"We have different gifts, according to the grace given us. If a man's gift is prophesying, let him use it in proportion to his faith. If it is serving, let him serve; if it is teaching, let him teach; if it is encouraging, let him encourage; if it is contributing to the needs of others, let him give generously; if it is leadership, let him govern diligently; if it is showing mercy, let him do it cheerfully." Romans 12:6-8
Building on yesterday's message, this passage from Romans provides some thoughts on Christian stewardship. Again, we tend to think about giving and stewardship in a monetary light. However, God makes it clear that we are to give of ourselves and or our talents. He also makes it clear that we do not all have the same talents and gifts. While He made us in His own image, we are all still unique. While we may see the same character traits in siblings, or parents and children, we are all unique.
What is your unique talent or gift that you can share with others? What gift has God given you to allow you to spread His word? You see, while we strive to use our gifts and talents for material rewards, the true purpose of these gifts is to show Christ through our talents. Show others how special you feel and how grateful you are for these wonderful gifts God has given you.
Further reading in Romans 12 gives us clear instructions on how to use our gifts in relation to others.
"Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves. Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Share with God's people who are in need. Practice hospitality.
Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited.
Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everybody. If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone." Romans 12:9-18
This additional detail also provides us with the evidence that God has given each of us different skills, none being more or less important than the other. We must always be aware of this so that we don't become boastful or look down upon others. I put emphasis on several words and phrases that particularly stood out as being important. These are things God is commanding we do.
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
Increase your giving
"...He has scattered abroad his gifts to the poor; his righteousness endures forever" 2 Corinthians 9:9
No, I am not writing today to tell you how much money you should be putting in the collection plate on Sundays. I want to go deeper into what God tells us about giving. Earlier, in verse 7 it says "for God loves a cheerful giver".
I contend that while many stewardship programs use this passage in 2nd Corinthians to encourage members to give generously so that the church may continue doing the work of the Lord, that the message is much deeper then just money. God wants us to share everything we have because all that we have comes from Him. Most importantly includes sharing our faith with others. Show others Jesus through both our word and action. For I am certain that if I gave 50% of my income to the church each Sunday but never shared my faith with another person, never showed compassion to someone less fortunate, never cared for someone who was having rough times or who was sick that God would not be pleased.
There is discrepancies between certain denominations as to the works that are spoken of throughout the Bible. We are not saved by these works but rather these works come out of being saved by grace alone. If we have faith that Jesus Christ died for our sins to allow us to live in eternity with Him and the Father, then we naturally want to share that wonderful gift with others. The way we share is in love. And what better way to love someone as Christ loves us then by being compassionate, helping the less fortunate, giving of our time and talents, and yes, giving of our worldly possessions.
"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." John 3:16
With such a wonderful gift, should not we be sharing with as many others as possible. Do not be selfish and keep this gift to yourself, go out and share this good news with the world.
God Bless you on this last Tuesday of June.
No, I am not writing today to tell you how much money you should be putting in the collection plate on Sundays. I want to go deeper into what God tells us about giving. Earlier, in verse 7 it says "for God loves a cheerful giver".
I contend that while many stewardship programs use this passage in 2nd Corinthians to encourage members to give generously so that the church may continue doing the work of the Lord, that the message is much deeper then just money. God wants us to share everything we have because all that we have comes from Him. Most importantly includes sharing our faith with others. Show others Jesus through both our word and action. For I am certain that if I gave 50% of my income to the church each Sunday but never shared my faith with another person, never showed compassion to someone less fortunate, never cared for someone who was having rough times or who was sick that God would not be pleased.
There is discrepancies between certain denominations as to the works that are spoken of throughout the Bible. We are not saved by these works but rather these works come out of being saved by grace alone. If we have faith that Jesus Christ died for our sins to allow us to live in eternity with Him and the Father, then we naturally want to share that wonderful gift with others. The way we share is in love. And what better way to love someone as Christ loves us then by being compassionate, helping the less fortunate, giving of our time and talents, and yes, giving of our worldly possessions.
"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." John 3:16
With such a wonderful gift, should not we be sharing with as many others as possible. Do not be selfish and keep this gift to yourself, go out and share this good news with the world.
God Bless you on this last Tuesday of June.
Monday, June 28, 2010
Keeping our churches strong in tough times
My wife and I got a good chuckle yesterday afternoon after spending 2 hours in the parish hall for a voters assembly meeting. We had told the kids that it would only be about an hour, but lest we forget that we were there to vote on the annual budget. This is always challenging as a church is not a regular business where you sell a product and can forecast pretty accurately what your income is going to be for the coming year. It is certainly not a government where you can just dictate that people give more to support the efforts of the church (although I am 99.9% sure that churches could do much more to actually help people with the money than the government does).
No, the church is about faith. Faith that the Lord will provide for our needs in his time, knowing what is right for us at this time. Faith that members see the blessings that the church body can help to provide with the contributions given by free will. Faith that the Holy Spirit will touch the hearts of those that hear the Word of the Gospel and partake in the Sacrament of Holy Communion and have them understand that God does not need our money. God wants us to be faithful servants, helping others that may not be as fortunate, may be down on their luck, or just need some encouragement.
You see, that was a mistake I made earlier in my life. I was listening to the words being preached, but I was not hearing the message. What I heard was give us your money so we can line our pockets. What was being preached was give us a portion of what God has given to you so that we may continue to spread the Word and encourage others to come to faith. This message sometimes gets lost in the talks of budgets. We tend to look at things just on the merit of whether it is income or an expense. And we look at expenses in the wrong light.
Yes, God wants us to be good stewards and this includes responsible budgets. But He also wants us to convey to our fellow Christians that its not just that we have to pay for the utilities, but that those utilities support our mission of spreading the Word of God to those around us, in our communities, those that we may not even know yet.
So in these tough economic times, pray that God will help us all get through. But especially pray that our churches will continue to be able to preach God's words as spoken through the many authors of the Bible. Pray that our churches will be strong and not become divided over petty items. Pray that the Holy Spirit will continue to touch others when they need to be touched. Pray that all people, of all denominations will see the importance of supporting the Christian church in these rough times. Our churches need to stand strong so that we have the ability to reach out to those in need, those having difficulties getting by, and share the good news of Jesus Christ to them and His promise of eternal life.
God Bless your week!
No, the church is about faith. Faith that the Lord will provide for our needs in his time, knowing what is right for us at this time. Faith that members see the blessings that the church body can help to provide with the contributions given by free will. Faith that the Holy Spirit will touch the hearts of those that hear the Word of the Gospel and partake in the Sacrament of Holy Communion and have them understand that God does not need our money. God wants us to be faithful servants, helping others that may not be as fortunate, may be down on their luck, or just need some encouragement.
You see, that was a mistake I made earlier in my life. I was listening to the words being preached, but I was not hearing the message. What I heard was give us your money so we can line our pockets. What was being preached was give us a portion of what God has given to you so that we may continue to spread the Word and encourage others to come to faith. This message sometimes gets lost in the talks of budgets. We tend to look at things just on the merit of whether it is income or an expense. And we look at expenses in the wrong light.
Yes, God wants us to be good stewards and this includes responsible budgets. But He also wants us to convey to our fellow Christians that its not just that we have to pay for the utilities, but that those utilities support our mission of spreading the Word of God to those around us, in our communities, those that we may not even know yet.
So in these tough economic times, pray that God will help us all get through. But especially pray that our churches will continue to be able to preach God's words as spoken through the many authors of the Bible. Pray that our churches will be strong and not become divided over petty items. Pray that the Holy Spirit will continue to touch others when they need to be touched. Pray that all people, of all denominations will see the importance of supporting the Christian church in these rough times. Our churches need to stand strong so that we have the ability to reach out to those in need, those having difficulties getting by, and share the good news of Jesus Christ to them and His promise of eternal life.
God Bless your week!
Friday, June 25, 2010
Pray for our missions
On this Friday, a week before the big 4th of July weekend, I ask you to take a moment and pray for the many missions occurring globally. Pray for these individuals and groups to successfully share the love of Christ with others. Pray for their acts of kindness, evolving from their faith, to continue to touch those that may not know our Lord and Savior yet.
May God Bless your Friday!
May God Bless your Friday!
Thursday, June 24, 2010
Thanking God for challenges
"We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you" Colossians 1:3
When you pray, are you thanking God for the blessings in your life? It is easy to thank him for getting a job promotion, a loved one's recovery from sickness and other tangible items. But do you remember to thank God for the people He has placed in your life?
In my electronic prayer journal, PrayerSteward, I have a prayer category set up for prayers of thankfulness, and in that category I have placed a few ongoing prayer commitments. They are my wife and my kids, my siblings, and then a general prayer commitment for all the other people God has placed in my life. I am not just speaking of those that can benefit me. No, I am also talking about thanking God for placing people in my life that challenge my faith. Those that help to strengthen my beliefs.
I have always, and will continue to be, someone that shows my faith by my actions. I believe actions speak much louder than words, and if God wanted me to preach to people He would have guided me to become a priest or pastor. No, instead God strategically places me places where my faith can touch others, sometimes without them even knowing. Those that have worked for me in the past say flattering things about me in regard to being a good manager. Is this because I know every human resource rule, the answer to every business question, or that I am so much more intelligent than those I manage? Absolutely not. While I do take pride in continuing to gain knowledge, making sure I understand all of the HR policies, I also know how to deal with people. But it is not from anything that I have learned over the last 25+ years in the workforce, or anything that I learned when earning my college degree. Those experiences taught me a tremendous amount about business, but they also reinforced what I learned from the Bible from a young age.
In every situation you must have empathy for the other person and their individual situation. Put yourself in their shoes and tell yourself how you would want to be treated. Then act based on that knowledge as well as the facts. Do not confuse this with not allowing for consequences to occur because there are consequences to our actions and we must all be responsible and accept these consequences. But we can assure that what we do is in love, not anger or hatred.
May your Thursday be blessed with wonderful gifts from God. Thank God for all those that may touch your life today.
When you pray, are you thanking God for the blessings in your life? It is easy to thank him for getting a job promotion, a loved one's recovery from sickness and other tangible items. But do you remember to thank God for the people He has placed in your life?
In my electronic prayer journal, PrayerSteward, I have a prayer category set up for prayers of thankfulness, and in that category I have placed a few ongoing prayer commitments. They are my wife and my kids, my siblings, and then a general prayer commitment for all the other people God has placed in my life. I am not just speaking of those that can benefit me. No, I am also talking about thanking God for placing people in my life that challenge my faith. Those that help to strengthen my beliefs.
I have always, and will continue to be, someone that shows my faith by my actions. I believe actions speak much louder than words, and if God wanted me to preach to people He would have guided me to become a priest or pastor. No, instead God strategically places me places where my faith can touch others, sometimes without them even knowing. Those that have worked for me in the past say flattering things about me in regard to being a good manager. Is this because I know every human resource rule, the answer to every business question, or that I am so much more intelligent than those I manage? Absolutely not. While I do take pride in continuing to gain knowledge, making sure I understand all of the HR policies, I also know how to deal with people. But it is not from anything that I have learned over the last 25+ years in the workforce, or anything that I learned when earning my college degree. Those experiences taught me a tremendous amount about business, but they also reinforced what I learned from the Bible from a young age.
In every situation you must have empathy for the other person and their individual situation. Put yourself in their shoes and tell yourself how you would want to be treated. Then act based on that knowledge as well as the facts. Do not confuse this with not allowing for consequences to occur because there are consequences to our actions and we must all be responsible and accept these consequences. But we can assure that what we do is in love, not anger or hatred.
