I'm gonna tell you a story, but I want you to know up front that I'm not proud of it. It reminds me a lot of a couple of Bible verses which I will quote later.
When I was in the fifth grade and my little brother was in first, we lived in some apartments...neither in a really good part of town nor a really bad part of town, but there was definitely an element of self-defense required if you didn't want to have your butt kicked early and often. Now, my brother didn't really know this yet and as we played outside one day I managed to lose track of him. As I searched I heard some yelling going on in the parking lot and as I rounded the corner I saw a boy my age attacking my little brother! I didn't think, I didn't pray, I simply reacted. Nothing most big brothers wouldn't do in my shoes, but as I pulled the boy off I wasn't content with leaving it at that and getting my brother out of harm's way. I proceeded to bloody the kids scalp. To this day I'm shocked, but very happy, that I didn't really hurt him bad. I had the best of intentions...I wanted to protect someone I love very much. But, I stopped short of exercising any self-control and, while I felt good about helping my brother, I felt horrible about the damage I had caused.
As Jesus was being betrayed and arrested, here is what happened:
Jesus replied, "Friend, do what you came for." Then the men stepped forward, seized Jesus and arrested him. With that, one of Jesus' companions reached for his sword, drew it out and struck the servant of the high priest, cutting off his ear. "Put your sword back in its place," Jesus said to him, "for all who draw the sword will die by the sword. -- Matthew 26:50-52
The companion loved Jesus very much and just wanted to protect him. But he took it too far and might have taken it further had Jesus not stopped him. Even when our anger burns at maximum, we need self-control. That is the time to remember how we're commanded to love one another and to practice restraint.
But self-control isn't just limited to anger. You've heard the saying "Everything in moderation"?
Whatever the "gotcha" issues are for you, maybe this is the time to start working on a little moderation. Instead of the double cheeseburger, large fries, and large shake maybe you have a single burger, small fries, and a glass of water. Maybe instead of spending $100 a month on Starbuck's coffee you could cut that significantly by buying coffee at the store and making yourself and then give the rest of that money to someone who really needs it. Instead of spending extra time looking at members of the opposite sex to whom you aren't married you can bounce those eyes away and go call your spouse to tell them you love them.
Whatever it is for you, seek the wisdom of the Holy Spirit and watch as the areas of your life that were problems can become the biggest blessings as you utilize your new-found levels of Godly control over them.
Monday, May 31, 2010
Sunday, May 30, 2010
The Fruit Of...Goodness
Make a tree good and its fruit will be good, or make a tree bad and its fruit will be bad, for a tree is recognized by its fruit. You brood of vipers, how can you who are evil say anything good? For out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks. The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in him, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in him. -- Matthew 12:33-35
I look at these verses as the classic battle between good and evil, but it gets fought each day inside of us. Surely there are those who get almost completely consumed by either good or evil, but I would argue that none of us are capable of either pure good or pure evil. That is left to Jesus and Satan. At the same time, we are given the choice, each day of our lives, as to how that balance will play out. Think of it as a challenge to wake up each day and see just how much good and how little evil, or sin, you can produce. If you sin, are you going to let that sin hang around and feed on itself where it leads to more sin or are you going to pray and acknowledge it and ask for help in getting back on the right track?
The question got asked up there..."how can you who are evil say anything good?" One or the other is in control of us at any given point in time. We cannot simultaneously do evil and serve God. A life spent serving God, loving Jesus, and listening to the Holy Spirit leads to good fruit while continuously serving ourselves leads to bad fruit.
In those verses, we are the tree and Jesus flat out tells us that He will recognize us by the fruit we produce. Now, I'm not much of one to drive home the thought that you should fear the Lord, but that thought would scare the devil out of me (literally!) if I hadn't accepted Jesus' sacrifice and become a child of God.
Each day I have choices to make. When I choose to produce good fruit, I will celebrate and give thanks to God. When I choose evil, I will seek God's grace and resolve myself to do better next time.
I look at these verses as the classic battle between good and evil, but it gets fought each day inside of us. Surely there are those who get almost completely consumed by either good or evil, but I would argue that none of us are capable of either pure good or pure evil. That is left to Jesus and Satan. At the same time, we are given the choice, each day of our lives, as to how that balance will play out. Think of it as a challenge to wake up each day and see just how much good and how little evil, or sin, you can produce. If you sin, are you going to let that sin hang around and feed on itself where it leads to more sin or are you going to pray and acknowledge it and ask for help in getting back on the right track?
The question got asked up there..."how can you who are evil say anything good?" One or the other is in control of us at any given point in time. We cannot simultaneously do evil and serve God. A life spent serving God, loving Jesus, and listening to the Holy Spirit leads to good fruit while continuously serving ourselves leads to bad fruit.
In those verses, we are the tree and Jesus flat out tells us that He will recognize us by the fruit we produce. Now, I'm not much of one to drive home the thought that you should fear the Lord, but that thought would scare the devil out of me (literally!) if I hadn't accepted Jesus' sacrifice and become a child of God.
Each day I have choices to make. When I choose to produce good fruit, I will celebrate and give thanks to God. When I choose evil, I will seek God's grace and resolve myself to do better next time.
Saturday, May 29, 2010
The Fruit Of...Faithfulness
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. 1 John 1:9
Boiled down, we are incapable of sinless life and God is simply waiting on us to come to that realization and then to seek a way out of it. I talked the other day about God hearing our cry and this is the cry on which He's been waiting. The faithfulness comes in when, as promised, we are delivered from our unrighteousness (sin) and become forgiven. We become followers of Christ and servants of The Almighty God. We are given the Holy Spirit and then it becomes our goal to remain faithful to God, Jesus, and the Spirit.
So what does that mean? How do we set about being faithful to them? We put on display for the world, through both words and actions, the gift we were given and the wisdom we have gained as a child of God. You make sure that your parents know you love and respect them, that your kids know you love them unconditionally, that your spouse never for an instant has to question whether or not you will always be at their side. You keep your commitments and your promises. You give of yourself without expecting something in return. You spread your faith like wings across your back and fly as high as you can so that as many people as possible see what God has done and is doing in you. You aren't ashamed to be different, unique in God's sight.
You love God as much as He loves you and do what you were built to do so that one day you can hear these words from your maker:
"Well done, good and faithful servant!"
Boiled down, we are incapable of sinless life and God is simply waiting on us to come to that realization and then to seek a way out of it. I talked the other day about God hearing our cry and this is the cry on which He's been waiting. The faithfulness comes in when, as promised, we are delivered from our unrighteousness (sin) and become forgiven. We become followers of Christ and servants of The Almighty God. We are given the Holy Spirit and then it becomes our goal to remain faithful to God, Jesus, and the Spirit.
