How many of you have a relationship you are disappointed with?
A spouse, friend, mate, child, boss, employee...
Have you ever stopped to think about why you are disappointed with that relationship?
I think a lot of it has to do with unfulfilled expectations.
Think about it, we all have expectations of people in our lives. Unfortunately, thos expectations are often unfair (unrealistic) and we don't often make those expectations known.
Your spouse is probably the most amazing spouse in the world, but if you have unfair expectations that he or she can never live up to, then you will always gauge their success based on those expectations and they will never be good enough.
Same with your kids, they are probably awesome kids. But if you have unfair or unknown expectations you measure them against, they will often fall short.
Same for your boss, your employees, your pastor, your congregation.
Instead of putting our expectations on people, maybe we should pray that they would become all that God wants them to be and ask God how we can help people along the journey of reaching that goal.
If I expect 1,000 people to read this and 10 people do, I would be disappointed.
But if I trust that God will use this to encourage someone in their walk to become more like Him, then I will be successful.
Thursday, October 1, 2009
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
MInistry Training 101
Why am I here?
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Luke 9:51-56
51Now it came to pass, when the time had come for Him to be received up, that He steadfastly set His face to go to Jerusalem, 52and sent messengers before His face. And as they went, they entered a village of the Samaritans, to prepare for Him. 53But they did not receive Him, because His face was set for the journey to Jerusalem. 54And when His disciples James and John saw this, they said, “Lord, do You want us to command fire to come down from heaven and consume them, £just as Elijah did?”
55But He turned and rebuked them, £and said, “You do not know what manner of spirit you are of. 56£For the Son of Man did not come to destroy men’s lives but to save them.” And they went to another village.
John 3:16,17
16For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. 17For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.
John 6:35-40
35And Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst. 36But I said to you that you have seen Me and yet do not believe. 37All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will by no means cast out. 38For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me. 39This is the will of the Father who sent Me, that of all He has given Me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up at the last day. 40And this is the will of Him who sent Me, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him may have everlasting life; and I will raise him up at the last day.”
Matthew 22:34-40
34But when the Pharisees heard that He had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together. 35Then one of them, a lawyer, asked Him a question, testing Him, and saying, 36“Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?”
37Jesus said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’£ 38This is the first and great commandment. 39And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’£ 40On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.”
Matthew 20:26-28
26Yet it shall not be so among you; but whoever desires to become great among you, let him be your servant. 27And whoever desires to be first among you, let him be your slave—28just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.”
Matthew 28:18-20
18And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. 19Go £therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” £Amen.
Jesus was here to
- save lives
- love God with all His heart, soul, and mind
- love others as Himself
- do the will of the Father
- serve
- make disciples
Why are you here?
For Others
Everything Jesus did was for others. Why did he come? Why did He die? Who did He pray for? What did He do while He was on earth? When He prayed to renew His strength, it was so He could serve more people.
Our life is not our own and it is not for us or for our glory!
Our life is for others.
Ministry is about people.
Connections. Relationships.
Connecting with the body of Christ that we may be encouraged, built up, and work together.
Connecting with lost people that we may share the love of Christ.
Connecting with God that we may have the Father’s heart and anointing of the Holy Spirit to accomplish God’s will.
Ministry is about serving
Serving God
Serving others
How do we accomplish this in the church?
Exodus 17:8-13
8Now Amalek came and fought with Israel in Rephidim. 9And Moses said to Joshua, “Choose us some men and go out, fight with Amalek. Tomorrow I will stand on the top of the hill with the rod of God in my hand.” 10So Joshua did as Moses said to him, and fought with Amalek. And Moses, Aaron, and Hur went up to the top of the hill. 11And so it was, when Moses held up his hand, that Israel prevailed; and when he let down his hand, Amalek prevailed. 12But Moses’ hands became heavy; so they took a stone and put it under him, and he sat on it. And Aaron and Hur supported his hands, one on one side, and the other on the other side; and his hands were steady until the going down of the sun. 13So Joshua defeated Amalek and his people with the edge of the sword.
Exodus 18:13-27
13And so it was, on the next day, that Moses sat to judge the people; and the people stood before Moses from morning until evening. 14So when Moses’ father-in-law saw all that he did for the people, he said, “What is this thing that you are doing for the people? Why do you alone sit, and all the people stand before you from morning until evening?”
15And Moses said to his father-in-law, “Because the people come to me to inquire of God. 16When they have a difficulty, they come to me, and I judge between one and another; and I make known the statutes of God and His laws.”
17So Moses’ father-in-law said to him, “The thing that you do is not good. 18Both you and these people who are with you will surely wear yourselves out. For this thing is too much for you; you are not able to perform it by yourself. 19Listen now to my voice; I will give you counsel, and God will be with you: Stand before God for the people, so that you may bring the difficulties to God. 20And you shall teach them the statutes and the laws, and show them the way in which they must walk and the work they must do. 21Moreover you shall select from all the people able men, such as fear God, men of truth, hating covetousness; and place such over them to be rulers of thousands, rulers of hundreds, rulers of fifties, and rulers of tens. 22And let them judge the people at all times. Then it will be that every great matter they shall bring to you, but every small matter they themselves shall judge. So it will be easier for you, for they will bear the burden with you. 23If you do this thing, and God so commands you, then you will be able to endure, and all this people will also go to their place in peace.”