May your Thursday be blessed with wonderful gifts from God. Thank God for all those that may touch your life today.
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
What a great example of love
Son number one is at choir camp this week which is about a 90-minute drive for us. Son number two had his 7th birthday yesterday. Two years in a row we have faced this situation. The boys are very close, share a room, and are best friends. My older son was showing serious signs of home sickness on Monday, to the point where he was close to quitting the choir so he could come home.
What was the cause of the home sickness? It was a combination of missing Father's Day (I must say it was very odd not having him around that day, I can't imagine what it will be like when we have the empty nest) and the thought of yet again missing his brother's birthday. We could tell it was tearing him apart and causing him to blow some situations with the other boys out of proportion. We needed to make a decision for the sanity of my son.
So after hours of prayer and many discussions, we made arrangements to make the 90-minute trek, the entire family (mom, dad, 2 daughters and the younger son), to celebrate a birthday at my son's choir camp. What a blessing it was to see the love shared last night. When we got there some of the other boys in camp came up and wished my younger son happy birthday. They are utilizing a college campus for their camp, so we all got to eat at the large cafeteria with the rest of the choir. They sang happy birthday to my son and his face lit up. How many opportunities do you get to have the Maryland State Boychoir sing happy birthday to you?
Anyway, my point is that it didn't matter if we would have had peanut butter and jelly sandwiches in my older boy's dorm room, my younger son and he were just happy to be with each other, to share my younger son's birthday. Sure he got a gift from us and his sisters, but the true gift money could not buy. That gift was being able to see his big brother on his birthday. And my older son, well he will now be able to make it through the rest of the week with a nice shot in the arm of family love. I could tell how much it meant to him, especially as he gave up valuable time with his teen friends to be with us.
Please remember this story as you rush to provide "things" for your family. Remember that the greatest gift you can share is love and the love that a family shares is priceless and very precious. Do not let the materialistic society get in the way of spending quality time together as a family. Things get old, fall apart, get forgotten as we get bored with them. But family time, family love, family sharing never get old, never fall apart if nurtured, and never get boring (as one of six, I can surely attest to this).
God Bless you as you make it through the middle of another week.
What was the cause of the home sickness? It was a combination of missing Father's Day (I must say it was very odd not having him around that day, I can't imagine what it will be like when we have the empty nest) and the thought of yet again missing his brother's birthday. We could tell it was tearing him apart and causing him to blow some situations with the other boys out of proportion. We needed to make a decision for the sanity of my son.
So after hours of prayer and many discussions, we made arrangements to make the 90-minute trek, the entire family (mom, dad, 2 daughters and the younger son), to celebrate a birthday at my son's choir camp. What a blessing it was to see the love shared last night. When we got there some of the other boys in camp came up and wished my younger son happy birthday. They are utilizing a college campus for their camp, so we all got to eat at the large cafeteria with the rest of the choir. They sang happy birthday to my son and his face lit up. How many opportunities do you get to have the Maryland State Boychoir sing happy birthday to you?
Anyway, my point is that it didn't matter if we would have had peanut butter and jelly sandwiches in my older boy's dorm room, my younger son and he were just happy to be with each other, to share my younger son's birthday. Sure he got a gift from us and his sisters, but the true gift money could not buy. That gift was being able to see his big brother on his birthday. And my older son, well he will now be able to make it through the rest of the week with a nice shot in the arm of family love. I could tell how much it meant to him, especially as he gave up valuable time with his teen friends to be with us.
Please remember this story as you rush to provide "things" for your family. Remember that the greatest gift you can share is love and the love that a family shares is priceless and very precious. Do not let the materialistic society get in the way of spending quality time together as a family. Things get old, fall apart, get forgotten as we get bored with them. But family time, family love, family sharing never get old, never fall apart if nurtured, and never get boring (as one of six, I can surely attest to this).
God Bless you as you make it through the middle of another week.
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
Did you think it would be easy?
Five days ago I mentioned that I became a father for the first time 14 years ago. Well 7 years ago today, I became a dad for the fourth and final time. With two boys and two girls, each a very unique gift from God, I am thankful that He gave me these blessings and the opportunity to learn so much from being a father. Happy Birthday Kurt!
"Life isn't fair". "This is too hard".
Have you heard these before? Maybe you have said one of them recently. But who promised that life would be easy? Surely Satan attempted to promise Jesus that everything would be easy if He would just bow down to him. But God never says that life will be easy. He created man with free will, knowing full well that it meant we would sin and fall away.
"Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand." Ephesians 6:13
Does this sound like the message of an easy life? No, it is a call to battle, for we are constantly battling Satan as he tries to rip us away from our faith. Take a look around you, look at all the distractions that have been created to get us away from church, away from prayer. Now I am not saying that everything material is evil. What I am saying is that we need to look at everything in context to what is truly important.
In the 6th chapter of Ephesians, God makes it abundantly clear that we are in a war, a battle where we will need all of the protection that God gives us to win. We need to pray each and every day that we will continue to put on the armor to fight this battle. When you read this, does it give you the feeling that the battle will be easy? Absolutely not, in contrary it is a true indication of just how tough this battle is and will continue to be until He returns for judgment day.
Do not take this as a cry to stand on the corner and read the Gospel to passers by. While you certainly may, I believe that wearing the armor of God means being kind to others, acting as Christ himself would have acted. But it is also making sure our children know right from wrong, teaching them to love and not to judge. I pray that is the legacy that I leave behind.
God Bless your Tuesday.
"Life isn't fair". "This is too hard".
Have you heard these before? Maybe you have said one of them recently. But who promised that life would be easy? Surely Satan attempted to promise Jesus that everything would be easy if He would just bow down to him. But God never says that life will be easy. He created man with free will, knowing full well that it meant we would sin and fall away.
"Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand." Ephesians 6:13
Does this sound like the message of an easy life? No, it is a call to battle, for we are constantly battling Satan as he tries to rip us away from our faith. Take a look around you, look at all the distractions that have been created to get us away from church, away from prayer. Now I am not saying that everything material is evil. What I am saying is that we need to look at everything in context to what is truly important.
In the 6th chapter of Ephesians, God makes it abundantly clear that we are in a war, a battle where we will need all of the protection that God gives us to win. We need to pray each and every day that we will continue to put on the armor to fight this battle. When you read this, does it give you the feeling that the battle will be easy? Absolutely not, in contrary it is a true indication of just how tough this battle is and will continue to be until He returns for judgment day.
Do not take this as a cry to stand on the corner and read the Gospel to passers by. While you certainly may, I believe that wearing the armor of God means being kind to others, acting as Christ himself would have acted. But it is also making sure our children know right from wrong, teaching them to love and not to judge. I pray that is the legacy that I leave behind.
God Bless your Tuesday.
Monday, June 21, 2010
Time to tag Jesus in
They say a picture paints a thousand words. So when my pastor's sermon gives me a visual picture in my head it allows the message to really sink in and have an impact on how I think. My pastor did a great job of this yesterday as he preached on the Holy Gospel of Luke 8:26-39. This Gospel tells the story of Jesus healing a demon-possessed man and challenges us to look inside for the demons that we are struggling to deal with. This ties nicely into my morning devotion which discussed how God works to remove the guilt and shame from a past sin, one that we struggle to let go. A demon if you will as it is something that constantly harasses us, surfacing to remind us of a time or incident that we are ashamed. But your demon may not be a past sin. It may be a current situation where you are struggling to get along with your spouse, fighting one of the devil's temptations, or maybe even struggling with putting material items in front of God.
Whatever the demon, I hope that sharing the words of my pastor's sermon may help you visualize your battle and show you where you can lay your hope for defeating those demons. I will paraphrase but hopefully you will see in your mind the same picture I saw yesterday morning.
God sent His Son to save us from our sin, and Jesus is constantly waiting for us to ask for His help in fighting the devil and his temptations. Picture that you are in the wrestling ring with your demons (not the fake TV type, but real wrestling that you would see at the rec, high school or college level). Jesus is not just sitting on the sideline cheering you on. No, He is standing there waiting for us to reach our hand out and tag Him in. He wants to fight the battle with us, but He wants us to tag him in first. Are you getting the picture in your head? I know you have heard of tag team wrestling before. Does not this help us to visualize our battle and how we can overcome and win? If you have seen a tag team match, you know that as one member gets weaker and close to defeat, they struggle to reach out to their team mate, to tag them to relieve them. To bring in the stronger, rested member to fight anew.
God wants us to tag Him in, to seek His help in fighting the devil. He does not want to be a bystander, watching as we struggle and falter. He wants to help. All we need to do is reach our hand out, tag Jesus and let Him do the heavy lifting. Let him strengthen us.
But unlike the wrestler who becomes week and struggles to reach his partner, we should reach out to tag Jesus early, seeking His help even before we go into battle. You see, if we do that, we are asking God to show us how to defeat the devil, not going into battle alone, with our own plan, and then looking to God to save us. While He is ready and willing, He much prefers us to ask for guidance first.
Remember this with all of your planning. Do you tend to plan and then ask God to bless your plan, or do you ask first for God to show you how to plan?
"Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen." Ephesians 3:20-21
God Bless your Monday!
Whatever the demon, I hope that sharing the words of my pastor's sermon may help you visualize your battle and show you where you can lay your hope for defeating those demons. I will paraphrase but hopefully you will see in your mind the same picture I saw yesterday morning.
God sent His Son to save us from our sin, and Jesus is constantly waiting for us to ask for His help in fighting the devil and his temptations. Picture that you are in the wrestling ring with your demons (not the fake TV type, but real wrestling that you would see at the rec, high school or college level). Jesus is not just sitting on the sideline cheering you on. No, He is standing there waiting for us to reach our hand out and tag Him in. He wants to fight the battle with us, but He wants us to tag him in first. Are you getting the picture in your head? I know you have heard of tag team wrestling before. Does not this help us to visualize our battle and how we can overcome and win? If you have seen a tag team match, you know that as one member gets weaker and close to defeat, they struggle to reach out to their team mate, to tag them to relieve them. To bring in the stronger, rested member to fight anew.
God wants us to tag Him in, to seek His help in fighting the devil. He does not want to be a bystander, watching as we struggle and falter. He wants to help. All we need to do is reach our hand out, tag Jesus and let Him do the heavy lifting. Let him strengthen us.
But unlike the wrestler who becomes week and struggles to reach his partner, we should reach out to tag Jesus early, seeking His help even before we go into battle. You see, if we do that, we are asking God to show us how to defeat the devil, not going into battle alone, with our own plan, and then looking to God to save us. While He is ready and willing, He much prefers us to ask for guidance first.
Remember this with all of your planning. Do you tend to plan and then ask God to bless your plan, or do you ask first for God to show you how to plan?
"Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen." Ephesians 3:20-21
God Bless your Monday!
Saturday, June 19, 2010
Thy will be done
I worked with a life coach about a year and a half ago. What a great experience as it brought out in me my desire to stay strong to my faith. I remember my coach sending me an email with the words "Thy will be done, not my will be done". I printed out that email and keep it in the front of my daily planner.
When we make tough decisions, we should always pray about them. But when we pray are we asking God for things that we want without concern for His will? We know that God has our best interest at hand always, and He wants us to pray in His name so that we can be a part of His will for us.
We do not always understand the plan, or for that matter have a real clue as to what that plan is. We can use our daily planners, make long term goals, but in reality, God is in control and we must always remember that His plan for us is always what is best for us in the long term.
May God bless your weekend.
