God is watching us.

We should not do things because we think other people will praise us. We should do things because it pleases God.

Let's make it a point to keep things in perspective this weekend. If we pray, let us pray so God hears us, not so others think we pray well. If we teach, let us teach with humility. If we feed the hungry, let us do it because it's the right thing to do, not so we can brag about it to our friends.
Let us be mindful that we are trying to please God and not man.

"Watch out! Don't do your good deeds publicly, to be admired by others, for you will lose the reward from your Father in heaven. When you give to someone in need, don't do as hypocrites do - blowing trumpets in the synagogues and streets to call attention to their acts of charity! I tell you the truth, they have received all the rewards they will ever get. But when you give to someone in need, don't let your left hand know what your right hand is doing. Give your gifts in private, and your Father, who sees everything, will reward you. Matt 6:1-4 NLT

Are you strong enough to be a wife?

For years we have heard people say "wives submit to your husband" and stop reading there. Today, let's read a little further.

Wives, submit yourselves to your own husband as you do to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior. Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives submit to their husbands in everything. Eph 5:22-24 NIV

The first question is... do YOU submit to Christ in everything? That's a rhetorical question... don't answer. But here's what I do want to examine.

What does it mean to be a wife?

First, in most traditional marriages, your identity changes. You change your last name. You are no longer identified by who you were. You have a new identity. There's an expectation that's placed upon you. Not just by your spouse, but by society. There's an expectation that you will love your husband. That you will help him be better. If Christ is our "husband", do we act life we are identified with Him?

When you're a wife, the choices and actions that you take affects the reputation of your family. Your choices have an impact on more than you. Your decisions affect those around you. If you date another man, it impacts your family. If you break the law, it impacts your family. Are we faithful to Christ? Do we God's mercy because we are under grace?

For most couples, there's an expectation that they will build a family. Are you making spiritual children? Are you sharing your faith with others, so they come to know Christ?

I could go on and on with what it means to be "wife" and how that impacts what we do in our relationship with God. But I just want you to ponder... are you strong enough to be a wife?

Target fixation

When riding motorcycles, they teach you about this thing called target fixation. Basically, what this means is you will ride in the direction you’re looking. If you are looking at an obstacle because you want to miss it, you will end up steering directly towards it.

This is true in life too. Whether you’re driving a car, walking, setting goals… whatever, you will end up exactly where you’re looking!

Jesus knew this and was trying to explain this to his disciples. He put it this way:

Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need. Matt 6:33 NLT

A lot of times we get it backwards. We get concerned about our needs and we fixate on them. We stop everything that we’re doing to pray about the situation. We seek wisdom and guidance, and in many instances try to resolve the problem ourselves. But God says.. seek the Kingdom of God above everything else. If we do this, He will give us what we need.

Maybe… we’re confusing needs with wants?

People are like grass; their beauty is like a flower in the field. The grass withers and the flower fades. But the word of the Lord remains forever. And that word is the Good News that was preached to you. 1 Peter 1:24-25 NLT

Somehow, we’ve gotten it twisted and think that our reward is here.

“Don’t store up treasures here on earth, where moths eat them and rust destroys them, and where thieves break in to steal. Store your treasures in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal. Where your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be.” Matt 6:19-21 NLT

You will concentrate on where your treasures are.

I’m not saying that God doesn’t want you to have things. The Bible does not teach that we should all be in poverty. What it teaches is priorities.

Kingdom of God – first.

Treasures in heaven – first.

Don’t get sidetracked by temporary things.

Your goal isn’t things here… it’s eternity in heaven.

I struggle to remember these priorities too…

What are you excited about?

My 9 year old son discovered sports this year. It started off with football and has morphed its way into basketball. Every day there is a game on he excitedly names who his favorite team is, why, who his favorite players are. He has diligently been learning the rules to the games and some of the various nuances.

No one is making him do this. He is doing it on his own. He shares this new found knowledge with everyone that he knows.

If he doesn't know a rule, he asks. He is hungry to know about sports.

I see the same things when I go to church. I see men congregating talking about the college sports that happened on Saturday and how their afternoon on the couch is going to be planned and what games they're going to watch.

On one hand, it's amusing to watch. On the other hand, it's kind of sad.

What would happen if we spent that much time learning about our creator and had that kind of excitement when we talked about Him? Do we know His stats? Can we start at Genesis and causally talk about the major historical accounts in the Bible until We get to the end of Job? Can we tell what the game changing plays were?

Is there excitement in your voice when you hear about David wanting to build a temple for God? How do you feel about Gods answer?

What do you think about the people asking God for a king? Why do the people ask for a king? What is God's response?

It's 4th and goal with seconds on the clock... the people are standing with a sea in front of them and an army behind them... what is God going to do???

So much about the character of our God is revealed in the Old Testament that shines a light on what happens in the New Testament... did you know that? Does it excite you?

Post a comment to my blog about something you've read that excites you about the Word of God.

Living on crumbs

Have you ever tasted something that was so good that you ate the crumbs? I had an aunt that could make a cake that was so good that you would lick the plate. Seriously. I've done that before. I admit it. But... as good as the cake is, I would much rather have a piece of cake than some residual crumbs.