24So Moses heeded the voice of his father-in-law and did all that he had said. 25And Moses chose able men out of all Israel, and made them heads over the people: rulers of thousands, rulers of hundreds, rulers of fifties, and rulers of tens. 26So they judged the people at all times; the hard cases they brought to Moses, but they judged every small case themselves.
27Then Moses let his father-in-law depart, and he went his way to his own land.
There is a similar model in Acts 6:1-7
1Now in those days, when the number of the disciples was multiplying, there arose a complaint against the Hebrews by the Hellenists,£ because their widows were neglected in the daily distribution. 2Then the twelve summoned the multitude of the disciples and said, “It is not desirable that we should leave the word of God and serve tables. 3Therefore, brethren, seek out from among you seven men of good reputation, full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom, whom we may appoint over this business; 4but we will give ourselves continually to prayer and to the ministry of the word.”
5And the saying pleased the whole multitude. And they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and the Holy Spirit, and Philip, Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolas, a proselyte from Antioch, 6whom they set before the apostles; and when they had prayed, they laid hands on them.
7Then the word of God spread, and the number of the disciples multiplied greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many of the priests were obedient to the faith.
Moses couldn’t do it alone
Moses needed support/load lifters
People stepped up
Victory was won
Needs were better met
The church grew
Load lifting ministry-
Ø spreads the load
Ø Blesses those serving
Ø Sets a good example
Ø Brings victory
Ø Meets more needs
Ø Grows the church
Some keys to load lifting ministry-
1. Association
If you are not associated with the body you will not know the loads that need lifted
2. Anticipation
Anticipate what someone will need before they need it
Tables and chairs, water, donuts, etc.
3. Assertiveness
You don’t have to wait for Pastor to call you before you do something
“Well, Pastor didn’t ask, so I won’t do it”
this is a major cop out
Everything we do is as unto the Lord.
We serve God by serving others.
Matthew 25:31-46
31“When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the £holy angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory. 32All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats. 33And He will set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left. 34Then the King will say to those on His right hand, ‘Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: 35for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; 36I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.’
37“Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink? 38When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You? 39Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’ 40And the King will answer and say to them, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.’
41“Then He will also say to those on the left hand, ‘Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels: 42for I was hungry and you gave Me no food; I was thirsty and you gave Me no drink; 43I was a stranger and you did not take Me in, naked and you did not clothe Me, sick and in prison and you did not visit Me.’
44“Then they also will answer £Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to You?’ 45Then He will answer them, saying, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.’ 46And these will go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”
So ask yourself,
"Why am I here?" and "What am I gonna do about it?"
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Luke 9:51-56
51Now it came to pass, when the time had come for Him to be received up, that He steadfastly set His face to go to Jerusalem, 52and sent messengers before His face. And as they went, they entered a village of the Samaritans, to prepare for Him. 53But they did not receive Him, because His face was set for the journey to Jerusalem. 54And when His disciples James and John saw this, they said, “Lord, do You want us to command fire to come down from heaven and consume them, £just as Elijah did?”
55But He turned and rebuked them, £and said, “You do not know what manner of spirit you are of. 56£For the Son of Man did not come to destroy men’s lives but to save them.” And they went to another village.
John 3:16,17
16For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. 17For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.
John 6:35-40
35And Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst. 36But I said to you that you have seen Me and yet do not believe. 37All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will by no means cast out. 38For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me. 39This is the will of the Father who sent Me, that of all He has given Me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up at the last day. 40And this is the will of Him who sent Me, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him may have everlasting life; and I will raise him up at the last day.”
Matthew 22:34-40
34But when the Pharisees heard that He had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together. 35Then one of them, a lawyer, asked Him a question, testing Him, and saying, 36“Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?”
37Jesus said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’£ 38This is the first and great commandment. 39And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’£ 40On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.”
Matthew 20:26-28
26Yet it shall not be so among you; but whoever desires to become great among you, let him be your servant. 27And whoever desires to be first among you, let him be your slave—28just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.”
Matthew 28:18-20
18And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. 19Go £therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” £Amen.
Jesus was here to
- save lives
- love God with all His heart, soul, and mind
- love others as Himself
- do the will of the Father
- serve
- make disciples
Why are you here?
For Others
Everything Jesus did was for others. Why did he come? Why did He die? Who did He pray for? What did He do while He was on earth? When He prayed to renew His strength, it was so He could serve more people.
Our life is not our own and it is not for us or for our glory!
Our life is for others.
Ministry is about people.
Connections. Relationships.
Connecting with the body of Christ that we may be encouraged, built up, and work together.
Connecting with lost people that we may share the love of Christ.
Connecting with God that we may have the Father’s heart and anointing of the Holy Spirit to accomplish God’s will.
Ministry is about serving
Serving God
Serving others
How do we accomplish this in the church?
Exodus 17:8-13
8Now Amalek came and fought with Israel in Rephidim. 9And Moses said to Joshua, “Choose us some men and go out, fight with Amalek. Tomorrow I will stand on the top of the hill with the rod of God in my hand.” 10So Joshua did as Moses said to him, and fought with Amalek. And Moses, Aaron, and Hur went up to the top of the hill. 11And so it was, when Moses held up his hand, that Israel prevailed; and when he let down his hand, Amalek prevailed. 12But Moses’ hands became heavy; so they took a stone and put it under him, and he sat on it. And Aaron and Hur supported his hands, one on one side, and the other on the other side; and his hands were steady until the going down of the sun. 13So Joshua defeated Amalek and his people with the edge of the sword.