When we make tough decisions, we should always pray about them. But when we pray are we asking God for things that we want without concern for His will? We know that God has our best interest at hand always, and He wants us to pray in His name so that we can be a part of His will for us.
We do not always understand the plan, or for that matter have a real clue as to what that plan is. We can use our daily planners, make long term goals, but in reality, God is in control and we must always remember that His plan for us is always what is best for us in the long term.
May God bless your weekend.
Friday, June 18, 2010
Are you dressed and ready?
"For many are invited, but few are chosen" Matthew 22:14
If today were judgment day, are you ready?
We spend so much time preparing ourselves for a night out, a special occasion, even just the task of going to work. We want to look our best for those we will encounter today. We want to have our elevator speech ready should we meet that key individual that may jump start our career or business, or change our lives in some other way.
What about all those individuals that audition for America's Got Talent or American Idol or one of the many other reality shows with the promise of hitting it big? Have you ever watched? You can always tell those that really prepared and those that did not. Sometimes the results are opposite of what you would think with some acts being pushed forward for the pure entertainment factor (and of course to keep the television ratings high).
In this day and age, we spend so much time getting prepared for things. We study for exams, we plan for large parties, we pick out clothes that will complement the way we look. But what if we compare that to the amount of time we take preparing for the ultimate prize, everlasting life with God? What can we do to prepare? It is a simple answer. Read the Bible, go to church to receive the sacraments and hear the Word. Get so familiar with God's Word and commands that we think at each fork in the road, each turn, each decision point, about what it is God would want us to do.
We are not perfect, for there was only one that walked this earth that was. But we are perfect in God's eyes if he sees us through Jesus. He died on the cross for you, me, your neighbor, your enemy, for all. If we accept this gift, it will show in our love for others and the things we do and say.
Are you dressed and ready if today is judgment day?
May God bless your Friday!
If today were judgment day, are you ready?
We spend so much time preparing ourselves for a night out, a special occasion, even just the task of going to work. We want to look our best for those we will encounter today. We want to have our elevator speech ready should we meet that key individual that may jump start our career or business, or change our lives in some other way.
What about all those individuals that audition for America's Got Talent or American Idol or one of the many other reality shows with the promise of hitting it big? Have you ever watched? You can always tell those that really prepared and those that did not. Sometimes the results are opposite of what you would think with some acts being pushed forward for the pure entertainment factor (and of course to keep the television ratings high).
In this day and age, we spend so much time getting prepared for things. We study for exams, we plan for large parties, we pick out clothes that will complement the way we look. But what if we compare that to the amount of time we take preparing for the ultimate prize, everlasting life with God? What can we do to prepare? It is a simple answer. Read the Bible, go to church to receive the sacraments and hear the Word. Get so familiar with God's Word and commands that we think at each fork in the road, each turn, each decision point, about what it is God would want us to do.
We are not perfect, for there was only one that walked this earth that was. But we are perfect in God's eyes if he sees us through Jesus. He died on the cross for you, me, your neighbor, your enemy, for all. If we accept this gift, it will show in our love for others and the things we do and say.
Are you dressed and ready if today is judgment day?
May God bless your Friday!
Thursday, June 17, 2010
God's greatest gifts
Fourteen years ago today I became a dad. What an emotional day that was, and what an incredible feeling to witness the miracle of birth. I've since witnessed 3 more miracles, each one unique and amazing. What an example of God's words that say that a man and a woman will come together to become one flesh. I know that children are not exactly what we are instructed is being conveyed in the Bible, but if you really think about it, that is exactly what happens. For a life cannot happen without a part of me and a part of my wife combining and producing a new life, from the moment of conception.
I read in my morning devotion the story in the first chapter of Matthew of the angel visiting Joseph to let him know not to be afraid of taking Mary home as his wife. Joseph's plans were to quietly divorce Mary so as not to expose her to public disgrace. Joseph was told, as Mary had been, that the conception was immaculate and was told what to name the child. This was important, because the name, Jesus, is the Greek form of Joshua which means the Lord saves. I think this must have given Joseph comfort, but I also believe he had to have a feeling of being overwhelmed.
Who among those of us with children don't feel overwhelmed with the responsibility of caring and raising a child? Can you even imagine if your child was the Son of God? It is obvious to me why God chose Mary and Joseph. He must have known how faithful they would be to His word. Because we are told in the Book of Revelation how Jesus will return we know that this could never happen today. But just think of how it would play out if you or I were called for this incredible responsibility.
My wife and I joked when we started having kids, asking where the instruction manual was. While it is true there is no instruction manual for the physical care of a child (although there are books that try but don't really come close to how it really plays out), there is and instruction manual for the spiritual care of our children. It is the Bible and I encourage you to read what it has to say. If it seems like a foreign language, or you need help with where to look for the "instructions" then talk with your pastor, priest, or minister and ask for help. They can give you guidance and also point you in the direction of some incredible Bible studies that will help. I know my wife and I did several couples Bible studies. These were terrific and I am sorry that we are not doing them any more. They help relate what the Bible says to what you are experiencing in your life. They also do one very important thing. They show you that you are not alone in this journey, your experiences with your children, your spouse, are not unique. It helps to know this and to understand that we are human and will make mistakes, but if we raise our children according to God's word it will last a lifetime. As yesterday's post mentioned, plant the foundation for which they will be able to fall back on. That is the best we can do as parents.
God Bless your Thursday.
Happy Birthday Zach! I love you and I am proud to be your dad.
I read in my morning devotion the story in the first chapter of Matthew of the angel visiting Joseph to let him know not to be afraid of taking Mary home as his wife. Joseph's plans were to quietly divorce Mary so as not to expose her to public disgrace. Joseph was told, as Mary had been, that the conception was immaculate and was told what to name the child. This was important, because the name, Jesus, is the Greek form of Joshua which means the Lord saves. I think this must have given Joseph comfort, but I also believe he had to have a feeling of being overwhelmed.
Who among those of us with children don't feel overwhelmed with the responsibility of caring and raising a child? Can you even imagine if your child was the Son of God? It is obvious to me why God chose Mary and Joseph. He must have known how faithful they would be to His word. Because we are told in the Book of Revelation how Jesus will return we know that this could never happen today. But just think of how it would play out if you or I were called for this incredible responsibility.
My wife and I joked when we started having kids, asking where the instruction manual was. While it is true there is no instruction manual for the physical care of a child (although there are books that try but don't really come close to how it really plays out), there is and instruction manual for the spiritual care of our children. It is the Bible and I encourage you to read what it has to say. If it seems like a foreign language, or you need help with where to look for the "instructions" then talk with your pastor, priest, or minister and ask for help. They can give you guidance and also point you in the direction of some incredible Bible studies that will help. I know my wife and I did several couples Bible studies. These were terrific and I am sorry that we are not doing them any more. They help relate what the Bible says to what you are experiencing in your life. They also do one very important thing. They show you that you are not alone in this journey, your experiences with your children, your spouse, are not unique. It helps to know this and to understand that we are human and will make mistakes, but if we raise our children according to God's word it will last a lifetime. As yesterday's post mentioned, plant the foundation for which they will be able to fall back on. That is the best we can do as parents.
God Bless your Thursday.
Happy Birthday Zach! I love you and I am proud to be your dad.
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
One of my favorite parables
Luke 15:11-32 - the story of the prodigal son. This is one of my favorite parables told by Jesus in the Bible. It is a story I can really relate to based on my own experiences, and from the conversations I have had over the years, I believe many can relate.
It lays out almost perfectly my relationship with God. I had a strong Christian childhood. My dad made sure that we went to church every Sunday and he struggled to send us to a Christian elementary school, even though I know now he could not really afford it. I played guitar in the folk group, on the altar just about every Sunday, I was active in the youth group and even went to the national youth convention one year.
But then something happened, I got a decent paying job and was introduced to what I like to call "the big party". I decided (yes, it was a decision, not just something that happened) that I didn't need church or God. I never really understood why we were asked to give at church and honestly that aspect really tore me up. You see, as I was making a decent wage, I saw what the government was taking from me each pay period, and now I had the church telling me I need to give them money as well. To a degree, I filtered out the message so the only thing I was hearing when going to church was that I was a sinner and because of that I needed to give money to the church. I was definitely mixed up in my thoughts.
I know now that I was hearing what the devil was putting into my head, not what was being preached, but it took a long 6 or 7 years to figure this out. I thought I had it all, going out every night of the week, traveling for my job, lots of friends and colleagues. Who needed church? My mom was so upset with me because I would not even go to church on holidays. I justified this by saying I did not want to be a hypocrite, only showing up for the special days. What I really meant was that I did not want to hear the message that I was living a life of an unrepentant sinner.
But there was something missing, something big. I remember walking into a lonely apartment on many a Christmas night, feeling depressed, not having any one to share with. I saw my siblings with there marriages that on the outside I scoffed at, but on the inside I longed for.
Then several things happened in my life. I bought my first house, and with that decided that my lifestyle was putting everything I had at risk. I had not yet come to the realization of what was really missing, but God was setting my plan in motion. Driving a friend home from a baseball game (okay it was the Orioles when they actually used to win) I slid on wet pavement and bang, I was out a car for about a week. I look back at this moment and realize this was when God opened up the door for me to come in. He saw me from a distance, like the father in the parable, and was so excited to see me coming back. I did not know it yet, but I was turning back into God's driveway, coming home after a long journey away. I had started to clean up my act, turn back toward God.
Then I met my wife (we worked for the same company, she lived near my new house, she provided me with transportation while my car was in the shop, now you know the rest of the story). I know that God sent her to me as a gift, but also to lead me down the driveway and back home. She gave me an ultimatum, go to church or find someone else. Well, I made the best decision in my life at that moment. Of course I know that it was not me making the decision, but the Holy Spirit pushing me from behind. What came over the next several years were events where without being strong again in faith, I do not know if I would have made it. My mom had bypass surgery, my little brother had some rare form of pneumonia that nearly cost him his life. Without Christ and my wife in my life, I would have never made it through those events.
Since then, there have been many challenges, but as my grandmother used to tell my mom, God never gives you what you cannot handle.
My point today is that as parents we have to do the best we can to show our children who God is and how much He cares for each and every one of us. We get God's instructions from His written Word in the Bible. With that foundation, if and when they stray, they will have a foundation to rely on and to return to. And God, as the father in the parable, will be there with open arms, just like He was for me. And He will celebrate with great joy that His child has returned.
"For this my son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found. So they began to celebrate." Luke 15:24
God Bless you on this Wednesday!
It lays out almost perfectly my relationship with God. I had a strong Christian childhood. My dad made sure that we went to church every Sunday and he struggled to send us to a Christian elementary school, even though I know now he could not really afford it. I played guitar in the folk group, on the altar just about every Sunday, I was active in the youth group and even went to the national youth convention one year.
But then something happened, I got a decent paying job and was introduced to what I like to call "the big party". I decided (yes, it was a decision, not just something that happened) that I didn't need church or God. I never really understood why we were asked to give at church and honestly that aspect really tore me up. You see, as I was making a decent wage, I saw what the government was taking from me each pay period, and now I had the church telling me I need to give them money as well. To a degree, I filtered out the message so the only thing I was hearing when going to church was that I was a sinner and because of that I needed to give money to the church. I was definitely mixed up in my thoughts.
I know now that I was hearing what the devil was putting into my head, not what was being preached, but it took a long 6 or 7 years to figure this out. I thought I had it all, going out every night of the week, traveling for my job, lots of friends and colleagues. Who needed church? My mom was so upset with me because I would not even go to church on holidays. I justified this by saying I did not want to be a hypocrite, only showing up for the special days. What I really meant was that I did not want to hear the message that I was living a life of an unrepentant sinner.