So what does that mean? How do we set about being faithful to them? We put on display for the world, through both words and actions, the gift we were given and the wisdom we have gained as a child of God. You make sure that your parents know you love and respect them, that your kids know you love them unconditionally, that your spouse never for an instant has to question whether or not you will always be at their side. You keep your commitments and your promises. You give of yourself without expecting something in return. You spread your faith like wings across your back and fly as high as you can so that as many people as possible see what God has done and is doing in you. You aren't ashamed to be different, unique in God's sight.
You love God as much as He loves you and do what you were built to do so that one day you can hear these words from your maker:
"Well done, good and faithful servant!"
Friday, May 28, 2010
The Fruit Of...Gentleness
Confession time. I'm not feeling very gentle over the past couple of days. I find myself getting frustrated easily and, while by no means extreme, more quick to anger than I would like. I could almost feel hypocritical about writing these posts except that it is therapeutic for me and my hope is that, by you seeing my honesty and my faults, you will relate to my predicament and not think ill of me for it.
At it's core, my heart is a gentle one. My wife will tell you I'm a romantic. My kids will tell you that I'd rather be cutting up and acting like a teenager any day than I would acting like an adult. But I've spent years letting things get to me and I think what happens is we start to let the layers of crap build up around the gentle core until we aren't smiling much anymore. The world can look like a downright gloomy place if you never see it's beauty and feel it's gentleness. It can be hard to remember that this is all God's creation!
I've learned that it is much harder to peel the layers of crap away than it is to allow them to form in the first place. For every few steps I take forward in the process I seem to stumble and fall back again. How I feel is perfectly described in Romans 7:15...I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do.
To be stuck in that rut is to go against the beings we're called to be. I can only take heart in the fact that I know what I'm doing, I don't like it, and I'm working on it...with a lot of prayer and the help of the Holy Spirit I know I'll get there eventually.
I'll leave you with a passage that I think accurately describes the mindset of one who has the gentleness of the Holy Spirit with them at their core; who has managed to remove most of the build-up from around it.
Run away from infantile indulgence. Run after mature righteousness—faith, love, peace—joining those who are in honest and serious prayer before God. Refuse to get involved in inane discussions; they always end up in fights. God's servant must not be argumentative, but a gentle listener and a teacher who keeps cool, working firmly but patiently with those who refuse to obey. You never know how or when God might sober them up with a change of heart and a turning to the truth, enabling them to escape the Devil's trap, where they are caught and held captive, forced to run his errands. -- 2 Timothy 2:22-26 (from The Message)
At it's core, my heart is a gentle one. My wife will tell you I'm a romantic. My kids will tell you that I'd rather be cutting up and acting like a teenager any day than I would acting like an adult. But I've spent years letting things get to me and I think what happens is we start to let the layers of crap build up around the gentle core until we aren't smiling much anymore. The world can look like a downright gloomy place if you never see it's beauty and feel it's gentleness. It can be hard to remember that this is all God's creation!
I've learned that it is much harder to peel the layers of crap away than it is to allow them to form in the first place. For every few steps I take forward in the process I seem to stumble and fall back again. How I feel is perfectly described in Romans 7:15...I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do.
To be stuck in that rut is to go against the beings we're called to be. I can only take heart in the fact that I know what I'm doing, I don't like it, and I'm working on it...with a lot of prayer and the help of the Holy Spirit I know I'll get there eventually.
I'll leave you with a passage that I think accurately describes the mindset of one who has the gentleness of the Holy Spirit with them at their core; who has managed to remove most of the build-up from around it.
Run away from infantile indulgence. Run after mature righteousness—faith, love, peace—joining those who are in honest and serious prayer before God. Refuse to get involved in inane discussions; they always end up in fights. God's servant must not be argumentative, but a gentle listener and a teacher who keeps cool, working firmly but patiently with those who refuse to obey. You never know how or when God might sober them up with a change of heart and a turning to the truth, enabling them to escape the Devil's trap, where they are caught and held captive, forced to run his errands. -- 2 Timothy 2:22-26 (from The Message)
Thursday, May 27, 2010
The Fruit Of...Patience
Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him; do not fret when men succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes. -- Psalm 37:7
I waited patiently for the LORD; he turned to me and heard my cry. -- Psalm 40:1
I'm really not a very patient person. When I want something, I don't like having to wait to get it. I like getting from point A to point B as quickly as possible and tend to get angry when I get delayed. Turns out, that doesn't work out too well. It creates stress, both on me and everyone around me. It creates health issues because we aren't created to live at the pace we live and under the stress we find ourselves living under.
As I've grown as a Christ follower, I have improved the level of my patience. The only reason I know this is that my stress level is lower...things that would send me flying off the handle don't bother me like they did. My relationships with my wife and kids are far better than they were.
When we grow closer to God and have the Holy Spirit as our guide, patience is a natural evolution for us. We're told to 'be still before the Lord and wait patiently'. God doesn't work on our schedule, but He does work and always to the good! There are a ton of things that go on in the world that make no sense. Lots of wicked things happen all of the time that seemingly go unpunished.
But those things aren't our concern. If we get still in our hearts and wait on God to act, if we 'wait patiently for the Lord', he will 'hear my cry'.
My wife has been talking to a friend who has been keeping a prayer journal. The insight she's gained from her experience is to see just how God has answered her prayers. Prayer requires patience and patience is a fruit produced from the Holy Spirit. Become still, wait for the Lord, pray about everything no matter how big or small, and watch as He hears your cry.
I waited patiently for the LORD; he turned to me and heard my cry. -- Psalm 40:1
I'm really not a very patient person. When I want something, I don't like having to wait to get it. I like getting from point A to point B as quickly as possible and tend to get angry when I get delayed. Turns out, that doesn't work out too well. It creates stress, both on me and everyone around me. It creates health issues because we aren't created to live at the pace we live and under the stress we find ourselves living under.
As I've grown as a Christ follower, I have improved the level of my patience. The only reason I know this is that my stress level is lower...things that would send me flying off the handle don't bother me like they did. My relationships with my wife and kids are far better than they were.
When we grow closer to God and have the Holy Spirit as our guide, patience is a natural evolution for us. We're told to 'be still before the Lord and wait patiently'. God doesn't work on our schedule, but He does work and always to the good! There are a ton of things that go on in the world that make no sense. Lots of wicked things happen all of the time that seemingly go unpunished.
But those things aren't our concern. If we get still in our hearts and wait on God to act, if we 'wait patiently for the Lord', he will 'hear my cry'.
My wife has been talking to a friend who has been keeping a prayer journal. The insight she's gained from her experience is to see just how God has answered her prayers. Prayer requires patience and patience is a fruit produced from the Holy Spirit. Become still, wait for the Lord, pray about everything no matter how big or small, and watch as He hears your cry.
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
The Fruit Of...Joy
Think about this question for just a few moments...