Exodus 18:13-27
13And so it was, on the next day, that Moses sat to judge the people; and the people stood before Moses from morning until evening. 14So when Moses’ father-in-law saw all that he did for the people, he said, “What is this thing that you are doing for the people? Why do you alone sit, and all the people stand before you from morning until evening?”
15And Moses said to his father-in-law, “Because the people come to me to inquire of God. 16When they have a difficulty, they come to me, and I judge between one and another; and I make known the statutes of God and His laws.”
17So Moses’ father-in-law said to him, “The thing that you do is not good. 18Both you and these people who are with you will surely wear yourselves out. For this thing is too much for you; you are not able to perform it by yourself. 19Listen now to my voice; I will give you counsel, and God will be with you: Stand before God for the people, so that you may bring the difficulties to God. 20And you shall teach them the statutes and the laws, and show them the way in which they must walk and the work they must do. 21Moreover you shall select from all the people able men, such as fear God, men of truth, hating covetousness; and place such over them to be rulers of thousands, rulers of hundreds, rulers of fifties, and rulers of tens. 22And let them judge the people at all times. Then it will be that every great matter they shall bring to you, but every small matter they themselves shall judge. So it will be easier for you, for they will bear the burden with you. 23If you do this thing, and God so commands you, then you will be able to endure, and all this people will also go to their place in peace.”
24So Moses heeded the voice of his father-in-law and did all that he had said. 25And Moses chose able men out of all Israel, and made them heads over the people: rulers of thousands, rulers of hundreds, rulers of fifties, and rulers of tens. 26So they judged the people at all times; the hard cases they brought to Moses, but they judged every small case themselves.
27Then Moses let his father-in-law depart, and he went his way to his own land.
There is a similar model in Acts 6:1-7
1Now in those days, when the number of the disciples was multiplying, there arose a complaint against the Hebrews by the Hellenists,£ because their widows were neglected in the daily distribution. 2Then the twelve summoned the multitude of the disciples and said, “It is not desirable that we should leave the word of God and serve tables. 3Therefore, brethren, seek out from among you seven men of good reputation, full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom, whom we may appoint over this business; 4but we will give ourselves continually to prayer and to the ministry of the word.”
5And the saying pleased the whole multitude. And they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and the Holy Spirit, and Philip, Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolas, a proselyte from Antioch, 6whom they set before the apostles; and when they had prayed, they laid hands on them.
7Then the word of God spread, and the number of the disciples multiplied greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many of the priests were obedient to the faith.
Moses couldn’t do it alone
Moses needed support/load lifters
People stepped up
Victory was won
Needs were better met
The church grew
Load lifting ministry-
Ø spreads the load
Ø Blesses those serving
Ø Sets a good example
Ø Brings victory
Ø Meets more needs
Ø Grows the church
Some keys to load lifting ministry-
1. Association
If you are not associated with the body you will not know the loads that need lifted
2. Anticipation
Anticipate what someone will need before they need it
Tables and chairs, water, donuts, etc.
3. Assertiveness
You don’t have to wait for Pastor to call you before you do something
“Well, Pastor didn’t ask, so I won’t do it”
this is a major cop out
Everything we do is as unto the Lord.
We serve God by serving others.
Matthew 25:31-46
31“When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the £holy angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory. 32All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats. 33And He will set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left. 34Then the King will say to those on His right hand, ‘Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: 35for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; 36I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.’
37“Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink? 38When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You? 39Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’ 40And the King will answer and say to them, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.’
41“Then He will also say to those on the left hand, ‘Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels: 42for I was hungry and you gave Me no food; I was thirsty and you gave Me no drink; 43I was a stranger and you did not take Me in, naked and you did not clothe Me, sick and in prison and you did not visit Me.’
44“Then they also will answer £Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to You?’ 45Then He will answer them, saying, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.’ 46And these will go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”
So ask yourself,
"Why am I here?" and "What am I gonna do about it?"
Thursday, September 10, 2009
Who Is To Blame?
Shawne B. from Warsaw, Indiana tells the following story -
My husband and I are always talking to our son about the wonderful things God has made. We ask questions like: “Who made the sun?” and “Who made the rain?”
One evening, I looked at the toys scattered on the floor and asked, “Who made this mess?”
“God did!” said my well-trained son.
“Life in Our House,” Christian Parenting Today (March – April 2000)
How quickly that young boy was willing to blame God for his situation. It bewilders me that in our culture, we are quick to place blame, yet we are reluctant to accept responsibility. When things do not go our way, we have a tendency to blame someone else and make excuses. I think it is unfortunate that we raise our kids to blame others for things that happen to them rather than teach our children to be accountable for their actions and train them to make better choices.
It is interesting to me how quickly we blame God for the bad things that happen, yet we seem to ignore Him when good things happen? God lets people suffer. God gave my Grandfather cancer. This “so-called” loving God lets children starve.
Sadly, we do not see the entire picture. If we are willing to blame God for bad things, it is logical that we should blame Him for good things, too. God made the sunrise. God made the sunset. God put a roof over your head. God gave you a job or an income during this poor economic time. God gave you your health. God gave you beautiful children. God gave you clothes to wear and food to eat.
Do you take time to blame God for these things?
James 1:17 says,
“Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.”
The Bible makes it very clear that every good thing is from God and that bad things are a result of humanity’s poor choices throughout history.
It is time we move our focus from everything that is wrong and thank God for everything that is right.