But there was something missing, something big. I remember walking into a lonely apartment on many a Christmas night, feeling depressed, not having any one to share with. I saw my siblings with there marriages that on the outside I scoffed at, but on the inside I longed for.
Then several things happened in my life. I bought my first house, and with that decided that my lifestyle was putting everything I had at risk. I had not yet come to the realization of what was really missing, but God was setting my plan in motion. Driving a friend home from a baseball game (okay it was the Orioles when they actually used to win) I slid on wet pavement and bang, I was out a car for about a week. I look back at this moment and realize this was when God opened up the door for me to come in. He saw me from a distance, like the father in the parable, and was so excited to see me coming back. I did not know it yet, but I was turning back into God's driveway, coming home after a long journey away. I had started to clean up my act, turn back toward God.
Then I met my wife (we worked for the same company, she lived near my new house, she provided me with transportation while my car was in the shop, now you know the rest of the story). I know that God sent her to me as a gift, but also to lead me down the driveway and back home. She gave me an ultimatum, go to church or find someone else. Well, I made the best decision in my life at that moment. Of course I know that it was not me making the decision, but the Holy Spirit pushing me from behind. What came over the next several years were events where without being strong again in faith, I do not know if I would have made it. My mom had bypass surgery, my little brother had some rare form of pneumonia that nearly cost him his life. Without Christ and my wife in my life, I would have never made it through those events.
Since then, there have been many challenges, but as my grandmother used to tell my mom, God never gives you what you cannot handle.
My point today is that as parents we have to do the best we can to show our children who God is and how much He cares for each and every one of us. We get God's instructions from His written Word in the Bible. With that foundation, if and when they stray, they will have a foundation to rely on and to return to. And God, as the father in the parable, will be there with open arms, just like He was for me. And He will celebrate with great joy that His child has returned.
"For this my son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found. So they began to celebrate." Luke 15:24
God Bless you on this Wednesday!
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
Oh how I wish I could see time like God
This morning I got up at the crack of dawn, grabbed a quick bite to give myself energy for my morning run. It is a great time of year here in the mid-Atlantic. Mornings are nice and crisp, not yet muggy like we will experience in July and August. I went to retrieve my iPod when I thought about yesterday's post. I decided to leave the iPod behind so that I may concentrate on interceding for those along my route. I wanted to remove all distractions that might inhibit my goal of being a prayer intercessor.
If you will recall, I mentioned yesterday how John DeVries book "Why Pray?" has given me some extra inspiration as I read through the 40 days. His prayer walking has inspired me to prayer run, shining a spotlight on areas for God to look down upon and care for the needs of the community. Praying for members of the different households is not easy as you run by. Contrary to walking at a nice brisk pace where you have ample time to reflect on each house, running does not quite afford that luxury. I pray for groups of houses. Maybe it is an entire block, maybe just one or two at a time.
My real challenge was in trying to pray for those in vehicles as they passed by. On the side streets in my immediate neighborhood, this was quite easy to keep up with, especially at 6AM, with only a few cars here and there. But there is a stretch of road on my route that is very busy at that time of morning. Again, I had to alter my plan. I could not pray for each vehicle occupant individually, but I could pray for a group of vehicles collectively. Yes, that is exactly what I did. I will admit that part of my prayers centered around keeping them focused on the task at hand. You are at their mercy when running on the shoulder of the road. One distraction and I could end up meeting up with Jesus much sooner then I had anticipated. But my real goal was to pray for their safety and that each one will remain strong in faith.
All this got me thinking about how incredible God is to be able to care for each one of us individually. My pastor has said on multiple occasions that God's time is much different than our perception of time. And it really has to because if not our lives would seem like those vehicles passing me by at 50 miles per hour. How can God give us the individual attention that we need? Because the Bible tells us, that is how.
Think about this today. In Hebrews, the unknown author lays out how Jesus fulfills the Jewish prophecies and they refute the need for the old Jewish worship practices. We find in chapter 7, verse 25 "Therefore he is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them." Did you catch the word intercede? Jesus intercedes for all of us if we go to God through Him. Can you imagine the amount of work that must take, one person interceding for all of us. Does that make your intercession efforts for a much smaller group, your close friends, families, mission workers, colleagues, a little more attainable? Jesus intercedes daily in our lives because we ask him to. When we ask with His will in mind, He will answer and provide. Think about how powerful that is and take time, a lot of time, out of your busy day to intercede for others. Pray that all may have this same intercession from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
God Bless you!
For those of you following the progress of PrayerSteward, the Blackberry version is currently undergoing Alpha testing. We hope to have a general availability date within the next week. Go to www.prayersteward.com to keep up to date on our progress.
If you will recall, I mentioned yesterday how John DeVries book "Why Pray?" has given me some extra inspiration as I read through the 40 days. His prayer walking has inspired me to prayer run, shining a spotlight on areas for God to look down upon and care for the needs of the community. Praying for members of the different households is not easy as you run by. Contrary to walking at a nice brisk pace where you have ample time to reflect on each house, running does not quite afford that luxury. I pray for groups of houses. Maybe it is an entire block, maybe just one or two at a time.
My real challenge was in trying to pray for those in vehicles as they passed by. On the side streets in my immediate neighborhood, this was quite easy to keep up with, especially at 6AM, with only a few cars here and there. But there is a stretch of road on my route that is very busy at that time of morning. Again, I had to alter my plan. I could not pray for each vehicle occupant individually, but I could pray for a group of vehicles collectively. Yes, that is exactly what I did. I will admit that part of my prayers centered around keeping them focused on the task at hand. You are at their mercy when running on the shoulder of the road. One distraction and I could end up meeting up with Jesus much sooner then I had anticipated. But my real goal was to pray for their safety and that each one will remain strong in faith.
All this got me thinking about how incredible God is to be able to care for each one of us individually. My pastor has said on multiple occasions that God's time is much different than our perception of time. And it really has to because if not our lives would seem like those vehicles passing me by at 50 miles per hour. How can God give us the individual attention that we need? Because the Bible tells us, that is how.
Think about this today. In Hebrews, the unknown author lays out how Jesus fulfills the Jewish prophecies and they refute the need for the old Jewish worship practices. We find in chapter 7, verse 25 "Therefore he is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them." Did you catch the word intercede? Jesus intercedes for all of us if we go to God through Him. Can you imagine the amount of work that must take, one person interceding for all of us. Does that make your intercession efforts for a much smaller group, your close friends, families, mission workers, colleagues, a little more attainable? Jesus intercedes daily in our lives because we ask him to. When we ask with His will in mind, He will answer and provide. Think about how powerful that is and take time, a lot of time, out of your busy day to intercede for others. Pray that all may have this same intercession from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
God Bless you!
For those of you following the progress of PrayerSteward, the Blackberry version is currently undergoing Alpha testing. We hope to have a general availability date within the next week. Go to www.prayersteward.com to keep up to date on our progress.
Monday, June 14, 2010
Spiritual Exercise
A few weeks back our pastor was away but left a terrific sermon behind, delivered extremely well by the headmaster at one of the local Christian high schools. That sermon really touched me in a special way. You see, it was focused on prayer, a topic very near and dear to me as you have probably already surmised by the topics I publish here. But there was a section of the sermon that was troubling to me. It should not be, for it was the statement that God hears all prayer, whether by one or my many. But what about multiplying the power of prayer? How many of us utilize prayer chains so that we can get as many people praying for a need as possible? Was the pastor's message right and if so, what does that mean for my mission to help prayer chains be more productive (by productive, I am in no way indicating that we should count prayers answered, but that we should assure that all needs are being prayed for in a timely manner)?
The pastor is right, but that does not mean that we shouldn't have prayer chains, ask others to pray for our needs, or for that matter multiply the power of prayer.
God's will be done. A powerful statement and an important statement. What it does not mean is that God is controlling everything. He certainly could if He wanted, but does not, for He gave us free will which allows us to make choices that will impact outcomes. He tells us "You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it" (John 14:14). The devil wants us to think that it doesn't matter if we pray because God will do it anyway. This is not what Jesus spoke about in the above verse. God wants us to ask, and if we ask in His Son's name, He will provide. So certainly more people asking God to do His will for a person's cause is multiplying God's glory. For certainly if He is pleased with one soul praying to Him in the relationship He intended, He will be ever so more pleased that more people are praying. That is what God wants from us, that close relationship that only prayer can provide.
I read recently an author's account of embarking on what he called prayer walks. He would walk through a neighborhood, praying for the members of each household as he passed. Shining a spiritual spotlight if you will, pointing out each family to God and asking for His blessings upon them. What a great idea for combining a brisk walk for physical exercise into spiritual exercise as well.
When the weather is nice and I venture away from my treadmill and out into the local neighborhoods for a run, I do a little of what this author conveyed. Sure, I have my iPod pumping some upbeat music to keep me going, but many times, I turn the volume down so as to just drown out some of the traffic noise, but not my thoughts. I often pray for strength on these runs, sometimes praying for what I am about to undertake in my day.
This morning, a nice cool morning before the heat of the day sets in, I thought a little less selfishly and prayed for the concerns of people I may not have even met yet as I ran by their houses as the sun was rising above the horizon. I think on my next time I will go a step further and pray for those passing by in vehicles. I will pray for their safe travels as they start their days. And maybe one or two may pray for me as they pass.
May God bless you as you start this new week. You can depend on Him, He will do it.
The pastor is right, but that does not mean that we shouldn't have prayer chains, ask others to pray for our needs, or for that matter multiply the power of prayer.
God's will be done. A powerful statement and an important statement. What it does not mean is that God is controlling everything. He certainly could if He wanted, but does not, for He gave us free will which allows us to make choices that will impact outcomes. He tells us "You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it" (John 14:14). The devil wants us to think that it doesn't matter if we pray because God will do it anyway. This is not what Jesus spoke about in the above verse. God wants us to ask, and if we ask in His Son's name, He will provide. So certainly more people asking God to do His will for a person's cause is multiplying God's glory. For certainly if He is pleased with one soul praying to Him in the relationship He intended, He will be ever so more pleased that more people are praying. That is what God wants from us, that close relationship that only prayer can provide.
I read recently an author's account of embarking on what he called prayer walks. He would walk through a neighborhood, praying for the members of each household as he passed. Shining a spiritual spotlight if you will, pointing out each family to God and asking for His blessings upon them. What a great idea for combining a brisk walk for physical exercise into spiritual exercise as well.
When the weather is nice and I venture away from my treadmill and out into the local neighborhoods for a run, I do a little of what this author conveyed. Sure, I have my iPod pumping some upbeat music to keep me going, but many times, I turn the volume down so as to just drown out some of the traffic noise, but not my thoughts. I often pray for strength on these runs, sometimes praying for what I am about to undertake in my day.
This morning, a nice cool morning before the heat of the day sets in, I thought a little less selfishly and prayed for the concerns of people I may not have even met yet as I ran by their houses as the sun was rising above the horizon. I think on my next time I will go a step further and pray for those passing by in vehicles. I will pray for their safe travels as they start their days. And maybe one or two may pray for me as they pass.
May God bless you as you start this new week. You can depend on Him, He will do it.
Saturday, June 12, 2010
When do you pray?
"Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus" (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18)
"And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints" (Ephesians 6:18)
God makes it abundantly clear that prayer is not just something saved for your time of devotion. He wants us to bring things to Him whenever and however we can. When making a commitment to a friend, family member or even a stranger that you will keep them in your prayers, it is awesome that you can have the ability to log that commitment right there in PrayerSteward, showing that person that you truly do intend to keep your Promise2Pray. But think of how powerful a message if you also take just a minute or two to intercede right then and there and say a prayer to God for that person. It can be a quiet moment with just you and the Lord, or you can sit down and pray with that person.
A few years back, I was on the receiving end of one of these situations. My wife and I had received some potential life changing news about her health (which in the end turned out to be a false positive). I went in to his office to let him know what was going on and that it might have an impact on my work in the coming weeks. What happened next was truly an amazing moment. He closed the door, sat me down and prayed with me. I was so touched by the fact that he took time out of his busy schedule to intercede for me to the Lord.
I will never forget how powerful that moment was in my life. But there are other times as well when lifting a prayer to God is appropriate. You see, the bad things that happen in life are some times easier to remember, especially if it someone very close. But when is the last time you saw a rainbow, or fresh snow, or an incredible view of a majestic mountain top? Did you stop to think about the incredible job God did in providing this beauty? Did you ever think about how God continually paints a beautiful picture around us? Think about the seasons and how with each Fall God sends us beautiful colors (yes as we are raking those up, we should be thanking God for sending the beauty that was before those leaves hit the ground). And as we experienced here in the Mid-Atlantic this winter, how beautiful is a couple of feet of snow on the ground, especially during and right after the storm? Perfect, pure, white and beautiful.
The next time you cut the grass, shovel the snow or rake the leaves, do not belabor the point of the work, but instead glorify God for the ever changing beauty he sends our way each and every day.
Remember to prayer continually. Prayer does not have to be, and should not be, a once a day activity. Make note of things to be thankful for, to petition for and those prayers of intercession and prayer continually.
God Bless your weekend!
"And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints" (Ephesians 6:18)
God makes it abundantly clear that prayer is not just something saved for your time of devotion. He wants us to bring things to Him whenever and however we can. When making a commitment to a friend, family member or even a stranger that you will keep them in your prayers, it is awesome that you can have the ability to log that commitment right there in PrayerSteward, showing that person that you truly do intend to keep your Promise2Pray. But think of how powerful a message if you also take just a minute or two to intercede right then and there and say a prayer to God for that person. It can be a quiet moment with just you and the Lord, or you can sit down and pray with that person.
A few years back, I was on the receiving end of one of these situations. My wife and I had received some potential life changing news about her health (which in the end turned out to be a false positive). I went in to his office to let him know what was going on and that it might have an impact on my work in the coming weeks. What happened next was truly an amazing moment. He closed the door, sat me down and prayed with me. I was so touched by the fact that he took time out of his busy schedule to intercede for me to the Lord.
I will never forget how powerful that moment was in my life. But there are other times as well when lifting a prayer to God is appropriate. You see, the bad things that happen in life are some times easier to remember, especially if it someone very close. But when is the last time you saw a rainbow, or fresh snow, or an incredible view of a majestic mountain top? Did you stop to think about the incredible job God did in providing this beauty? Did you ever think about how God continually paints a beautiful picture around us? Think about the seasons and how with each Fall God sends us beautiful colors (yes as we are raking those up, we should be thanking God for sending the beauty that was before those leaves hit the ground). And as we experienced here in the Mid-Atlantic this winter, how beautiful is a couple of feet of snow on the ground, especially during and right after the storm? Perfect, pure, white and beautiful.
The next time you cut the grass, shovel the snow or rake the leaves, do not belabor the point of the work, but instead glorify God for the ever changing beauty he sends our way each and every day.
Remember to prayer continually. Prayer does not have to be, and should not be, a once a day activity. Make note of things to be thankful for, to petition for and those prayers of intercession and prayer continually.
God Bless your weekend!
Friday, June 11, 2010
Are you ready to be an intercessory?
Think back to the last time you were told by a friend about a problem they were having. If you are like me and it was like most situation, you felt a feeling of helplessness. I had a colleague that had been battling cancer since before I came to work at the company. It turns out that he had just come back to work after a long battle with lung cancer and he was in remission. He was in such a tough situation and was struggling with work. His manager and I were partners in crime, if you will, together responsible for managing a project management office at a technology company.
This colleague and I worked on an initiative together and I got to know him quite well. And then the bad news, he was out of remission, the cancer was back. I remember asking him if there was anything I could do. His response "You don't have a spare lung laying around do you?, because that would be great". We both chuckled. It was amazing to me how he could keep his sense of humor in such a difficult moment in his life. I told him that my family and I were praying for him and would continue to do so. He responded by saying that was the best thing I could do for him.
We never really talked about our faith, but he knew how strong mine was. I continued to remind him that we were raising him and his family up in prayer daily. I wasn't sure how important that was until going to see him in the hospice on what turns out to be the day before he passed. He was avoiding pain medicine so he could be lucid, but in doing so was having a difficult time, becoming belligerent at times. The nurse said we could go back one at a time so we would not cause too much stress. When I walked in the room, she told him I was there. I spoke some words to him reassuring him that we were still lifting him up in prayer. I could see his response was positive, although he could not talk. He was weak, thin and I knew he was close to death. I prayed right there for God to have mercy on him. As I walked out of the room, the nurse said I must have been someone special because his face lit up as she told him I was there.
The lesson here is the same as what John DeVries discusses in his book, "Why Pray?", and what Jesus teaches us in Luke 11:5-13. This is the story of the man who has a friend come to him at midnight after a long journey and who is hungry. The man has no food for his friend, but knows the wealthy man next door can help. You see, I had no power to help my friend and colleague. I am not a doctor, I cannot perform miracles and could not remove his cancer. But what I did have was a relationship with my Savior, Jesus Christ. I knew who could help my friend and his family through this difficult time and I lifted them up to God. I interceded in my friend's behalf. As I said before, I really did not know his faith. I do know from his wife that he was a little mad at God, but I also know that he welcomed my family's prayers in his behalf. I prayed that the Holy Spirit would touch him and I know in my heart that He did.
In this world, especially in the workplace, it may be uncomfortable for you to express your faith. I have found that the easiest way is to just show that you care. What better way to show this then to tell someone you will pray for them. You are telling them that you know that you cannot do anything to change the situation personally, but you know someone who can. And you are going to take the request personally to Him for His help.
Please be the friend in the middle. Be the intercessory, for we are instructed to do so by God in
1 Timothy 2:1-2
"I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone – for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness."
May God bless your Friday. Keep praying!!!
This colleague and I worked on an initiative together and I got to know him quite well. And then the bad news, he was out of remission, the cancer was back. I remember asking him if there was anything I could do. His response "You don't have a spare lung laying around do you?, because that would be great". We both chuckled. It was amazing to me how he could keep his sense of humor in such a difficult moment in his life. I told him that my family and I were praying for him and would continue to do so. He responded by saying that was the best thing I could do for him.
We never really talked about our faith, but he knew how strong mine was. I continued to remind him that we were raising him and his family up in prayer daily. I wasn't sure how important that was until going to see him in the hospice on what turns out to be the day before he passed. He was avoiding pain medicine so he could be lucid, but in doing so was having a difficult time, becoming belligerent at times. The nurse said we could go back one at a time so we would not cause too much stress. When I walked in the room, she told him I was there. I spoke some words to him reassuring him that we were still lifting him up in prayer. I could see his response was positive, although he could not talk. He was weak, thin and I knew he was close to death. I prayed right there for God to have mercy on him. As I walked out of the room, the nurse said I must have been someone special because his face lit up as she told him I was there.
The lesson here is the same as what John DeVries discusses in his book, "Why Pray?", and what Jesus teaches us in Luke 11:5-13. This is the story of the man who has a friend come to him at midnight after a long journey and who is hungry. The man has no food for his friend, but knows the wealthy man next door can help. You see, I had no power to help my friend and colleague. I am not a doctor, I cannot perform miracles and could not remove his cancer. But what I did have was a relationship with my Savior, Jesus Christ. I knew who could help my friend and his family through this difficult time and I lifted them up to God. I interceded in my friend's behalf. As I said before, I really did not know his faith. I do know from his wife that he was a little mad at God, but I also know that he welcomed my family's prayers in his behalf. I prayed that the Holy Spirit would touch him and I know in my heart that He did.
In this world, especially in the workplace, it may be uncomfortable for you to express your faith. I have found that the easiest way is to just show that you care. What better way to show this then to tell someone you will pray for them. You are telling them that you know that you cannot do anything to change the situation personally, but you know someone who can. And you are going to take the request personally to Him for His help.
Please be the friend in the middle. Be the intercessory, for we are instructed to do so by God in
1 Timothy 2:1-2
"I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone – for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness."
May God bless your Friday. Keep praying!!!
Thursday, June 10, 2010
Are you really content?
"For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that". 1 Timothy 6:7-8
Daily we are bombarded with messages from companies leading us to believe that we will be content if we just buy their product. Cable and satellite providers tell us how many more channels we will get if we sign up with them for service, each of the automobile manufacturers show us ads depicting contentment just by purchasing their vehicles. McMansions popped up all over the country enticing people to "move up" in life.
Do you need 200+ channels to mindlessly surf, wasting away precious time you could be spending more productively? Do you need that brand new car with all the latest gadgets? How about that big house? Is spreading your family out across more space really what you need?
The answer, of course, to all of these when we look at them is no. We lived many years with just 3 or 4 television channels, and survived. Those of us that have cars approaching and past the 100K mile mark know that our cars will get us from point A to point B the same as a brand new one. And those of us that had the big house, only to downsize into something more cozy know that we get along just fine (sure we might have to break up more arguments among children sharing rooms, but that just adds to the fun!). The point being that all of these things we get thrown at us make us believe that we need them for contentment. But material things do not provide contentment. I would even argue that they distract us from attaining a true level of contentment.
When I went back to school to finish up my college education (after having our 4th child, what great timing), I needed something to keep me going. Working full time in information technology, helping my wife with the four kids, and going to school took what seemed to be 25 hours a day to accomplish. But I found out something incredibly important in that time. About the same time, my doctor was really getting on me about my weight and my cholesterol levels. He wanted me to exercise. I said no way doc, I don not have time for that. But what I found was that I could ride the stationary bike in the basement every morning while I read my textbooks, add some muscle toning routines and low and behold, I felt better. Suddenly, I had more energy. My theory that I had no time for something that was going to wear me out was false. In fact, I made up the time it took to exercise by being more productive because that is what physical exercise will do for you (another reason to stop the mindless television surfing).
Where am I going with this? Well, I also discovered that while the physical exercise was great for my stamina and productivity, I was still not content. I made the decision to get into a routine of doing a daily morning devotion, my time with the Lord. I like to exercise in the morning when I wake up. I have a significant cool down time before I can get showered and into the office to work. Bang, I found my target for doing my daily devotion, in my cool down period after my physical exercise. What I discovered next was even more awesome then the discovery of the productivity boost from physical exercise. I found that by following my physical exercise with what I call spiritual exercise, I was seeing my level of contentment rise.
I'm currently reading a book titled "Why Pray?" by John DeVries. He contends that prayer is how we fill our spiritual gas tanks. It is God injecting, if you will, the Holy Spirit into us as we build that deeper relationship with Him. It helps to fulfill us and put things into perspective. I fully concur with Mr. DeVries' observations. I have the proof in my life.
I am not saying that having something new, or going on a nice vacation is wrong. On the contrary, it can be very rewarding. But what I am saying is that we do not need those things to be content. What we need to be content is to continually pray for God's forgiveness, praise Him for our blessings, and bring our petitions and intentions to Him, asking for His guidance.