What in your life brings you true joy?
Alright, do you have your answer? It could have been anything or, hopefully it was many things. I know I have a much bigger list of things that I enjoy in my life than things I don't. Some of mine are my wife, my kids, my parents, my horses, my Bible, my Xbox!
We can find joy in a great number of things in this life. They can be things that excite or things that relax us. They can be, and often are, material possessions. I bet most of would have at least one person on that list too. So before I talk about joy as something that is produced by us walking with the Holy Spirit, I just want to publicly thank God for all of the things in my life that are joyful. I feel amazingly blessed and its all because of Him!
Now, while I don't believe that the Spirit is directly responsible for everything in our lives that gives us joy, I do believe very strongly that the things in our lives that give us joy are better and likely slightly different when life is filled with the Spirit. It can almost be like puppy love. You remember your first love? Every song on the radio was about your love. The birds sang songs to you when you walked together holding hands. Your world centered on each other. You never needed more than one straw in your milkshake. You get the idea...
Spiritual joy is a lot like that, I think, because deep down we know that we've been redeemed by Jesus' sacrifice. We know that gift includes a Counselor that becomes part of us and that we get to meet Jesus in Heaven one day. We've been set free and you can't help but get joy from that.
Don't get me wrong. I don't walk around like Enzyte Bob with a goofy smile on my face all of the time. Joy isn't always an outward display. But I can tell you from experience that its in the times when I feel the least joy that I need to focus on God and listen to the Spirit the most. So if you've accepted Christ in your heart and voiced it with your mouth, but you just aren't feeling the joy...what are you to do? The answer is simple. You need to rely more heavily on God. Chances are, there are areas of life where you haven't made God first...not truly. I speak from experience here. Look at your life and see where you have an opportunity to focus more intently on God and then step into action!
What in your life brings you true joy?
Alright, do you have your answer? It could have been anything or, hopefully it was many things. I know I have a much bigger list of things that I enjoy in my life than things I don't. Some of mine are my wife, my kids, my parents, my horses, my Bible, my Xbox!
We can find joy in a great number of things in this life. They can be things that excite or things that relax us. They can be, and often are, material possessions. I bet most of would have at least one person on that list too. So before I talk about joy as something that is produced by us walking with the Holy Spirit, I just want to publicly thank God for all of the things in my life that are joyful. I feel amazingly blessed and its all because of Him!
Now, while I don't believe that the Spirit is directly responsible for everything in our lives that gives us joy, I do believe very strongly that the things in our lives that give us joy are better and likely slightly different when life is filled with the Spirit. It can almost be like puppy love. You remember your first love? Every song on the radio was about your love. The birds sang songs to you when you walked together holding hands. Your world centered on each other. You never needed more than one straw in your milkshake. You get the idea...
Spiritual joy is a lot like that, I think, because deep down we know that we've been redeemed by Jesus' sacrifice. We know that gift includes a Counselor that becomes part of us and that we get to meet Jesus in Heaven one day. We've been set free and you can't help but get joy from that.
Don't get me wrong. I don't walk around like Enzyte Bob with a goofy smile on my face all of the time. Joy isn't always an outward display. But I can tell you from experience that its in the times when I feel the least joy that I need to focus on God and listen to the Spirit the most. So if you've accepted Christ in your heart and voiced it with your mouth, but you just aren't feeling the joy...what are you to do? The answer is simple. You need to rely more heavily on God. Chances are, there are areas of life where you haven't made God first...not truly. I speak from experience here. Look at your life and see where you have an opportunity to focus more intently on God and then step into action!
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
The Fruit Of...Peace
The two words 'God' and 'peace' appear together, at least in the NIV translation, 43 times in the Bible. You can't have the latter without the former. I know. I've tried.
One of my very favorite passages in the Bible, and the inspiration for this blog in fact, is the following:
Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you. -- Philippians 4:8-9
I highlighted three key parts of those verses because they are related. When we are dialed into the Holy Spirit we begin to have the right heart and the right mindset. With our hearts and minds right, we need to start putting the wisdom we receive from the Spirit into practice. The result is not only the God of peace is with us but that the peace we have will be tangible. People will know we are different, even if they aren't really sure why. Folks will be curious about what we know and, since we're putting our wisdom into practice, we will be ready to share it with them!
The one thing that this passage doesn't specifically name but that I believe is inherent in all of the adjectives listed is forgiveness. We believe in Jesus so we live forgiven, but we have to forgive others so that we may live.
One of my very favorite passages in the Bible, and the inspiration for this blog in fact, is the following:
Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you. -- Philippians 4:8-9
I highlighted three key parts of those verses because they are related. When we are dialed into the Holy Spirit we begin to have the right heart and the right mindset. With our hearts and minds right, we need to start putting the wisdom we receive from the Spirit into practice. The result is not only the God of peace is with us but that the peace we have will be tangible. People will know we are different, even if they aren't really sure why. Folks will be curious about what we know and, since we're putting our wisdom into practice, we will be ready to share it with them!
The one thing that this passage doesn't specifically name but that I believe is inherent in all of the adjectives listed is forgiveness. We believe in Jesus so we live forgiven, but we have to forgive others so that we may live.
Monday, May 24, 2010
Ahhh, Monday
Do you hate Mondays, or at least the ones that you don't have off of work or school? It's a common ailment and one which I share with you at times. While Monday is special because its the first day of the work week, when you stop and think about it Monday is just one more day in the course of your week. I say, don't let it bring you down!
Starting tomorrow, I'm going to be writing over the course of several days about the fruit we produce when we have heavenly wisdom and a Spirit of Righteousness...fruit that comes when we are closely connected to the Holy Spirit. I hope you'll see that you can produce this fruit even on Mondays!
So for today, let me leave you with this. Each day of your life you have a choice. You get to decide how your day is going to go. There will no doubt be unexpected and, at times, unwelcome events on some of them. There will also be many, many happy times too. How your day goes depends on the way you handle both the good and bad. Will you be grateful and give thanks to God for the good? Will you see God even in the bad and handle it gracefully? Will you be filled with optimism and open to opportunity or will you shut down mentally and simply cruise through your day, complaining as you go?
Starting tomorrow, I'm going to be writing over the course of several days about the fruit we produce when we have heavenly wisdom and a Spirit of Righteousness...fruit that comes when we are closely connected to the Holy Spirit. I hope you'll see that you can produce this fruit even on Mondays!
So for today, let me leave you with this. Each day of your life you have a choice. You get to decide how your day is going to go. There will no doubt be unexpected and, at times, unwelcome events on some of them. There will also be many, many happy times too. How your day goes depends on the way you handle both the good and bad. Will you be grateful and give thanks to God for the good? Will you see God even in the bad and handle it gracefully? Will you be filled with optimism and open to opportunity or will you shut down mentally and simply cruise through your day, complaining as you go?