I realize that times are tough and life is not easy.
Nevertheless, we are blessed and have a lot to give thanks for. That is no accident. I blame God!
My husband and I are always talking to our son about the wonderful things God has made. We ask questions like: “Who made the sun?” and “Who made the rain?”
One evening, I looked at the toys scattered on the floor and asked, “Who made this mess?”
“God did!” said my well-trained son.
“Life in Our House,” Christian Parenting Today (March – April 2000)
How quickly that young boy was willing to blame God for his situation. It bewilders me that in our culture, we are quick to place blame, yet we are reluctant to accept responsibility. When things do not go our way, we have a tendency to blame someone else and make excuses. I think it is unfortunate that we raise our kids to blame others for things that happen to them rather than teach our children to be accountable for their actions and train them to make better choices.
It is interesting to me how quickly we blame God for the bad things that happen, yet we seem to ignore Him when good things happen? God lets people suffer. God gave my Grandfather cancer. This “so-called” loving God lets children starve.
Sadly, we do not see the entire picture. If we are willing to blame God for bad things, it is logical that we should blame Him for good things, too. God made the sunrise. God made the sunset. God put a roof over your head. God gave you a job or an income during this poor economic time. God gave you your health. God gave you beautiful children. God gave you clothes to wear and food to eat.
Do you take time to blame God for these things?
James 1:17 says,
“Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.”
The Bible makes it very clear that every good thing is from God and that bad things are a result of humanity’s poor choices throughout history.
It is time we move our focus from everything that is wrong and thank God for everything that is right.
I realize that times are tough and life is not easy.
Nevertheless, we are blessed and have a lot to give thanks for. That is no accident. I blame God!
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
Be The One
ONE is the loneliest number that you'll ever.....
Sorry, got caught up in that old Three Dog Night song.
ONE. The lowest positive number in mathematics.
ONE. Not a big number by any means.
Think about it terms of money. ONE dollar didn't mean much until Ronald created his dollar menu. (anybody else notice that they took the double cheeseburger off and put the "McDouble" on. Like we're not gonna notice that there is only ONE slice of cheese? Come on!)
ONE.
This past summer while preparing a message for some students, I started thinking about the power of ONE. And I started trying to think of how many times ONE person (with God) made a huge difference.
Think about Noah. ONE man found grace in the sight of the Lord and preserved the human race.
Moses. ONE man led the Israelaites out of captivity.
Isaiah. God said "whom shall i send and who will go for us?" ONE man said, "Here am I! Send me."
David. ONE kid killed Goliath.
Daniel. ONE righteous man prayed to God when told not to and was thrown into the Lion's den.
Peter. ONE man told Jesus, "Tell me to come to you on the water." and he walked on water.
10 Lepers were healed by Jesus and only ONE came back to say thanks.
ONE young lad shared his lunch and Jesus used it to feed over 5000 people.
Are you getting this? ONE can be powerful!
ONE sinned and since that time, every human now sins.
ONE can also have a negative impact.
But just as sin entered the world through ONE, ONE overcame the sin of the world (Jesus).
I believe that God is searching the world for those that would faithfully and fearlessly serve Him.
You see the power of ONE when God is in the equation.
YOU have the potential to make a huge difference!
What kind of influence will you be?
What is God asking YOU to do for Him?
Will you be the ONE?
Sorry, got caught up in that old Three Dog Night song.
ONE. The lowest positive number in mathematics.
ONE. Not a big number by any means.
Think about it terms of money. ONE dollar didn't mean much until Ronald created his dollar menu. (anybody else notice that they took the double cheeseburger off and put the "McDouble" on. Like we're not gonna notice that there is only ONE slice of cheese? Come on!)
ONE.
This past summer while preparing a message for some students, I started thinking about the power of ONE. And I started trying to think of how many times ONE person (with God) made a huge difference.
Think about Noah. ONE man found grace in the sight of the Lord and preserved the human race.
Moses. ONE man led the Israelaites out of captivity.
Isaiah. God said "whom shall i send and who will go for us?" ONE man said, "Here am I! Send me."
David. ONE kid killed Goliath.
Daniel. ONE righteous man prayed to God when told not to and was thrown into the Lion's den.
Peter. ONE man told Jesus, "Tell me to come to you on the water." and he walked on water.
10 Lepers were healed by Jesus and only ONE came back to say thanks.
ONE young lad shared his lunch and Jesus used it to feed over 5000 people.
Are you getting this? ONE can be powerful!
ONE sinned and since that time, every human now sins.
ONE can also have a negative impact.
But just as sin entered the world through ONE, ONE overcame the sin of the world (Jesus).
I believe that God is searching the world for those that would faithfully and fearlessly serve Him.
You see the power of ONE when God is in the equation.
YOU have the potential to make a huge difference!
What kind of influence will you be?
What is God asking YOU to do for Him?
Will you be the ONE?
Thursday, September 3, 2009
The Lumber of our Lives
A relationship with Christ should be a life of total surrender. A realization that everything we have and everything we are is because of Christ and belongs to Christ.
I think about people that are not very handy and if you were to give them a pile of lumber and a hammer and some nails they would just look at it and have no clue what to do with it. It would stay a useless pile of lumber.
But if you give those same materials to a master craftsman, it wouldn't be long and he would turn that lumber into a beautiful home for someone to dwell in.