Reading my devotion this morning, highlighting the passage from 1 Timothy brought back a memory from our trip to Mexico a couple years back. We had driven away from the resort area to visit some ancient ruins. On our way back we drove through some very poor towns. I am talking huts with grass roofs and no modern conveniences in sight. What we saw were children playing in the streets, moms out hanging laundry, and in general very content and happy people. My kids, my wife and I all took note of that. So many times we are told how the poor countries need our help to bring their level of living up to our standards. I would argue that maybe we should look at their situations and make it our goal to be content like they are. They have food and clothing and like the Bible suggests, are content.
May God bless you this wonderful Thursday!
Daily we are bombarded with messages from companies leading us to believe that we will be content if we just buy their product. Cable and satellite providers tell us how many more channels we will get if we sign up with them for service, each of the automobile manufacturers show us ads depicting contentment just by purchasing their vehicles. McMansions popped up all over the country enticing people to "move up" in life.
Do you need 200+ channels to mindlessly surf, wasting away precious time you could be spending more productively? Do you need that brand new car with all the latest gadgets? How about that big house? Is spreading your family out across more space really what you need?
The answer, of course, to all of these when we look at them is no. We lived many years with just 3 or 4 television channels, and survived. Those of us that have cars approaching and past the 100K mile mark know that our cars will get us from point A to point B the same as a brand new one. And those of us that had the big house, only to downsize into something more cozy know that we get along just fine (sure we might have to break up more arguments among children sharing rooms, but that just adds to the fun!). The point being that all of these things we get thrown at us make us believe that we need them for contentment. But material things do not provide contentment. I would even argue that they distract us from attaining a true level of contentment.
When I went back to school to finish up my college education (after having our 4th child, what great timing), I needed something to keep me going. Working full time in information technology, helping my wife with the four kids, and going to school took what seemed to be 25 hours a day to accomplish. But I found out something incredibly important in that time. About the same time, my doctor was really getting on me about my weight and my cholesterol levels. He wanted me to exercise. I said no way doc, I don not have time for that. But what I found was that I could ride the stationary bike in the basement every morning while I read my textbooks, add some muscle toning routines and low and behold, I felt better. Suddenly, I had more energy. My theory that I had no time for something that was going to wear me out was false. In fact, I made up the time it took to exercise by being more productive because that is what physical exercise will do for you (another reason to stop the mindless television surfing).
Where am I going with this? Well, I also discovered that while the physical exercise was great for my stamina and productivity, I was still not content. I made the decision to get into a routine of doing a daily morning devotion, my time with the Lord. I like to exercise in the morning when I wake up. I have a significant cool down time before I can get showered and into the office to work. Bang, I found my target for doing my daily devotion, in my cool down period after my physical exercise. What I discovered next was even more awesome then the discovery of the productivity boost from physical exercise. I found that by following my physical exercise with what I call spiritual exercise, I was seeing my level of contentment rise.
I'm currently reading a book titled "Why Pray?" by John DeVries. He contends that prayer is how we fill our spiritual gas tanks. It is God injecting, if you will, the Holy Spirit into us as we build that deeper relationship with Him. It helps to fulfill us and put things into perspective. I fully concur with Mr. DeVries' observations. I have the proof in my life.
I am not saying that having something new, or going on a nice vacation is wrong. On the contrary, it can be very rewarding. But what I am saying is that we do not need those things to be content. What we need to be content is to continually pray for God's forgiveness, praise Him for our blessings, and bring our petitions and intentions to Him, asking for His guidance.
Reading my devotion this morning, highlighting the passage from 1 Timothy brought back a memory from our trip to Mexico a couple years back. We had driven away from the resort area to visit some ancient ruins. On our way back we drove through some very poor towns. I am talking huts with grass roofs and no modern conveniences in sight. What we saw were children playing in the streets, moms out hanging laundry, and in general very content and happy people. My kids, my wife and I all took note of that. So many times we are told how the poor countries need our help to bring their level of living up to our standards. I would argue that maybe we should look at their situations and make it our goal to be content like they are. They have food and clothing and like the Bible suggests, are content.
May God bless you this wonderful Thursday!
Wednesday, June 9, 2010
Tracking God's answers to prayer
It is Wednesday, the roughest day of the week in my opinion. I look at the list of things I wanted to accomplish for the week, then start calculating in my head the percentage I have completed. Then I start thinking (and some weeks panicking) about what is left to do.
Yesterday I wrote a post discussing whether we are looking for the right answers. An answered prayer is not just one where we get what we want. If we are faithful, God hears and answers all of our prayers. It just may not be what we want to hear. But we must keep faithful that God knows what is best for us.
Forgive me now, but I must put my marketing hat on. When it comes to technology helping in our prayer lives, I believe my competition in the App Store is missing the point. If you search for prayer list or prayer journal, you will find a good number of apps that fit the bill. But take a closer look at these apps and you'll see that they are focused on the wrong things. Most have functionality to mark a prayer answered. Okay, on the surface that sounds great, right? But look deeper and see that tracking answers to prayer may lead to discouragement. Why? Because, surely we won't mark a prayer answered if we didn't get what we wanted out of the prayer. Remember, God answers yes, no, not now, or have this instead. If we focus on only what we want out of a prayer, we are looking for our will to be done, not God's will. My app, PrayerSteward, focuses on keeping your prayer commitments orderly, so that each time you launch the app, you will remember all of your prayer commitments. Some of the apps have a shuffle feature, allowing you to specify a certain number of prayers to get each day. Is that how God instructs us to pray?
"This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us - whatever we ask - we know that we have what we asked of him." 1 John 5:14-15
Does not this verse tell us that we should not tally how many of our prayers are answered? It tells us that all of our prayers are heard and answered. It is important to keep this in mind, especially when we are challenged with situations that we know have a chance to not turn out the way we want. A friend or family member diagnosed with cancer, has a stroke or heart attack. What we want in these situations is for God to reach down with His healing hands and provide full recoveries. But the truth is that God has a plan for that person, and all of us. We only know one thing about that plan. If we have faith, we are saved by God's grace alone and will live eternally with Him in heaven. Beyond that, we do not know the path that we, or anyone else will take to get there.
When praying, remember to pray for His will to be done. And do not just look for the answer that you want, but look for the answer that God gives. Maybe it is yes, maybe no. Or maybe God has given you something else instead or is waiting until you are ready for a yes or no. Remember that God's answer is always what is best for us.
May God bless your Wednesday.
Yesterday I wrote a post discussing whether we are looking for the right answers. An answered prayer is not just one where we get what we want. If we are faithful, God hears and answers all of our prayers. It just may not be what we want to hear. But we must keep faithful that God knows what is best for us.
Forgive me now, but I must put my marketing hat on. When it comes to technology helping in our prayer lives, I believe my competition in the App Store is missing the point. If you search for prayer list or prayer journal, you will find a good number of apps that fit the bill. But take a closer look at these apps and you'll see that they are focused on the wrong things. Most have functionality to mark a prayer answered. Okay, on the surface that sounds great, right? But look deeper and see that tracking answers to prayer may lead to discouragement. Why? Because, surely we won't mark a prayer answered if we didn't get what we wanted out of the prayer. Remember, God answers yes, no, not now, or have this instead. If we focus on only what we want out of a prayer, we are looking for our will to be done, not God's will. My app, PrayerSteward, focuses on keeping your prayer commitments orderly, so that each time you launch the app, you will remember all of your prayer commitments. Some of the apps have a shuffle feature, allowing you to specify a certain number of prayers to get each day. Is that how God instructs us to pray?
"This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us - whatever we ask - we know that we have what we asked of him." 1 John 5:14-15
Does not this verse tell us that we should not tally how many of our prayers are answered? It tells us that all of our prayers are heard and answered. It is important to keep this in mind, especially when we are challenged with situations that we know have a chance to not turn out the way we want. A friend or family member diagnosed with cancer, has a stroke or heart attack. What we want in these situations is for God to reach down with His healing hands and provide full recoveries. But the truth is that God has a plan for that person, and all of us. We only know one thing about that plan. If we have faith, we are saved by God's grace alone and will live eternally with Him in heaven. Beyond that, we do not know the path that we, or anyone else will take to get there.
When praying, remember to pray for His will to be done. And do not just look for the answer that you want, but look for the answer that God gives. Maybe it is yes, maybe no. Or maybe God has given you something else instead or is waiting until you are ready for a yes or no. Remember that God's answer is always what is best for us.
May God bless your Wednesday.
Tuesday, June 8, 2010
Are you looking for the right answers?
Prayer is powerful. But when you pray, are you looking for the right answers or do you have selfish motives? Are you looking to put a check mark next to that prayer to say that it was answered? Do you get frustrated by the perception that your prayer is unanswered, unheard? What if you pray for success, only to find failure?
These are all questions I have asked myself as I look to continue to strengthen my relationship with God. But we must remember prayer is not just a mechanism to get our way. We must always remember to pray for His will to be done, not ours. For if we pray so that our will be done, we tell God that we know better than He about what is best for us.
We must also look differently at how God answers our prayers. In John 14:13 we hear "And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father". If we are faithful, God hears and answers our prayers. But we must remember that God answers in his time. His answer could be yes, no, not now, or have this instead. If it is his will, then the answer will be yes. If it is not His will, the answer will be no or have this instead. We need to accept these things and pray showing God that we understand that He knows what is best for us.
The last two are the toughest for us to comprehend. It is like a parent and child relationship. Parents have been through the war, have the Bible as the instruction manual for raising their children. They know what is best for their children (as a small political aside, the government does not). That does not stop the children for asking for those things that they believe are good for them. Just as children ask for things that they feel strongly are in their best interests, we ask of God things that we believe are in our best interests. But we must be willing to listen for God's answer. In Luke 11:5-9, right after Jesus teaches the disciples to pray the Lord's Prayer, he clearly provides insight into God's desire for us to be persistent in prayer, to continue to knock, and to knock with His will as our goal. If we do this, He will answer us. It may not be what we are asking for, but it will be what is best for us. It may not come right away, but it will come in the right time. I encourage you to read the passage from Luke with this perspective and contemplate the meaning in your individual prayer relationship with God.
Just as a parent wants a trusting and loving relationship with their children, God wants that same relationship with us. He wants to see that we trust Him and His judgment. He wants to see our love and faith in Him and He wants to constantly hear from us.
I pray that God will bless you on this 2nd Tuesday in June and that you will be inspired to look more deeply at your prayer life.
These are all questions I have asked myself as I look to continue to strengthen my relationship with God. But we must remember prayer is not just a mechanism to get our way. We must always remember to pray for His will to be done, not ours. For if we pray so that our will be done, we tell God that we know better than He about what is best for us.
We must also look differently at how God answers our prayers. In John 14:13 we hear "And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father". If we are faithful, God hears and answers our prayers. But we must remember that God answers in his time. His answer could be yes, no, not now, or have this instead. If it is his will, then the answer will be yes. If it is not His will, the answer will be no or have this instead. We need to accept these things and pray showing God that we understand that He knows what is best for us.
The last two are the toughest for us to comprehend. It is like a parent and child relationship. Parents have been through the war, have the Bible as the instruction manual for raising their children. They know what is best for their children (as a small political aside, the government does not). That does not stop the children for asking for those things that they believe are good for them. Just as children ask for things that they feel strongly are in their best interests, we ask of God things that we believe are in our best interests. But we must be willing to listen for God's answer. In Luke 11:5-9, right after Jesus teaches the disciples to pray the Lord's Prayer, he clearly provides insight into God's desire for us to be persistent in prayer, to continue to knock, and to knock with His will as our goal. If we do this, He will answer us. It may not be what we are asking for, but it will be what is best for us. It may not come right away, but it will come in the right time. I encourage you to read the passage from Luke with this perspective and contemplate the meaning in your individual prayer relationship with God.