Sunday, May 23, 2010
Learning From Yoda
This one is dedicated to my friend Alan Danielson...I just thought I was one of the biggest Star Wars fans all those years!
This is the 30th anniversary of The Empire Strikes Back, the movie where Yoda makes his first appearance. The Jedi master taught many lessons over the course of 5 movies...lessons that we can easily correlate to our lives and the teachings of Jesus. So take a look at what Yoda had to say, reflect, and celebrate 30 years of the greatest movie franchise of all time!
Fear is the path to the dark side. Fear leads to anger. Anger leads to hate. Hate leads to suffering.
Try not. Do, or do not. There is no try.
Size matters not. Look at me. Judge me by my size, do you? Hmm? Hmm. And well you should not.
But beware. Anger, fear, aggression. The dark side are they. Once you start down the dark path, forever will it dominate your destiny.
Death is a natural part of life. Rejoice for those around you who transform into the Force. Mourn them do not. Miss them do not. Attachment leads to jealously. The shadow of greed, that is.
Named must your fear be before banish it you can.
Truly wonderful the mind of a child is.
Luke: "I don't, I don't believe it."
Yoda: "That is why you fail."
Have a great Sunday everyone. Spend time with The Lord today and share Him with others!
This is the 30th anniversary of The Empire Strikes Back, the movie where Yoda makes his first appearance. The Jedi master taught many lessons over the course of 5 movies...lessons that we can easily correlate to our lives and the teachings of Jesus. So take a look at what Yoda had to say, reflect, and celebrate 30 years of the greatest movie franchise of all time!
Fear is the path to the dark side. Fear leads to anger. Anger leads to hate. Hate leads to suffering.
Try not. Do, or do not. There is no try.
Size matters not. Look at me. Judge me by my size, do you? Hmm? Hmm. And well you should not.
But beware. Anger, fear, aggression. The dark side are they. Once you start down the dark path, forever will it dominate your destiny.
Death is a natural part of life. Rejoice for those around you who transform into the Force. Mourn them do not. Miss them do not. Attachment leads to jealously. The shadow of greed, that is.
Named must your fear be before banish it you can.
Truly wonderful the mind of a child is.
Luke: "I don't, I don't believe it."
Yoda: "That is why you fail."
Have a great Sunday everyone. Spend time with The Lord today and share Him with others!
Saturday, May 22, 2010
Changing Seasons
Truly for the first time this year, it's going to be sunny and hot all weekend here in Oklahoma. That means that we're well on our way out of spring and heading into summer. While the weather isn't necessarily the same from year to year, we can count on the seasons changing...just like they do in our lives.
Did you see the movie Gladiator? It's one of my all-time favorites. It's the story of a man who goes through many seasons in his life. The tag-line is "The general who became a slave. The slave who became a gladiator. The gladiator who defied an emperor." After being betrayed by the emperor's son, Rome's best general has his family murdered and is left for dead. He ends up back in Rome, though, as a gladiator and ends up avenging his family and restoring Rome back to what it was under the previous emperor. Don't get me wrong, vengeance isn't in keeping with Jesus' teachings but this story does illustrate how we can go from one extreme to the other in our lives. There will be good times and there will be bad times, but like all things of this Earth, they are only temporary.
Things don't usually go as planned, and they definitely aren't always going to go well. But just like the seasons, the bad times will also pass. It's in those times when we need to focus our reliance on God and trust Him to pull us out of darkness and bring us into our next season.
Did you see the movie Gladiator? It's one of my all-time favorites. It's the story of a man who goes through many seasons in his life. The tag-line is "The general who became a slave. The slave who became a gladiator. The gladiator who defied an emperor." After being betrayed by the emperor's son, Rome's best general has his family murdered and is left for dead. He ends up back in Rome, though, as a gladiator and ends up avenging his family and restoring Rome back to what it was under the previous emperor. Don't get me wrong, vengeance isn't in keeping with Jesus' teachings but this story does illustrate how we can go from one extreme to the other in our lives. There will be good times and there will be bad times, but like all things of this Earth, they are only temporary.
Things don't usually go as planned, and they definitely aren't always going to go well. But just like the seasons, the bad times will also pass. It's in those times when we need to focus our reliance on God and trust Him to pull us out of darkness and bring us into our next season.
Friday, May 21, 2010
Spirit Of Righteousness
After Jesus had been resurrected and before His ascension to Heaven, He told the apostles that they would be receiving the Holy Spirit.
Again Jesus said, "Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you." And with that he breathed on them and said, "Receive the Holy Spirit. -- John 20:21-22
To finish up my thoughts on wisdom and righteousness, I want to focus on the Holy Spirit's role in that process. Yesterday I quoted a verse that explained how wisdom comes from Heaven and I believe that the vehicle for the delivery of Heavenly wisdom is the Holy Spirit.
Now, whether the Spirit is a part of our very being and with us from birth I do not know. What I personally believe is that, whether the Spirit was already with us and engages us or if the Spirit comes to us later in life, it's the moment when we voice with our mouths AND believe in our hearts that Christ is Lord that opens us up to the wisdom that leads to righteousness. In other words, the Holy Spirit is the key for us to be the beings we're called to be after accepting Jesus.
By accepting Jesus and allowing God, through the Spirit, to work in and through us we gain wisdom and are set upon a path of righteousness.
Again Jesus said, "Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you." And with that he breathed on them and said, "Receive the Holy Spirit. -- John 20:21-22
To finish up my thoughts on wisdom and righteousness, I want to focus on the Holy Spirit's role in that process. Yesterday I quoted a verse that explained how wisdom comes from Heaven and I believe that the vehicle for the delivery of Heavenly wisdom is the Holy Spirit.
Now, whether the Spirit is a part of our very being and with us from birth I do not know. What I personally believe is that, whether the Spirit was already with us and engages us or if the Spirit comes to us later in life, it's the moment when we voice with our mouths AND believe in our hearts that Christ is Lord that opens us up to the wisdom that leads to righteousness. In other words, the Holy Spirit is the key for us to be the beings we're called to be after accepting Jesus.
By accepting Jesus and allowing God, through the Spirit, to work in and through us we gain wisdom and are set upon a path of righteousness.
Thursday, May 20, 2010
Wisdom's Fruit
Yesterday, I wrote about how our pride eventually humbles us and that when we learn to be humble wisdom is to follow. But what follows the acquisition of wisdom? Once you have wisdom does that mean you've arrived? Hardly. As you will see in the following verse, wisdom is merely a milestone on the way to righteousness.