It's the same with God. Before we know Christ our lives are nothing but a pile of lumber that we really have no idea what to do with. We struggle through life trying to build something or turn our lives into something meaningful. Only to have things crumble down around us. We need to find a master craftsman that can really make something out of the lumber of our lives.
That's where Christ comes in.
Ephesians 2:8-10 says,
"8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast. 10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them."
Did you catch that in verse 10? We are HIS WORKMANSHIP. In other words, He (God), is the Master Craftsman of our lives that wants to take the lumber of our lives and turn it into a beautiful dwelling place for Him to reside.
Does your life seem confusing? Are you having trouble finding purpose or meaning? Is it like your life is a pile of lumber that you don't know what do with or how to make something out of it?
Give the Master Craftsman a chance and see what He will do with you.
He makes beauty from ashes. He makes all things new. He wants to dwell with you and He only wants HIS best for your life!
The key is this. You must be willing to surrender your life to Him and allow Him to be in control. A monstrous decision, I know. But absolutely worth it.
I think about people that are not very handy and if you were to give them a pile of lumber and a hammer and some nails they would just look at it and have no clue what to do with it. It would stay a useless pile of lumber.
But if you give those same materials to a master craftsman, it wouldn't be long and he would turn that lumber into a beautiful home for someone to dwell in.
It's the same with God. Before we know Christ our lives are nothing but a pile of lumber that we really have no idea what to do with. We struggle through life trying to build something or turn our lives into something meaningful. Only to have things crumble down around us. We need to find a master craftsman that can really make something out of the lumber of our lives.
That's where Christ comes in.
Ephesians 2:8-10 says,
"8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast. 10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them."
Did you catch that in verse 10? We are HIS WORKMANSHIP. In other words, He (God), is the Master Craftsman of our lives that wants to take the lumber of our lives and turn it into a beautiful dwelling place for Him to reside.
Does your life seem confusing? Are you having trouble finding purpose or meaning? Is it like your life is a pile of lumber that you don't know what do with or how to make something out of it?
Give the Master Craftsman a chance and see what He will do with you.
He makes beauty from ashes. He makes all things new. He wants to dwell with you and He only wants HIS best for your life!
The key is this. You must be willing to surrender your life to Him and allow Him to be in control. A monstrous decision, I know. But absolutely worth it.
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
Live Up To Your Name
Alexander the Great, one of the greatest military generals who ever lived, conquered almost the entire known world with his vast army.
One night during a campaign, he couldn’t sleep and left his tent to walk around the campgrounds.
As he was walking he came across a soldier asleep on guard duty—a serious offense. The penalty for falling asleep on guard duty was, in some cases, instant death; the commanding officer sometimes poured kerosene on the sleeping soldier and lit it.
The soldier began to wake up as Alexander the Great approached him. Recognizing who was standing in front of him, the young man feared for his life.
“Do you know what the penalty is for falling asleep on guard duty?” Alexander the Great asked the soldier.
“Yes, sir,” the soldier responded in a quivering voice.
“Soldier, what’s your name?” demanded Alexander the Great.
“Alexander, sir.”
Alexander the Great repeated the question: “What is your name?”
“My name is Alexander, sir,” the soldier repeated.
A third time and more loudly Alexander the Great asked, “What is your name?”
A third time the soldier meekly said, “My name is Alexander, sir.”
Alexander the Great then looked the young soldier straight in the eye. “Soldier,” he said with intensity, “either change your name or change your conduct.”
Those who carry the name of Christ and call themselves "Christ"ian have a tremendous responsibility to live up to that name.
What do people think about Christ when they watch your life?
One night during a campaign, he couldn’t sleep and left his tent to walk around the campgrounds.
As he was walking he came across a soldier asleep on guard duty—a serious offense. The penalty for falling asleep on guard duty was, in some cases, instant death; the commanding officer sometimes poured kerosene on the sleeping soldier and lit it.
The soldier began to wake up as Alexander the Great approached him. Recognizing who was standing in front of him, the young man feared for his life.
“Do you know what the penalty is for falling asleep on guard duty?” Alexander the Great asked the soldier.
“Yes, sir,” the soldier responded in a quivering voice.
“Soldier, what’s your name?” demanded Alexander the Great.
“Alexander, sir.”
Alexander the Great repeated the question: “What is your name?”
“My name is Alexander, sir,” the soldier repeated.
A third time and more loudly Alexander the Great asked, “What is your name?”
A third time the soldier meekly said, “My name is Alexander, sir.”
Alexander the Great then looked the young soldier straight in the eye. “Soldier,” he said with intensity, “either change your name or change your conduct.”
Those who carry the name of Christ and call themselves "Christ"ian have a tremendous responsibility to live up to that name.
What do people think about Christ when they watch your life?
Saturday, August 15, 2009
Sandbars and Beaches
Spent the day at Lake Michigan Friday. My family hung out with some friends at the beach in Grand Haven then went out on the lake for some deep sea swimming and some salmon fishing. Let's just say the the swimming was better than the fishing.
Anyway, my daughters, Emma (7), and Allison (5), loved the beach. They loved going out to the sandbar and bodysurfing in the big waves. They could spend all day in the water and never get tired of it. They are water bugs through and through.