Just as a parent wants a trusting and loving relationship with their children, God wants that same relationship with us. He wants to see that we trust Him and His judgment. He wants to see our love and faith in Him and He wants to constantly hear from us.
I pray that God will bless you on this 2nd Tuesday in June and that you will be inspired to look more deeply at your prayer life.
Monday, June 7, 2010
God's gift to you.
"For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh." Genesis 2:24
My morning devotional focused on Genesis 2:18-25, but I want to focus on one verse in particular, verse 24. How important is this verse to each person that has stood at the altar and made that all important covenant of marriage? In this age of high divorce rates, more of us should take the time to read this passage, to truly understand the gift that God provided to Adam. For all the creatures that God had created for Adam to be a helper, none could provide the closeness and comfort of the woman that God created from Adam's own flesh. Very powerful, and as parents we should be instilling this message in the minds of our children to make sure they understand what a strong, loving and powerful gift God has provided to us.
For any one of us who thinks at some point that maybe they should have stayed single or maybe they want to be single again, truly think about what it might be like without your spouse in your life. If we are faithful, God has provided the perfect compliment to us. Trust in Him that He knows what is best for you. How big of a void would there be if we didn't have that other person to provide unconditional love. I know that even in the most difficult times between my wife and I, I cannot even imagine for one second what it would be like to not have her there next to me, sharing my life.
When you find yourself starting to stray, or find yourself getting down because you just can't seem to find that perfect someone, take time out and pray. Pray for God to lead you to (or back to) His gift to you. Pray for help from God to be able to provide that same unconditional love He gives you to that special gift that He has provided for you, your spouse.
For my younger readers, pray continually as you get older for God to help you find that special gift that He has for you. And do not let the things of today's society cloud your vision of what love, marriage and a spouse are supposed to be. If you need to know those answers, there is one place to look, the greatest book ever written, the Bible.
May God Bless your Monday!
My morning devotional focused on Genesis 2:18-25, but I want to focus on one verse in particular, verse 24. How important is this verse to each person that has stood at the altar and made that all important covenant of marriage? In this age of high divorce rates, more of us should take the time to read this passage, to truly understand the gift that God provided to Adam. For all the creatures that God had created for Adam to be a helper, none could provide the closeness and comfort of the woman that God created from Adam's own flesh. Very powerful, and as parents we should be instilling this message in the minds of our children to make sure they understand what a strong, loving and powerful gift God has provided to us.
For any one of us who thinks at some point that maybe they should have stayed single or maybe they want to be single again, truly think about what it might be like without your spouse in your life. If we are faithful, God has provided the perfect compliment to us. Trust in Him that He knows what is best for you. How big of a void would there be if we didn't have that other person to provide unconditional love. I know that even in the most difficult times between my wife and I, I cannot even imagine for one second what it would be like to not have her there next to me, sharing my life.
When you find yourself starting to stray, or find yourself getting down because you just can't seem to find that perfect someone, take time out and pray. Pray for God to lead you to (or back to) His gift to you. Pray for help from God to be able to provide that same unconditional love He gives you to that special gift that He has provided for you, your spouse.
For my younger readers, pray continually as you get older for God to help you find that special gift that He has for you. And do not let the things of today's society cloud your vision of what love, marriage and a spouse are supposed to be. If you need to know those answers, there is one place to look, the greatest book ever written, the Bible.
May God Bless your Monday!
Saturday, June 5, 2010
Will you accept the call?
Well I am really thankful for mobile technology as I sit on my front porch writing this post on my iPhone. We had a wicked storm roll through last night so in turn the cable is out. Thankfully while there are many trees down everyone is okay.
In my Saturday morning Bible study we talked through how God calls on those others might think unworthy to lead. The Bible is clear to point out the human characteristics of those that have been chosen, including Abraham and Moses. There was only one great and perfect man on this earth and God's word constantly stresses the human nature of all others.
Why you might ask. Because He wants us to be ready for whatever we are called to do in His name. We never know when it will be our turn. Maybe you'll be asked to fill a roll on the church board. Maybe it will be to train to become a Stephen Minister. Maybe your calling will be as a pastor, priest or minister.
Will you be ready? The answer, quite honestly, is no. We are never ready, but we can at least prepare ourselves. I believe it is like becoming a parent. If everyone waited until they were ready and fully prepared, we would certainly see a dramatic drop in the population. Even those that think they are ready find out fast that you get a lot of on the job training.
But in the end, you look back at what you have accomplished And it is good. It is like the years I spent in my church's leadership. They were very tough and trying times. At the time I questioned if I was the right guy for the job. But looking back, those years helped form who I am today and also helped to keep the church moving and God's words kept being preached week after week.
Will you answer the call? God absolutely knows what He is doing with each person he calls to do His work. I encourage you to embrace the call. You will enjoy it and it will be well worth it.
May God bless your weekend.
In my Saturday morning Bible study we talked through how God calls on those others might think unworthy to lead. The Bible is clear to point out the human characteristics of those that have been chosen, including Abraham and Moses. There was only one great and perfect man on this earth and God's word constantly stresses the human nature of all others.
Why you might ask. Because He wants us to be ready for whatever we are called to do in His name. We never know when it will be our turn. Maybe you'll be asked to fill a roll on the church board. Maybe it will be to train to become a Stephen Minister. Maybe your calling will be as a pastor, priest or minister.
Will you be ready? The answer, quite honestly, is no. We are never ready, but we can at least prepare ourselves. I believe it is like becoming a parent. If everyone waited until they were ready and fully prepared, we would certainly see a dramatic drop in the population. Even those that think they are ready find out fast that you get a lot of on the job training.
But in the end, you look back at what you have accomplished And it is good. It is like the years I spent in my church's leadership. They were very tough and trying times. At the time I questioned if I was the right guy for the job. But looking back, those years helped form who I am today and also helped to keep the church moving and God's words kept being preached week after week.
Will you answer the call? God absolutely knows what He is doing with each person he calls to do His work. I encourage you to embrace the call. You will enjoy it and it will be well worth it.
May God bless your weekend.
Friday, June 4, 2010
Are you letting go?
"Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as Christ God forgave you" Ephesians 4:31-32
I thought I would open up with this passage from the Bible this morning. We live in a world with so much bitterness, rage, anger, slander and malice. Just read the papers or go to any of the online news sites and you'll see countless examples of this.Politicians playing the blame game and world leaders showing their anger towards other leaders and countries. The slander and malice which is evident in today's society is so damaging to us all. People constantly position themselves, their parties or groups to get the upper hand. But all too often this is done at the expense of another human being. With the information age fully in gear, it is quite easy to publish statements that can forever damage, even if not true.
I know what you are thinking, that this is a problem with our politicians and the activists groups, right? Well, ask yourself if you've forwarded any emails recently that might have shed a negative light on another individual. Have you talked negatively about someone else when they were not around to defend themselves? Did you validate the information? Is it true? We need to make sure that we think objectively with every piece of information we are given. If you don't have the time to think objectively now, then put it aside until you do have the time. I have seen far too many items come through my inbox that are damaging to the Christian population. They make us look hateful and judgmental. This does nothing to spread the Word of God to others, it only serves to further separate us.
Forgiveness is the hardest thing we have to do. When someone hurts us in any way, via an action, word or deed, it is difficult to forgive. It is even harder to let it go once we do forgive. However, we must self reflect and look at the things we have done and been forgiven. God has forgiven every sin we do through His Son on the cross. Not just the little sins, but all sins.And God will not say to us when we meet Him "but remember when you did...". Our sins are forgiven and wiped clean.
Holding a grudge and keeping the anger for someone who has wronged you will continue to damage both yourself and the other person. Forgiving and letting go allows us to move forward and not stay locked in the past. Letting go is the hardest part. We sometimes forgive, but do we truly wipe that wrong from the slate, or do we hold in in our back pocket to use later? This is especially tempting with spouses, siblings and between parents and children. Think about how many times we say things like "you always" and "you never"? When we say these things it means that while we may have forgiven, we have not wiped them from the slate.
I pray that today as you go about your activities, you may think about a wrong committed against you that you have not yet wiped from the slate. Try letting it go, commit to wiping it clean. Just do this for one incident. Forgive, wipe it away, and pray for God's help in keeping from reappearing. See what happens next.
May God bless your day and the upcoming weekend.
Safe-t-Technologies LLC is giving away promo codes for a free copy of PrayerSteward to the first 10 people that respond on the website. Go to www.prayersteward.com and click on the "I want a free copy of PrayerSteward" link.
I thought I would open up with this passage from the Bible this morning. We live in a world with so much bitterness, rage, anger, slander and malice. Just read the papers or go to any of the online news sites and you'll see countless examples of this.Politicians playing the blame game and world leaders showing their anger towards other leaders and countries. The slander and malice which is evident in today's society is so damaging to us all. People constantly position themselves, their parties or groups to get the upper hand. But all too often this is done at the expense of another human being. With the information age fully in gear, it is quite easy to publish statements that can forever damage, even if not true.
I know what you are thinking, that this is a problem with our politicians and the activists groups, right? Well, ask yourself if you've forwarded any emails recently that might have shed a negative light on another individual. Have you talked negatively about someone else when they were not around to defend themselves? Did you validate the information? Is it true? We need to make sure that we think objectively with every piece of information we are given. If you don't have the time to think objectively now, then put it aside until you do have the time. I have seen far too many items come through my inbox that are damaging to the Christian population. They make us look hateful and judgmental. This does nothing to spread the Word of God to others, it only serves to further separate us.
Forgiveness is the hardest thing we have to do. When someone hurts us in any way, via an action, word or deed, it is difficult to forgive. It is even harder to let it go once we do forgive. However, we must self reflect and look at the things we have done and been forgiven. God has forgiven every sin we do through His Son on the cross. Not just the little sins, but all sins.And God will not say to us when we meet Him "but remember when you did...". Our sins are forgiven and wiped clean.
Holding a grudge and keeping the anger for someone who has wronged you will continue to damage both yourself and the other person. Forgiving and letting go allows us to move forward and not stay locked in the past. Letting go is the hardest part. We sometimes forgive, but do we truly wipe that wrong from the slate, or do we hold in in our back pocket to use later? This is especially tempting with spouses, siblings and between parents and children. Think about how many times we say things like "you always" and "you never"? When we say these things it means that while we may have forgiven, we have not wiped them from the slate.
I pray that today as you go about your activities, you may think about a wrong committed against you that you have not yet wiped from the slate. Try letting it go, commit to wiping it clean. Just do this for one incident. Forgive, wipe it away, and pray for God's help in keeping from reappearing. See what happens next.
May God bless your day and the upcoming weekend.
Safe-t-Technologies LLC is giving away promo codes for a free copy of PrayerSteward to the first 10 people that respond on the website. Go to www.prayersteward.com and click on the "I want a free copy of PrayerSteward" link.
Thursday, June 3, 2010
More than saying thank you!
How many times have you done something nice for someone only to have them go away without even a slight acknowledgment of your kindness? By nature, we like to be recognized for the good things we do, from letting someone in front of us in line or in traffic to putting extra hours in at the office to assure a successful project. While these things should be done without the expectation of any rewards, including a simple thank you, it still stings when we aren't at least recognized for our efforts. I know that I have said on more then a few occasions "wow, a simple thank you would have been nice".