But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere. Peacemakers who sow in peace raise a harvest of righteousness. -- James 3:17-18
A very power-packed couple of verses! First, note the source of wisdom we seek is Heaven. What is cool to me is that all of the traits listed for our heavenly wisdom are traits that Jesus possesses. They are traits that we should be striving for in our quest to receive this wisdom, to be more like Jesus. To carry these traits makes us peacemakers and it tells us that a peacemaker's harvest is righteousness.
So, our path to righteousness seems clear. First we have to do away with our pride and foolishness and see to be humble. When we humble ourselves before our Lord Jesus and confess our faith in Him, we start on a path of wisdom. We become God's peacemakers on Earth...and the harvest for sowing peace (remember that bit Jesus told us about loving our neighbors as ourselves?) is righteousness.
Tall orders indeed, but an honorable and worthy undertaking. One that reaps a reward for all eternity.
But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere. Peacemakers who sow in peace raise a harvest of righteousness. -- James 3:17-18
A very power-packed couple of verses! First, note the source of wisdom we seek is Heaven. What is cool to me is that all of the traits listed for our heavenly wisdom are traits that Jesus possesses. They are traits that we should be striving for in our quest to receive this wisdom, to be more like Jesus. To carry these traits makes us peacemakers and it tells us that a peacemaker's harvest is righteousness.
So, our path to righteousness seems clear. First we have to do away with our pride and foolishness and see to be humble. When we humble ourselves before our Lord Jesus and confess our faith in Him, we start on a path of wisdom. We become God's peacemakers on Earth...and the harvest for sowing peace (remember that bit Jesus told us about loving our neighbors as ourselves?) is righteousness.
Tall orders indeed, but an honorable and worthy undertaking. One that reaps a reward for all eternity.
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
Proudly Foolish
When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom. -- Proverbs 11:29
Is it a coincidence that pride, disgrace, and humility precede wisdom in that verse? Solomon surely knew what he was writing about. I know that when I look back on my life I see that the times when I have gotten the most prideful and stubborn have immediately preceded the times when I've been the most humbled. I don't always learn those life lessons quickly but I do learn eventually and that is where the wisdom comes in. We can't receive wisdom until we've acknowledged that we don't have all of the answers.
If you have ever had, currently have, or have spent much time around teenagers you will immediately recognize this pattern of pride, stubbornness, humility, and wisdom. They think they know best way before they really do and they rebel at every turn. Eventually that leads to mistakes and hopefully from there they gain some wisdom. It's a cycle that continues all of the way through life, I think. I know that I still have times when I let pride get in the way of learning!
So the next time you feel yourself getting all full of pride and refuse to listen to God, I hope that you can remember this verse and stop your pride before it becomes an obstacle to the wisdom He wants you to gain from whatever situation presents itself to you.
Is it a coincidence that pride, disgrace, and humility precede wisdom in that verse? Solomon surely knew what he was writing about. I know that when I look back on my life I see that the times when I have gotten the most prideful and stubborn have immediately preceded the times when I've been the most humbled. I don't always learn those life lessons quickly but I do learn eventually and that is where the wisdom comes in. We can't receive wisdom until we've acknowledged that we don't have all of the answers.
If you have ever had, currently have, or have spent much time around teenagers you will immediately recognize this pattern of pride, stubbornness, humility, and wisdom. They think they know best way before they really do and they rebel at every turn. Eventually that leads to mistakes and hopefully from there they gain some wisdom. It's a cycle that continues all of the way through life, I think. I know that I still have times when I let pride get in the way of learning!
So the next time you feel yourself getting all full of pride and refuse to listen to God, I hope that you can remember this verse and stop your pride before it becomes an obstacle to the wisdom He wants you to gain from whatever situation presents itself to you.
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
Applauding Good Character
The Bible talks about the fruit we produce (and I'll be posting much more on this topic in the next couple of weeks) and that we either produce good fruit or bad fruit.
Likewise every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. -- Matthew 7:17
I wrote about Lebron James a few days back and how he maybe hasn't been producing the best fruit lately, so I wanted to share a couple of stories that illustrate the production of good fruit, or good character.
Oguchi Onyewu is a defender who plays for the USA soccer team. He also signed a contract last year to play for one of the best pro club teams in the world, AC Milan. Shortly after signing his contract, he ruptured his achilles tendon. He's been recovering and will be able to play for his country in the World Cup next month. Yesterday he did something that is unprecedented among professional athletes. He told AC Milan that he wanted to extend his contract for another year...without pay. He doesn't feel that it's right that he hasn't fulfilled his contract because of his injury and wants to show his loyalty to the club for their support. I can only hope that the young kids who look up to him will take a lesson from him and practice that kind of character as they grow into adults.
Morgan Woolard represented Oklahoma in the Miss USA pageant over the weekend. She was in second place and in good standing with only the Q&A portion of the contest remaining when she was asked about her feelings regarding the highly controversial Arizona immigration law. She responded with the following:
"I'm a huge believer in states' rights. I think that's what's so wonderful about America, so I think it's perfectly fine for Arizona to create that law."
She finished second and the girl who had been the last of the final five won. Asked if she regrets her answer, she said:
“I was absolutely ready for the question and truthfully for me, it wasn't tough. I believe if you know who you are and what you believe and why you believe it, then no question can stump you. I was confident in my answer, there was no hesitation, and I just spoke from my heart and I believe what I said was well said and I feel strongly about that and I'm proud of my answer.”
Whether you agree with her stance or not, you have to respect someone in the national spotlight who stands for what they believe in and don't cave under pressure to change.
I applaud both of these young people for going against the grain and for showing good character. While our one true role model is Jesus, I believe that displaying that kind of character produces the good fruit the verse in Matthew talked about and I challenge all the rest of us to follow their lead.
Likewise every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. -- Matthew 7:17
I wrote about Lebron James a few days back and how he maybe hasn't been producing the best fruit lately, so I wanted to share a couple of stories that illustrate the production of good fruit, or good character.
Oguchi Onyewu is a defender who plays for the USA soccer team. He also signed a contract last year to play for one of the best pro club teams in the world, AC Milan. Shortly after signing his contract, he ruptured his achilles tendon. He's been recovering and will be able to play for his country in the World Cup next month. Yesterday he did something that is unprecedented among professional athletes. He told AC Milan that he wanted to extend his contract for another year...without pay. He doesn't feel that it's right that he hasn't fulfilled his contract because of his injury and wants to show his loyalty to the club for their support. I can only hope that the young kids who look up to him will take a lesson from him and practice that kind of character as they grow into adults.
Morgan Woolard represented Oklahoma in the Miss USA pageant over the weekend. She was in second place and in good standing with only the Q&A portion of the contest remaining when she was asked about her feelings regarding the highly controversial Arizona immigration law. She responded with the following:
"I'm a huge believer in states' rights. I think that's what's so wonderful about America, so I think it's perfectly fine for Arizona to create that law."