It was interesting, though, when we went out on the boat to swim, only one of them wanted to jump in the deep water. One daughter jumped off the boat right away and started swimming away from it, basking in her new found freedom. (she had a life jacket of course). My other daughter was not so excited. I asked her and asked her to come in and she would just look at the water and refuse. Finally I bribed her to at least sit on the wood deck at the back of the boat and feel the water. So she did. After that, I bribed her again to get on my back and go in the water. She finally did. Then, she got out of the water and JUMPED back in on her own! What a frightening thrill it was for her. She ended up loving it! It was very comfortable for my girls to swim at the beach where they could stand on their own and see and touch the bottom. But when there wasn't the safety of the sandbar and beach, that changed for one of my girls.
Aren't we like that in our relationship with God? We love following God when we can "see" where we are going. We have no problem saying "yes" to God when we know we can do it in our own strength and ability. We enjoy God's presence at the sandbar and beach where it is safe.
So many people serve God in the shallow water where they can stand up and touch and see the bottom.
But what about when God asks you to go out to the deep water? You know, asks you to do something you are not quite sure about. Something that requires more faith than self reliance. Maybe something you have never done before.
Maybe God just wants you to draw closer to Him, but you are afraid because you don't know what's next.
I don't really care to swim at the beach. The water's cold, the sand is a mess, it's crowded. But going out on the lake where there's no bottom to stand on and no boundaries close by, I love that.
It is similar with God. There is so much more to our Christian life than sandbars and beaches.
Just like I was in the water holding out my arms asking my kids to jump to me, your heavenly Father, God, is holding out His arms calling you to come to Him.
Be brave. Take a risk. Be a thrill seeker.
Jump out into the deep water where only God knows what's next. You never know, you may just love it!
Anyway, my daughters, Emma (7), and Allison (5), loved the beach. They loved going out to the sandbar and bodysurfing in the big waves. They could spend all day in the water and never get tired of it. They are water bugs through and through.
It was interesting, though, when we went out on the boat to swim, only one of them wanted to jump in the deep water. One daughter jumped off the boat right away and started swimming away from it, basking in her new found freedom. (she had a life jacket of course). My other daughter was not so excited. I asked her and asked her to come in and she would just look at the water and refuse. Finally I bribed her to at least sit on the wood deck at the back of the boat and feel the water. So she did. After that, I bribed her again to get on my back and go in the water. She finally did. Then, she got out of the water and JUMPED back in on her own! What a frightening thrill it was for her. She ended up loving it! It was very comfortable for my girls to swim at the beach where they could stand on their own and see and touch the bottom. But when there wasn't the safety of the sandbar and beach, that changed for one of my girls.
Aren't we like that in our relationship with God? We love following God when we can "see" where we are going. We have no problem saying "yes" to God when we know we can do it in our own strength and ability. We enjoy God's presence at the sandbar and beach where it is safe.
So many people serve God in the shallow water where they can stand up and touch and see the bottom.
But what about when God asks you to go out to the deep water? You know, asks you to do something you are not quite sure about. Something that requires more faith than self reliance. Maybe something you have never done before.
Maybe God just wants you to draw closer to Him, but you are afraid because you don't know what's next.
I don't really care to swim at the beach. The water's cold, the sand is a mess, it's crowded. But going out on the lake where there's no bottom to stand on and no boundaries close by, I love that.
It is similar with God. There is so much more to our Christian life than sandbars and beaches.
Just like I was in the water holding out my arms asking my kids to jump to me, your heavenly Father, God, is holding out His arms calling you to come to Him.
Be brave. Take a risk. Be a thrill seeker.
Jump out into the deep water where only God knows what's next. You never know, you may just love it!
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
How To Kill Your Flesh
I was watching an episode of House recently. You know, the show with the jerk genius diagnostic Doctor who treats people really bad but does his job really good? Anyway, the patient in this episode had an awful infection that was eating the flesh of his hand. They decided to amputate his hand before the infection could spread. The thought was that if they cut off the hand, the disease would be gone since it wouldn't have anymore flesh to feed on.
Reflecting on that, I was thinking about the Bible telling us to crucify or kill our flesh. There is a never ending battle that takes place in us between our flesh and the Spirit of God in us. A war, if you will. Our flesh wants to do things that only satisfy our human desires and the Spirit of God wants us to do things that please God and make us more like Christ.
I look at this way. We each have a certain amount of "living space" in us. Like a house. So let's say we are a 1000 square foot house. In this house there is a struggle over who is going to live there. Flesh or Spirit. Before we become a Christ follower, that whole living space is occupied by our flesh. Everything we do is motivated by what makes "us" feel good. When we decide to start living for God, the Spirit of God moves in and wants to take over that living space. Now our motivation is supposed to be to do what pleases God. Easier said than done, I know.
But here is what I have discovered.
Our sinful flesh and the Spirit of God cannot live together. And so the battle for that living space rages on.
What do we do?
There is a simple concept we can apply here.
What we feed grows, what we starve dies.
If we "feed" our flesh, it along with its appetite will grow.
If we starve it, it will die.
If we "feed" our spirit, it will grow.
If we starve it, it will die.
We feed our flesh by giving in to things that are only for our personal satisfaction. In other words, we choose to sin.
We starve our flesh by resisting and avoiding temptation and sin.
We feed our spirit by reading the Bible, praying to God, going to church, hanging out with other Christ followers, listening to teachers of the Bible, and by making choices that are pleasing to God, our heavenly Father.
We starve our spirit when we don't do these things.
The patient in that episode of House had his hand cut off so that the disease wouldn't have anymore to eat. It was starved to death. We need to do the same in our lives and remove the things our flesh feeds on so that it will die.