Do you thank God and recognize Him publicly for all He gives to you? What about the greatest gift of all, His Son on the cross to pay for your sins? Imagine the hurt He feels when we turn our backs to this ultimate sacrifice. The good news is that if we have faith in Jesus as our savior, God sees us through Him and in doing so sees us cleansed from our sins, forgiven by the cross.
But wouldn't a simple thank you be nice. It is but a small gesture, but it is important. Not for God, but for us. We must continually remind ourselves of the incredible blessings we are given each and every day. Even on those days when it seems like nothing is going right for you. Yes, we all have those days. If we sit down and pray, not just for what we need, but more importantly to thank God for what we have, we are reminded of just how many blessings He gives us.
I have been through more time management courses than I can count. One of the simplest takeaways from all of these sessions is that keeping a to do list helps to keep us focused. But I must admit, it took a while to get the hang of it. I would make my to do list in the morning and then before the day was up look to see that I accomplished just about nothing on my list. On most days, somehow a majority of the things on my list did not get done. I would ask myself "What did I do today?"
Then I figured out the secret sauce, the key to feeling satisfied each and every day. You see, my list wasn't getting done in most cases because there are other things that pop up throughout the day that I deem more important than the things on my list. But I was not writing them down, so at the end of the day, I only saw what did not get accomplished, totally forgetting the things that did get done. Now, I add to my to do list as the day progresses, even if it is an item that is complete, it still goes on that list with a check indicating that it is complete, an accomplishment.
We need to do the same thing with our prayer life. Life is too busy to remember everything as the day progresses. And being our nature, we are going to remember those things that stick out in our minds, which tend to be the negatives and the things we need from God. Keeping a prayer journal can be just like our daily to do list. At the end of the day, we can look at it and know what we should be thankful for and those things that we need to ask for God's help. Keeping a running tab on the good things, those things we should thank God for, will strengthen our faith as we see Him working in both our lives and the lives of those we love. It will also serve in helping you share the good news with others.
"One of them, when he saw he was healed, came back, praising God in a loud voice." Luke 17:15
Will you loudly praise God for what he is accomplishing in your life?
May God bless your Thursday!
PS Need an easy way to keep a journal of your prayers? Visit www.prayersteward.com to find out how you can put this power in the palm of your hand.
Do you thank God and recognize Him publicly for all He gives to you? What about the greatest gift of all, His Son on the cross to pay for your sins? Imagine the hurt He feels when we turn our backs to this ultimate sacrifice. The good news is that if we have faith in Jesus as our savior, God sees us through Him and in doing so sees us cleansed from our sins, forgiven by the cross.
But wouldn't a simple thank you be nice. It is but a small gesture, but it is important. Not for God, but for us. We must continually remind ourselves of the incredible blessings we are given each and every day. Even on those days when it seems like nothing is going right for you. Yes, we all have those days. If we sit down and pray, not just for what we need, but more importantly to thank God for what we have, we are reminded of just how many blessings He gives us.
I have been through more time management courses than I can count. One of the simplest takeaways from all of these sessions is that keeping a to do list helps to keep us focused. But I must admit, it took a while to get the hang of it. I would make my to do list in the morning and then before the day was up look to see that I accomplished just about nothing on my list. On most days, somehow a majority of the things on my list did not get done. I would ask myself "What did I do today?"
Then I figured out the secret sauce, the key to feeling satisfied each and every day. You see, my list wasn't getting done in most cases because there are other things that pop up throughout the day that I deem more important than the things on my list. But I was not writing them down, so at the end of the day, I only saw what did not get accomplished, totally forgetting the things that did get done. Now, I add to my to do list as the day progresses, even if it is an item that is complete, it still goes on that list with a check indicating that it is complete, an accomplishment.
We need to do the same thing with our prayer life. Life is too busy to remember everything as the day progresses. And being our nature, we are going to remember those things that stick out in our minds, which tend to be the negatives and the things we need from God. Keeping a prayer journal can be just like our daily to do list. At the end of the day, we can look at it and know what we should be thankful for and those things that we need to ask for God's help. Keeping a running tab on the good things, those things we should thank God for, will strengthen our faith as we see Him working in both our lives and the lives of those we love. It will also serve in helping you share the good news with others.
"One of them, when he saw he was healed, came back, praising God in a loud voice." Luke 17:15
Will you loudly praise God for what he is accomplishing in your life?
May God bless your Thursday!
PS Need an easy way to keep a journal of your prayers? Visit www.prayersteward.com to find out how you can put this power in the palm of your hand.
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
Will you risk the heat?
My morning devotion today immediately brought to mind a Veggie Tale called "Rack, Shack and Benny", a story of three young boys working in a chocolate factory. They are told by the company president, Nebby K. Nezzer, that they can eat as much chocolate as they want to, but also that they must perform a daily ritual to a 90-foot chocolate bunny or else they will be thrown into the furnace. The boys have been taught by their parents not to eat too much candy. Will they succumb to peer pressure and the threat of persecution? After all, everyone else is doing it.
The story relates the Bible account found in Daniel chapter 3 of King Nebuchadnezzar's attempt to get all people to worship the large image of gold he has erected or be thrown into a blazing furnace. It helps kids to understand the story by providing a situation that is easier for them to understand. But how well can we relate to the Bible account? At least in the United States, we are not forced to worship false gods in fear of being thrown into a fire. But do we not still have a fear of persecution for our beliefs?
For those of us too old for Veggie Tales (okay, we are never really too old), we must ask ourselves what is our 90-foot chocolate bunny? Is it alcohol? Money? Divorce? Sports? A friend's spouse? A co-worker? An automobile? Are you doing things because it has become the norm in our society, even though you learned differently from your parents and elders? Are you forgoing taking your kids to church in order for them to play in that big game? Are you partaking in activities which hurt others in order to get ahead?
In our Bible account of Shadrach, Meschach and Abednego (Rack, Shack and Bennie in the Veggie Tales account) stand firm to their beliefs and to the one God, even in the face of being thrown into a blazing furnace. They held on to their faith even as they were being bound and thrown into the fire. Am I asking you to volunteer to be thrown into a furnace? Absolutely not, but we can relate this story to things in our lives everyday. God not only spared the lives of Shadrach, Meschach and Abednego, but their faith had an immediate impact on those who witnessed the event.
Think about how your decision to do what is right (yes there still is right and wrong) could positively impact others, especially our younger generation who are constantly being bombarded with temptations that I know I did not have growing up. What about the potential impact you will have on your adversaries? Don't let your mind go to what others will think of you if you don't go along, but instead what they will think when they see you stand up for what you believe in. Be willing to withstand the heat and do what is right. Our children, the future of our country and the world depends on people making the right choices.
I leave you with this partial passage from Daniel 3:28. "They trusted in him and defied the king's command and were willing to give up their lives rather than serve or worship any god except their own God." Trust in Him instead of giving in to peer pressure.
Pray consistently and often and your faith will be strengthened. He hears your prayers and will help you be strong in your decisions.
May God bless your day.
Do you enjoy this blog? If so, please pass it along to your friends and family.
The story relates the Bible account found in Daniel chapter 3 of King Nebuchadnezzar's attempt to get all people to worship the large image of gold he has erected or be thrown into a blazing furnace. It helps kids to understand the story by providing a situation that is easier for them to understand. But how well can we relate to the Bible account? At least in the United States, we are not forced to worship false gods in fear of being thrown into a fire. But do we not still have a fear of persecution for our beliefs?
For those of us too old for Veggie Tales (okay, we are never really too old), we must ask ourselves what is our 90-foot chocolate bunny? Is it alcohol? Money? Divorce? Sports? A friend's spouse? A co-worker? An automobile? Are you doing things because it has become the norm in our society, even though you learned differently from your parents and elders? Are you forgoing taking your kids to church in order for them to play in that big game? Are you partaking in activities which hurt others in order to get ahead?
In our Bible account of Shadrach, Meschach and Abednego (Rack, Shack and Bennie in the Veggie Tales account) stand firm to their beliefs and to the one God, even in the face of being thrown into a blazing furnace. They held on to their faith even as they were being bound and thrown into the fire. Am I asking you to volunteer to be thrown into a furnace? Absolutely not, but we can relate this story to things in our lives everyday. God not only spared the lives of Shadrach, Meschach and Abednego, but their faith had an immediate impact on those who witnessed the event.
Think about how your decision to do what is right (yes there still is right and wrong) could positively impact others, especially our younger generation who are constantly being bombarded with temptations that I know I did not have growing up. What about the potential impact you will have on your adversaries? Don't let your mind go to what others will think of you if you don't go along, but instead what they will think when they see you stand up for what you believe in. Be willing to withstand the heat and do what is right. Our children, the future of our country and the world depends on people making the right choices.
I leave you with this partial passage from Daniel 3:28. "They trusted in him and defied the king's command and were willing to give up their lives rather than serve or worship any god except their own God." Trust in Him instead of giving in to peer pressure.
Pray consistently and often and your faith will be strengthened. He hears your prayers and will help you be strong in your decisions.
May God bless your day.
Do you enjoy this blog? If so, please pass it along to your friends and family.
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
Are you a servant leader?
Maybe it was the long weekend, but this morning I am just having trouble getting the mind moving. I am sure everyone has had moments like this. You sit down, ready to take on the task at hand, and nothing.
Are you in a position of leadership?
"To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everybody else, Jesus told this parable: 'Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood up and prayed about himself: 'God, I thank you that I am not like other men-robbers, evildoers, adulterers-or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.' But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, 'God, have mercy on me, a sinner.' I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted" (Luke 18:9-14).
In the above parable, Jesus makes clear what is written throughout the Bible. If we do not recognize that we are no better then the next person and that we need to constantly seek God's forgiveness, then we miss the point. If we are put into a position of leadership, this becomes ever more evident. We must not mistake leadership for dictatorship, and we must not misinterpret others confidence in us to lead as a sign that we are better then those we lead. For when we do that, we miss the point.
God Bless you.
P.S. The new release of PrayerSteward (Promise2Pray) is now available on iTunes. New features include seeing a contact's picture on the commitment details screen if available, the ability to mark individual prayer commitments as confidential and assign a password to them, an inspirational Bible verse regarding prayer each time you open the app and some enhancements to the user interface. If you have an iPhone or iPod Touch, this app will help you become a better keeper of your Promise2Pray. Go to the PrayerSteward website for more information.
Are you in a position of leadership?
"To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everybody else, Jesus told this parable: 'Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood up and prayed about himself: 'God, I thank you that I am not like other men-robbers, evildoers, adulterers-or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.' But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, 'God, have mercy on me, a sinner.' I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted" (Luke 18:9-14).
In the above parable, Jesus makes clear what is written throughout the Bible. If we do not recognize that we are no better then the next person and that we need to constantly seek God's forgiveness, then we miss the point. If we are put into a position of leadership, this becomes ever more evident. We must not mistake leadership for dictatorship, and we must not misinterpret others confidence in us to lead as a sign that we are better then those we lead. For when we do that, we miss the point.
God Bless you.
P.S. The new release of PrayerSteward (Promise2Pray) is now available on iTunes. New features include seeing a contact's picture on the commitment details screen if available, the ability to mark individual prayer commitments as confidential and assign a password to them, an inspirational Bible verse regarding prayer each time you open the app and some enhancements to the user interface. If you have an iPhone or iPod Touch, this app will help you become a better keeper of your Promise2Pray. Go to the PrayerSteward website for more information.
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