She finished second and the girl who had been the last of the final five won. Asked if she regrets her answer, she said:
“I was absolutely ready for the question and truthfully for me, it wasn't tough. I believe if you know who you are and what you believe and why you believe it, then no question can stump you. I was confident in my answer, there was no hesitation, and I just spoke from my heart and I believe what I said was well said and I feel strongly about that and I'm proud of my answer.”
Whether you agree with her stance or not, you have to respect someone in the national spotlight who stands for what they believe in and don't cave under pressure to change.
I applaud both of these young people for going against the grain and for showing good character. While our one true role model is Jesus, I believe that displaying that kind of character produces the good fruit the verse in Matthew talked about and I challenge all the rest of us to follow their lead.
Monday, May 17, 2010
Deception Perception
We had a family member at our house visiting one time. She was studying veterinary medicine and preparing for a test on large animals. She was going down a list of some different breeds of cows...not the least bit confident about her studies when I piped up and asked her, "Hey, do you have a How Now Brown on that list?" OK, so maybe it was a little mean but it was also really funny (and if you don't get it, ask somebody) because she spent a couple of minutes looking before she got it! But the thing is, I deceived her mostly because she wasn't expecting me to...why she wouldn't when I do stuff like that all of the time I don't know, but she did so there you go.
I think we're all capable of falling prey to the same kind of deception. I look around and see a lot of what is going on in the world and it just seems like anytime something or someone comes along that "seems right", we're quick to jump on board and believe it whether it holds water or not...and especially if we can keep from ticking anybody off by doing so. When did we become this milk-toast society that doesn't want to accept failure as a part of life, that's afraid to believe in something if it's going to upset someone? Jesus said He is the way, the truth, and the life. If that flies against someone else's feelings or beliefs, well, too bad.
Jesus also warned His followers, along with the rest of us, about deception and why we should be on guard against it. Check this out, all from the 24th chapter of Matthew:
Watch out that no one deceives you. For many will come in my name, claiming, 'I am the Christ,' and will deceive many.
At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other, and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people. Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, but he who stands firm to the end will be saved.
At that time if anyone says to you, 'Look, here is the Christ!' or, 'There he is!' do not believe it. For false Christs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and miracles to deceive even the elect—if that were possible. See, I have told you ahead of time.
A really good clue as to the importance of what's being said in the Bible is how many times in the span of one passage a word gets repeated. Deceive appeared five times over a span of twenty verses. There is deception running rampant in the world today and it would be really easy for us to fall into the trap of believing it. Now more than ever, we need to cling to our truth who is Christ and to keep sharing Him with others. We've been warned about it so guard against it, keep the faith, and stand strong!
I think we're all capable of falling prey to the same kind of deception. I look around and see a lot of what is going on in the world and it just seems like anytime something or someone comes along that "seems right", we're quick to jump on board and believe it whether it holds water or not...and especially if we can keep from ticking anybody off by doing so. When did we become this milk-toast society that doesn't want to accept failure as a part of life, that's afraid to believe in something if it's going to upset someone? Jesus said He is the way, the truth, and the life. If that flies against someone else's feelings or beliefs, well, too bad.
Jesus also warned His followers, along with the rest of us, about deception and why we should be on guard against it. Check this out, all from the 24th chapter of Matthew:
Watch out that no one deceives you. For many will come in my name, claiming, 'I am the Christ,' and will deceive many.
At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other, and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people. Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, but he who stands firm to the end will be saved.
At that time if anyone says to you, 'Look, here is the Christ!' or, 'There he is!' do not believe it. For false Christs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and miracles to deceive even the elect—if that were possible. See, I have told you ahead of time.
A really good clue as to the importance of what's being said in the Bible is how many times in the span of one passage a word gets repeated. Deceive appeared five times over a span of twenty verses. There is deception running rampant in the world today and it would be really easy for us to fall into the trap of believing it. Now more than ever, we need to cling to our truth who is Christ and to keep sharing Him with others. We've been warned about it so guard against it, keep the faith, and stand strong!
Sunday, May 16, 2010
Did You Ever Wonder?
As you do not know the path of the wind, or how the body is formed in a mother's womb, so you cannot understand the work of God, the Maker of all things. -- Ecclesiastes - 11:5
What cracks me up about that verse, and I guess maybe why it caught my attention is the first part where it tells us we don't know the path of the wind. Living in Oklahoma we have more wind on a consistent basis than just about any other place on the planet. Our biggest culprits are tornadoes. Our meteorologists here have gotten very good at defining what types of storms are capable of producing tornadoes and yet, with all of our knowledge and technology, we still have no clue why a storm actually produces a funnel and why others don't. They can't tell us when it's going to form, how long it will stay on the ground, or which direction it will go once it does reach earth. We know so much and yet we still know nothing.
If the smartest among us are not capable of any more than pure conjecture when it comes to understanding how God works, then why don't more of us chalk it up to curiosity and move on? Do you think there is such a thing as pondering the mechanics of the universe too deeply? Were we created to never really be satisfied with anything...to always want to know and have more? Is it possible that, by advancing so far so quickly that we've taken every ounce of wonder and mystery out of life?
We'll have eternity after we get to Heaven to get answers to all of our questions. Let's spend our time here on Earth doing what we can to share how much God loves us and what Jesus did for us with as many people as possible. We might not know which way the wind will blow next but we can be sure of one thing; as long as there is breath in our bodies God has plans for us. Our job is to trust His plan and fulfill our commission.
What cracks me up about that verse, and I guess maybe why it caught my attention is the first part where it tells us we don't know the path of the wind. Living in Oklahoma we have more wind on a consistent basis than just about any other place on the planet. Our biggest culprits are tornadoes. Our meteorologists here have gotten very good at defining what types of storms are capable of producing tornadoes and yet, with all of our knowledge and technology, we still have no clue why a storm actually produces a funnel and why others don't. They can't tell us when it's going to form, how long it will stay on the ground, or which direction it will go once it does reach earth. We know so much and yet we still know nothing.
If the smartest among us are not capable of any more than pure conjecture when it comes to understanding how God works, then why don't more of us chalk it up to curiosity and move on? Do you think there is such a thing as pondering the mechanics of the universe too deeply? Were we created to never really be satisfied with anything...to always want to know and have more? Is it possible that, by advancing so far so quickly that we've taken every ounce of wonder and mystery out of life?
We'll have eternity after we get to Heaven to get answers to all of our questions. Let's spend our time here on Earth doing what we can to share how much God loves us and what Jesus did for us with as many people as possible. We might not know which way the wind will blow next but we can be sure of one thing; as long as there is breath in our bodies God has plans for us. Our job is to trust His plan and fulfill our commission.