Ask yourself this, "What am I hungry for? Things that feed my flesh or things that feed my spirit?"
If the answer is the flesh, it's time to make a decision to starve it to death so that you can grow spiritually in God to become more like Christ.
Reflecting on that, I was thinking about the Bible telling us to crucify or kill our flesh. There is a never ending battle that takes place in us between our flesh and the Spirit of God in us. A war, if you will. Our flesh wants to do things that only satisfy our human desires and the Spirit of God wants us to do things that please God and make us more like Christ.
I look at this way. We each have a certain amount of "living space" in us. Like a house. So let's say we are a 1000 square foot house. In this house there is a struggle over who is going to live there. Flesh or Spirit. Before we become a Christ follower, that whole living space is occupied by our flesh. Everything we do is motivated by what makes "us" feel good. When we decide to start living for God, the Spirit of God moves in and wants to take over that living space. Now our motivation is supposed to be to do what pleases God. Easier said than done, I know.
But here is what I have discovered.
Our sinful flesh and the Spirit of God cannot live together. And so the battle for that living space rages on.
What do we do?
There is a simple concept we can apply here.
What we feed grows, what we starve dies.
If we "feed" our flesh, it along with its appetite will grow.
If we starve it, it will die.
If we "feed" our spirit, it will grow.
If we starve it, it will die.
We feed our flesh by giving in to things that are only for our personal satisfaction. In other words, we choose to sin.
We starve our flesh by resisting and avoiding temptation and sin.
We feed our spirit by reading the Bible, praying to God, going to church, hanging out with other Christ followers, listening to teachers of the Bible, and by making choices that are pleasing to God, our heavenly Father.
We starve our spirit when we don't do these things.
The patient in that episode of House had his hand cut off so that the disease wouldn't have anymore to eat. It was starved to death. We need to do the same in our lives and remove the things our flesh feeds on so that it will die.
Ask yourself this, "What am I hungry for? Things that feed my flesh or things that feed my spirit?"
If the answer is the flesh, it's time to make a decision to starve it to death so that you can grow spiritually in God to become more like Christ.
Saturday, August 8, 2009
Imitate Me as I Imitate Christ
There are some things in the Bible that just seem to stick out to me more than others. And as I continue on this journey of living for Jesus, these things sometimes change along the way. But one of the statements in scripture that has stuck with me for a long time is the Apostle Paul saying, "Imitate me as I imitate Christ." 1 Corinthians 11:1
My struggle with this has been that it seemed this instruction of Paul's took people's focus off of Jesus and on to Paul. That he was saying, don't imitate Jesus and look to Him as your example, but look to me, Paul, instead.
This is just not true. What I have come to understand is that Paul was all about leading people into a relationship with God through Jesus. He was also about Christ followers being good examples to others.
I realize I had the wrong picture of this verse in my head. I had an image of Paul walking down a path and others following behind him in a single file line formation. That Paul looked to Christ and followed Him as others fell in and followed Paul.
That is not Paul's intention at all.
The mind picture I now have, is Paul walking side by side, hand in hand with others down this path. Encouraging each other in the right way to go. Helping each other figure out just what it means to be a Christ follower. And being willing to let anyone join in the journey and follow Christ with them. All the while, each individual keeps their eyes on Jesus as the model of what their life is supposed to be like.
So I think Paul was encouraging us as Christ followers to be good examples so that if someone needs a hand in figuring out how to follow Christ, we can come alongside them in their journey and help them along the way. We don't have people walk behind us, but walk beside us.
My struggle with this has been that it seemed this instruction of Paul's took people's focus off of Jesus and on to Paul. That he was saying, don't imitate Jesus and look to Him as your example, but look to me, Paul, instead.
This is just not true. What I have come to understand is that Paul was all about leading people into a relationship with God through Jesus. He was also about Christ followers being good examples to others.
I realize I had the wrong picture of this verse in my head. I had an image of Paul walking down a path and others following behind him in a single file line formation. That Paul looked to Christ and followed Him as others fell in and followed Paul.
That is not Paul's intention at all.
The mind picture I now have, is Paul walking side by side, hand in hand with others down this path. Encouraging each other in the right way to go. Helping each other figure out just what it means to be a Christ follower. And being willing to let anyone join in the journey and follow Christ with them. All the while, each individual keeps their eyes on Jesus as the model of what their life is supposed to be like.
So I think Paul was encouraging us as Christ followers to be good examples so that if someone needs a hand in figuring out how to follow Christ, we can come alongside them in their journey and help them along the way. We don't have people walk behind us, but walk beside us.
Thursday, August 6, 2009
Gismos, Gadgets, and God
This is my first blog posted on another site and just moved it here. enjoy -
August 05
Gismos, Gadgets, and God
As I sit to write this, I am reading a book, checking my e-mail, staying up on world events, the Tigers, and Wolverines online, updating my FB (facebook), texting back and forth with my wife, and just set up a Twitter account so I can Tweet my peeps!
What an amazing age we live in that we can have instant access to news from around the world, updates by the second from people anywhere, instant messages, cell phone communication wherever we are, iphones, blackberries, notebooks, netbooks, kindles, smart phones. The list goes on.
The world has never been smaller than it is today because of technology.
Maybe you are one that loves to multi task, too. Or maybe you are one that thinks everybody on FB or MySpace or Twitter wants to know every little detail of your day. Whoever you are, gismos and gadgets probably connect you somehow.