God has placed in front of us His Holy Words as contained in the Bible. And He has invited us to look into His words, not for the sake of knowledge, but to get to know Him. Too many times we wait for someone else to do the work of studying, then give us what we need. To me, that's like living off someone else's crumbs.

If I told you that I had a friend named George, and that he was a financial wizard, and if you gave 5% of your income to him he would double your return, you would be interested... but you would want to meet him first right? You would not trust your inheritance to him just based on my word.

You would ask for documentation, you would read about his results, you would read everything you could get your hands on before you trusted your money to him.

But, that's the way that we treat Christianity. We trust others to tell us about what God is going to do for us without ever investing our time to read it for ourselves to see if it is true!

O taste and see that the LORD is good: blessed is the man that trusts in him. Psalms 34:8

How can you trust in something that you don't know.

Even Jesus said:

"It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God." Mathew 4:4

Jesus was quoting a scripture from Deuteronomy 8. During this time, God's chosen people were wandering aimlessly in the wilderness. God provided something for them to eat called manna. God provided provision for their natural bodies and informs them that it takes more than food for man to truly live.

So, my question is... are you living on crumbs? I encourage you to read your Bible. Not just to find little nuggets of truth, but a treasure trove that will draw you close to the true and living God!

Which way did he go?

Do you know what your primary task is as a Christian? If you turn on the television or listen to the radio, you might think your purpose is never to get sick, or to have wealth, or to be debt free. Honestly, none of those have anything to do with purpose. The MAY be a benefit, but none of them have a thing to do with purpose.

I see a lot of Christians wandering around trying to figure out what they should be doing. For some, it's going to church every week. For others, it's experiencing God in nature or by looking at the beauty of the world around them. These people "see God everywhere."

In reality, every Christian should be on the same path and the same journey. This is regardless to whether we are called to be Pastors, Teachers, Singers... whatever.

Our mission, if we choose to accept is is explained in 2 separate scriptures. They are Jesus last words to all of us after He was resurrected and before He ascended into heaven for the last time before His glorious return.

Then Jesus came and told his disciples, "I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth. Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing the in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age." Matt 28:18-20 NLT

Jesus basically says the only way there will be new disciples is if we teach them and baptize them. That... is a straight forward mission. That is the compass that should guide our daily lives. Jesus says - because He has been given all authority, we should go... and He will be with us until the end of the age. Because Jesus says "to the end of the age" we know it's ongoing. It was not until the end of their lives... it's what they were suppose to do, what we are suppose to do, and what the disciples after us... are suppose to do!

In case that wasn't enough, Jesus says this one more time:

So when the apostles were with Jesus, they kept asking him, "Lord, has the time come for you to free Israel and restore our kingdom?" 

He replied, "The Father alone has the authority to set those dates and times, and they are not for you to know. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere - In Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth." Acts 1:6-8

Jesus was very keen to try to keep them focused. Don't be concerned with the times, or the geopolitical climate. I have given you power. And because of this, you are to be my witnesses telling people everywhere about me!

Here's what I want you to struggle with this weekend... ask God to show you how and with whom you can share Him. Let your compass be the word of God, and help others find their true direction.

First things first...

In a moment of complete vulnerability, I freely admit that I miss the mark sometimes. That's one of the reasons why I blog. It helps me prioritize. Honestly, I think I write more for myself than for any of you. That's because I believe in God and more than anything else, I want to be in a place where He can use the gifts and the talents that He has given me. That's why I blog anonymously. I am not interested in you following me, as much as I am interested in you following God.

Lately, I've been feeling a little... down. Partially because I feel like I've been pouring out on this blog and a few others that I write, and some other projects that have been going on and I feel... empty.

The last blog post about seeking God in the quietness helped a lot. I received my "course correction" and decided to share it with you!

Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. Matt 6:33 KJV

It is so easy to get caught up in everyTHING that we forget the FIRST thing. It's not about the writing, or the music, or the teaching... it's about me... seeking the kingdom of God. If I chase God, He will do the rest of the work. He will bring people into contact with this blog. He'll inspire the words. He will bring rest and respite.

That's my struggle today... to put everything else aside... and remember to press towards the kingdom of God.

Selah

Hush...

We live in a very busy world. Most people have the internet in the palm of their hand vis-à-vis their telephone. We are inundated and bombarded with noise and information from the time that we wake up in the morning until the moment that we go to sleep at night.

We have Christian radio available to us 24 hours a day. We can have praise music playing so much that it is reduced to nothing more than background noise. We have Christian television stations, many of these same ministries have radio programs and blogs that we can receive on our telephone.

It’s all inherently Christian, but is God in it?

I am not trying pass judgment. I am not discussing the motive of the people that present this “information.” I am talking about the state and the status of your heart.

This reminds me of Elijah. He had just experienced God in a massive way. He had just battled 450 false prophets on Mt. Caramel in 1 Kings 18. He has also prayed and a drought ended. He was in the middle of all this clamor about how God was doing great things… but Elijah was missing something. He was weary. In 1 Kings 19:4, Elijah says “I have had enough, Lord. Take my life, for I am no better than my ancestors who have already died.”