Saturday, May 15, 2010
Lebron And The Triple Double
Lebron James is a terrific basketball player. At 25, he's bigger and stronger than most, and better than just about anyone else on the planet who plays the game. But he also carries a terrific amount of pressure with him. He's driven to succeed I'm sure, but he carries a whole city on his shoulders...and we were reminded this week of the fact that he is most definitely human and still immature.
He seems to lack a certain amount of humility, which is charming when everything goes well, but seems to have turned ugly when they didn't go well this week. His team lost by more than 30 points at home to bring them within one game of being eliminated from the playoffs. He wasn't even a factor and yet, he refused to admit disappointment, frustration, or even an ounce of desperation as the wheels were coming off the bus for his team. He responded in game 6 by recording a triple double which is double figures in any three statistical categories. A worthy accomplishment anytime but especially in the playoffs and on the road when fighting elimination.
Unfortunately for Lebron, he also nearly had double digit turnovers and they lost. Think he's disappointed or frustrated now? Don't get me wrong, I'm not laughing at him but I do think it's a lesson in humility and I hope he'll grow to understand that it isn't weak to admit how you feel but instead is a strength and displays a maturity and a perseverance that will make him and his team better next time.
As follower's of Christ, we're called to a level of maturity and perseverance as well.
Do everything readily and cheerfully—no bickering, no second-guessing allowed! Go out into the world uncorrupted, a breath of fresh air in this squalid and polluted society. Provide people with a glimpse of good living and of the living God. Carry the light-giving Message into the night so I'll have good cause to be proud of you on the day that Christ returns. You'll be living proof that I didn't go to all this work for nothing. -- Philippians 2:15 (from The Message)
We can go out and put all kinds of points on the board and do a bunch of other things to help our team win, but it's how we handle ourselves when things fall apart...when we have 9 turnovers...that defines our character. It's easy to cruise when everything falls into place for us, isn't it?
But how do you handle adversity? What do you do when the pressure is truly on? Do you refuse to recognize it and blindly carry on, or do you face it boldly knowing that God is on your team and that in the end you will be standing victorious, celebrating in Heaven?
He seems to lack a certain amount of humility, which is charming when everything goes well, but seems to have turned ugly when they didn't go well this week. His team lost by more than 30 points at home to bring them within one game of being eliminated from the playoffs. He wasn't even a factor and yet, he refused to admit disappointment, frustration, or even an ounce of desperation as the wheels were coming off the bus for his team. He responded in game 6 by recording a triple double which is double figures in any three statistical categories. A worthy accomplishment anytime but especially in the playoffs and on the road when fighting elimination.
Unfortunately for Lebron, he also nearly had double digit turnovers and they lost. Think he's disappointed or frustrated now? Don't get me wrong, I'm not laughing at him but I do think it's a lesson in humility and I hope he'll grow to understand that it isn't weak to admit how you feel but instead is a strength and displays a maturity and a perseverance that will make him and his team better next time.
As follower's of Christ, we're called to a level of maturity and perseverance as well.
Do everything readily and cheerfully—no bickering, no second-guessing allowed! Go out into the world uncorrupted, a breath of fresh air in this squalid and polluted society. Provide people with a glimpse of good living and of the living God. Carry the light-giving Message into the night so I'll have good cause to be proud of you on the day that Christ returns. You'll be living proof that I didn't go to all this work for nothing. -- Philippians 2:15 (from The Message)
We can go out and put all kinds of points on the board and do a bunch of other things to help our team win, but it's how we handle ourselves when things fall apart...when we have 9 turnovers...that defines our character. It's easy to cruise when everything falls into place for us, isn't it?
But how do you handle adversity? What do you do when the pressure is truly on? Do you refuse to recognize it and blindly carry on, or do you face it boldly knowing that God is on your team and that in the end you will be standing victorious, celebrating in Heaven?
Friday, May 14, 2010
A Godly Woman
Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised. -- Proverbs 31:30
When you read the words "Godly woman", what does that mean to you? What are the characteristics of a women who fears the Lord? I talked yesterday about how it takes a great woman to make a good man, but how can you tell that a woman is great?
I think the secret isn't in their looks or on their words, but lies within their hearts. A great woman begins with a strong but caring heart, a heart that loves God first and foremost and then her husband next. She shows the versatility to be the rock of the family at times and the wisdom to take the back seat at others. Always willing to serve others, usually putting herself last.
A great woman has to be many things to many people, but most importantly she knows what it is that her man needs from her at any given point and offers it freely. While a man will do anything for his family, without the strong support of a Godly woman, I think most of us would just meander about life without really being fulfilled.
I thank God that He has put a special woman at my side for life, and that I'm surrounded by so many friends who are just as blessed to have a Godly woman backing them up as well. Ladies, I salute you for all that you do and for all that you mean to us!
When you read the words "Godly woman", what does that mean to you? What are the characteristics of a women who fears the Lord? I talked yesterday about how it takes a great woman to make a good man, but how can you tell that a woman is great?
I think the secret isn't in their looks or on their words, but lies within their hearts. A great woman begins with a strong but caring heart, a heart that loves God first and foremost and then her husband next. She shows the versatility to be the rock of the family at times and the wisdom to take the back seat at others. Always willing to serve others, usually putting herself last.
A great woman has to be many things to many people, but most importantly she knows what it is that her man needs from her at any given point and offers it freely. While a man will do anything for his family, without the strong support of a Godly woman, I think most of us would just meander about life without really being fulfilled.
I thank God that He has put a special woman at my side for life, and that I'm surrounded by so many friends who are just as blessed to have a Godly woman backing them up as well. Ladies, I salute you for all that you do and for all that you mean to us!
Thursday, May 13, 2010
Behind Every Good Man...
You know how it ends..."is a great woman." Women are the key to a great family. While the Bible calls men to be the spiritual leaders of their family, it's the women who keep the family running. Check out this passage from Proverbs:
A wife of noble character who can find? She is worth far more than rubies. She watches over the affairs of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness. Her children arise and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her. -- Proverbs 31:10 & 27-28
I don't know about how good I am, but I know that I'm a better man today because of the woman I managed to talk into marrying me. I think about all of the things she does and I can't imagine how we'd do it without her.
Give thanks to God for giving you such a wonderful woman. If you are one of those women, know that your man loves you very much and he wouldn't know what to do without you. God created us to be together, to function us one unit, and we can honor Him by making our marriages everything He designed them to be.
A wife of noble character who can find? She is worth far more than rubies. She watches over the affairs of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness. Her children arise and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her. -- Proverbs 31:10 & 27-28
I don't know about how good I am, but I know that I'm a better man today because of the woman I managed to talk into marrying me. I think about all of the things she does and I can't imagine how we'd do it without her.
Give thanks to God for giving you such a wonderful woman. If you are one of those women, know that your man loves you very much and he wouldn't know what to do without you. God created us to be together, to function us one unit, and we can honor Him by making our marriages everything He designed them to be.