Anybody else out there been thrilled to reconnect with an old friend that you have not talked to since high school? Isn’t it exciting to see pictures of them and their families and to find out what they are doing with their lives?
I remember when I used to have to wait until the 11 o’clock news or the newspaper to get my sports scores. Now every game is available play by play online. Or I can get instant updates on my cell phone.
How many hours a day do you spend online, just waiting for the next post to pop up on your computer, only to be disappointed to read that someone just ate a chocolate chip cookie? So much is being written, yet not much is being said.
I wonder if we have the same enthusiasm when it comes to hearing what God wants to say to us. Do we get excited to hear from God’s word? Do we anxiously await what will happen in our prayer time with God? Do we care about what God thinks of the day’s issues?
I have really enjoyed reconnecting with old friends recently. I think it is wonderful to be connected with people in a community (online or otherwise).
The question I have for you is this, “Are you connecting with God?”
A nice thing about connecting with God is how easy it is. All you have to do is talk to Him. He is instantly there waiting for you. Try picking up a Bible and read something that He wrote. I guarantee it is more exciting than hearing about somebody drinking a White Mocha Latte from Starbucks!
The point is, make connecting with God a priority in your life. It’s so easy.
p.s.
You do not have to wait for God to accept your friend request! He has been waiting for years for you to accept His.
August 05
Gismos, Gadgets, and God
As I sit to write this, I am reading a book, checking my e-mail, staying up on world events, the Tigers, and Wolverines online, updating my FB (facebook), texting back and forth with my wife, and just set up a Twitter account so I can Tweet my peeps!
What an amazing age we live in that we can have instant access to news from around the world, updates by the second from people anywhere, instant messages, cell phone communication wherever we are, iphones, blackberries, notebooks, netbooks, kindles, smart phones. The list goes on.
The world has never been smaller than it is today because of technology.
Maybe you are one that loves to multi task, too. Or maybe you are one that thinks everybody on FB or MySpace or Twitter wants to know every little detail of your day. Whoever you are, gismos and gadgets probably connect you somehow.
Anybody else out there been thrilled to reconnect with an old friend that you have not talked to since high school? Isn’t it exciting to see pictures of them and their families and to find out what they are doing with their lives?
I remember when I used to have to wait until the 11 o’clock news or the newspaper to get my sports scores. Now every game is available play by play online. Or I can get instant updates on my cell phone.
How many hours a day do you spend online, just waiting for the next post to pop up on your computer, only to be disappointed to read that someone just ate a chocolate chip cookie? So much is being written, yet not much is being said.
I wonder if we have the same enthusiasm when it comes to hearing what God wants to say to us. Do we get excited to hear from God’s word? Do we anxiously await what will happen in our prayer time with God? Do we care about what God thinks of the day’s issues?
I have really enjoyed reconnecting with old friends recently. I think it is wonderful to be connected with people in a community (online or otherwise).
The question I have for you is this, “Are you connecting with God?”
A nice thing about connecting with God is how easy it is. All you have to do is talk to Him. He is instantly there waiting for you. Try picking up a Bible and read something that He wrote. I guarantee it is more exciting than hearing about somebody drinking a White Mocha Latte from Starbucks!
The point is, make connecting with God a priority in your life. It’s so easy.
p.s.
You do not have to wait for God to accept your friend request! He has been waiting for years for you to accept His.
Trustworthy Christians
Ever play the "let's see who can hit the softest" game. When I was young, my dad played this with me. He'd say, "Son, let's see who can hit the softest. You go first." Then he would lower his shoulder in front of me so I could get a good shot at his bicep and I would ever so slightly touch his arm with my fist, hitting him with all the force of a feather.
Then I would expose my bicep (all 10 inches of it) for him to hit. He proceeded to punch me in the arm really hard and laugh out loud while saying, "You win!"
Needless to say, I don't play that game with my Dad anymore.
I had a hard time trusting him to play fair after that.
Yesterday I was reading 1 Corinthians 4:1,2
The Contemporary English Version says, "This is how you should regard us, as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God. (2) Moreover, it is required of stewards that they be found trustworthy."
TRUSTWORTHY
The Apostle Paul is saying that as Christ followers, we should be servants and stewards. In other words, serve God by serving people and be responsible in how we represent God.
Christians need to be trustworthy.
It makes me wonder, can people trust me as a Christian? If I say something about the love of God, have they seen that through me? If I tell someone about about God's mercy, have I lived that out? If I tell someone that Jesus will change their life, have they seen a changed life in me.
How have I represented God?
Then I would expose my bicep (all 10 inches of it) for him to hit. He proceeded to punch me in the arm really hard and laugh out loud while saying, "You win!"
Needless to say, I don't play that game with my Dad anymore.
I had a hard time trusting him to play fair after that.
Yesterday I was reading 1 Corinthians 4:1,2
The Contemporary English Version says, "This is how you should regard us, as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God. (2) Moreover, it is required of stewards that they be found trustworthy."
TRUSTWORTHY
The Apostle Paul is saying that as Christ followers, we should be servants and stewards. In other words, serve God by serving people and be responsible in how we represent God.
Christians need to be trustworthy.
It makes me wonder, can people trust me as a Christian? If I say something about the love of God, have they seen that through me? If I tell someone about about God's mercy, have I lived that out? If I tell someone that Jesus will change their life, have they seen a changed life in me.
How have I represented God?
Am I a trustworthy Christian?
Are you?
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