Elijah was empty.

But in his emptiness something happened. God spoke.

11 “Go out and stand before me on the mountain,” the LORD told him. And as Elijah stood there, the LORD passed by, and a mighty windstorm hit the mountain. It was such a terrible blast that the rocks were torn loose, but the LORD was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake. 12 And after the earthquake there was a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire. And after the fire there was the sound of a gentle whisper. 13 When Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his cloak and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave. 1 Kings 19:11-13

And a voice said, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”

Sometimes, we need to get away from it all to a place where we can hear God. We need to get to a place where we can get direction.

Sometimes, God isn’t in the music that we play, or the things that we listen to. Sometimes it’s in the whisper.
Take a moment to shut down the noise. Listen for God. He wants to speak to you.

Are we settling for what is?

I knew this guy that loved to be in nature. He felt like he could really experience God there. One day, he had hiked up a mountain and was looking at the way the leaves were changing colors, and the mist in the valley. He was admiring the way the clouds danced and the trees swayed to an unheard song.

He whispered the following prayer - "God, your creation is awesome!"

God replied - "This is my judgement and what a world riddled with sin looks like, my creation was perfect!"

Sometimes we settle for what is in our lives instead of reaching for what could be!

Counting the costs...

One of the things that frustrates me about the modern day church is that we teach a self help gospel. Many sermons tend to center around what we should do if we want God to bless us. I've heard dozens of sermons on  how to mange your finances, manage your relationships, manage this or manage that. We are taught that we are the managers.

If we are the managers, then what role does God play in our lives?

The Bible teaches stewardship. We are taking care of something that belongs to someone else. A lot of times, we get twisted and think that we are managing things that belong to us! Let's explore this in the Bible for a second.

“But don’t begin until you count the cost. For who would begin construction of a building without first calculating the cost to see if there is enough money to finish it?  Otherwise, you might complete only the foundation before running out of money, and then everyone would laugh at you." Luke 14:28-29

Of course, in context, Jesus was talking about counting the costs of what it would cost to serve him and not conducting business. But... even when it comes to serving God, we don't have that under control either. God  Himself knows this which is why he promised to send us "The Comforter" - His Holy Spirit which resides in us to help us.

But... even if we were talking about building a house, Hebrews 3:4 says:

 For every house is builded by some man; but he that built all things is God.

Let's spend a moment today and look at the things that we try to control and recognize where we might be wrestling against God who has a plan and a direction for our lives. When it all comes down to it, I would rather be in a shack that God put together for me than a mansion that I put together by myself. I know that's hard to believe... but you've never seen me use a hammer. I've seen the magnificence of the world that God put together.

Junk Food, Junk Living... it's all the same...

I have a co-worker that is here from India. She is strict vegetarian. When she’s in her own country, it’s very easy to eat healthy; however, when she’s here in the office she struggles understanding what is good for her and what is not.

At lunch time, she was in the break room looking at potato chips. Her line of thinking was – they are made from potatoes, so they must be good for you. What she didn’t understand was that the fat that the potato chips were fried in, and the added salt made this an unhealthy choice.

I told her that “nothing in there was good for you.” She took my advice, went downstairs and came back with a slice of banana bread that probably had 800-1000 calories!

Okay… so what does this have to do with Christianity Struggles? Everything!

“Dear friends, I warn you as “temporary residents and foreigners” to keep away from worldly desires that wage war against your very souls.” 1 Peter 2:11

We need to understand that we can’t do the same things that we see everyone else doing. It’s not good for them – nor will it be good for us. So whether it’s drinking in excess, casual sexual encounters, over-eating, lying.. the list goes on. We need to remember our “citizenship” and struggle not to give in to the culture that we live in.

The Dalton Gang

I received this in an e-mail from a friend. There was no source attributed to the source of the text, but I thought it was worth sharing.

The Dalton brothers were infamous outlaws during the late 1800s in the US. They started out on the right side of the law as officers. But then they followed a gradual descent into crime and became known for bank and train robberies. Their day of reckoning came when they tried to hold up two banks at once. Hearing of the robberies, the townspeople armed themselves and began to fire on the Dalton Gang. When the smoke cleared, Emmett Dalton was the sole survivor.

After serving 15 years in the penitentiary, Emmett was pardoned and set free. While in prison, he had come to see the error of his ways. So when he was released, he wanted to deter young people from a life of crime. Drawing from his own experience, Emmett wrote and starred in a film about the Dalton Gang in which he showed the folly of being an outlaw. In many ways, Emmett’s film was telling others: “Do not enter the path of the wicked” (Prov. 4:14).

In a similar way, when we have sinned but have genuinely repented and experienced God’s forgiveness, we can tell our own story. We can encourage others not to make the same mistakes we have made. James wrote, “He who turns a sinner from the error of his way will save a soul from death” (5:20).

If others learn from our mistakes,

And it saves them from the pain

That we ourselves experienced—

Then it wasn’t all in vain. —Sper

When we learn from our mistakes, we are less likely to repeat them