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
Using The Angry Eyes
The LORD is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love. -- Psalm 103:8
A little secret for those of you who don't know me well enough...I pretty much always have my angry eyes packed (bonus points if you know the movie reference!). I am not a person who easily contains any of my emotions, so I have always struggled with my anger boiling over before I get it contained.
After years and years of working on it, I'm miles better than I used to be and yet still with work to do. And yet, it doesn't take very long to completely fail.
I wasn't feeling good yesterday afternoon. I had a yard to mow and things to get done, but Suzanne had asked me to go sit with her at the stables while Rachel gave a horse riding lesson to a friend. After I mowed, I decided to head on over. It took about 10 minutes for my daughter and I to be completely at odds. She wasn't demonstrating what she wanted to teach properly...or safely (my biggest pet peeve out there). And then she went and got disrespectful with me and her mother.
I went to boiling very quickly...and on my way to making sure Rachel got my point I had to put my phone down. Problem is I didn't put it down as softly as I should...and it bounced on and broke my wife's Kindle.
Now, let me tell you that I am alive and thankful tonight for my wife being a Godly woman because if she wasn't I probably would at least be in traction. She would tell you that it's probably her single favorite possession in this world.
So...it only took a few seconds to screw up weeks and weeks of really concentrating on being slow to anger. That, and about $260 to replace the Kindle.
Take my word for it...if you struggle with anger, you need to double up on your efforts. There are always consequences to be had and they aren't ever good. Plus it doesn't really help with the whole "love your neighbor as yourself" instruction that Jesus gave us.
A little secret for those of you who don't know me well enough...I pretty much always have my angry eyes packed (bonus points if you know the movie reference!). I am not a person who easily contains any of my emotions, so I have always struggled with my anger boiling over before I get it contained.
After years and years of working on it, I'm miles better than I used to be and yet still with work to do. And yet, it doesn't take very long to completely fail.
I wasn't feeling good yesterday afternoon. I had a yard to mow and things to get done, but Suzanne had asked me to go sit with her at the stables while Rachel gave a horse riding lesson to a friend. After I mowed, I decided to head on over. It took about 10 minutes for my daughter and I to be completely at odds. She wasn't demonstrating what she wanted to teach properly...or safely (my biggest pet peeve out there). And then she went and got disrespectful with me and her mother.
I went to boiling very quickly...and on my way to making sure Rachel got my point I had to put my phone down. Problem is I didn't put it down as softly as I should...and it bounced on and broke my wife's Kindle.
Now, let me tell you that I am alive and thankful tonight for my wife being a Godly woman because if she wasn't I probably would at least be in traction. She would tell you that it's probably her single favorite possession in this world.
So...it only took a few seconds to screw up weeks and weeks of really concentrating on being slow to anger. That, and about $260 to replace the Kindle.
Take my word for it...if you struggle with anger, you need to double up on your efforts. There are always consequences to be had and they aren't ever good. Plus it doesn't really help with the whole "love your neighbor as yourself" instruction that Jesus gave us.
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
90 Days!
I'm quite proud of myself because I just completed a reading plan on YouVersion.com that consisted of reading the entire Bible in 90 days. I've wanted to read the whole thing for a very long time, so I'm fired up that I did what I set out to do.
More importantly, I learned so much from these past three months. There are things I didn't know about, connections that I made due to the short window to read it all, and insights about myself and God that will definitely help me continue to grow as a follower of Christ. While I might recommend a couple of smaller reading plans first (like the Gospels and one that does Psalms and Proverbs), I can definitely tell that it's worth your while to read it aggressively like that. I thought I would share a few of the thing I learned over the past 90 days.
More importantly, I learned so much from these past three months. There are things I didn't know about, connections that I made due to the short window to read it all, and insights about myself and God that will definitely help me continue to grow as a follower of Christ. While I might recommend a couple of smaller reading plans first (like the Gospels and one that does Psalms and Proverbs), I can definitely tell that it's worth your while to read it aggressively like that. I thought I would share a few of the thing I learned over the past 90 days.
- I learned to look at scriptures I've known most of my life in new and interesting ways because I could connect that scripture with something I had recently read. This makes the Bible seem more like the planned and complete body of work that it is instead of just a conglomeration of individual writings stuck together at random...and believe it or not I've heard that theory before!
- My belief in God as The Creator and of Jesus as The Savior are incredibly strong now, and that is due to seeing how everything that was told to the prophets came to pass just as God told them it would. For me, this completely validates what is to come as is described both by Jesus and in the book of Revelation.
- I understand more deeply now what it is to pray with your heart and not just your mind, and I know that our faith is rewarded when we pray. Way too many people were healed, and not just by Jesus, because of the faith of those being healed as well as those doing the healing.
- I have a newly energized desire to share what I know with others, to make a difference in peoples lives.
Monday, May 10, 2010
small god...BIG GOD
Had an fun and awesome time at our church retreat this weekend. It had been many years (over 20) and miles of my journey with God since I had been to Falls Creek. For those of you who don't know, Falls Creek is a big church camp set in the Arbuckle Mountains (hills to some!) in southern Oklahoma.
It was kinda weird being back in that place after so long. Some things seemed familiar...much of it as foreign as if I had never visited. But it did bring back some memories for me. Times when, looking back, I know God was working on me and in me...but many times when it seemed to escape my grasp that there was so much more I could learn and do. Not that just going and enjoying myself is in and of itself a bad thing, but I guess it reeks of missed opportunities more than anything.
I talked a lot recently about regrets and not having any, so let me assure you that I'm not doubling back on myself here. Recognizing the missed opportunities is important because it helps us learn. To regret the things I did then would mean wishing I had a different life now, but I couldn't be happier and I understand that I had to go through that stuff to get where I am today...so no worries, no regrets.
The thing is...I think we do miss out on opportunities sometimes simply because we refuse to believe it's possible. I can honestly tell you that, looking back on my life, I have never been denied my heart's desire. Anytime I've truly given my heart to God I've ended up with exactly what I wanted...and many times so much more! When I've allowed God to be as big in my life as He needs to be...when I get out of God's way and just surrender, great things happen.
Those other times, and I'm sure you've had them too, it seems like we just can't quite believe that we're special enough to have an awesome marriage or that we can kick that nagging addiction that has defeated us time and again. We want so desperately to have great kids and to be great parents; to have money to spare; to be able to give more generously...we want so much for the things that are off in our lives to be better and yet we never really want to open up and trust God enough to let Him shoulder the load. So we turn GOD into...well, god. We minimize the significance of having the Creator on our side. No matter how great your Dad here on Earth is, how many more times better do you think our Father God is????
Whatever it is with you...I still struggle with things sometimes, we all do...put your focus on God. Retreat further and further into God's grace and love for you. There is nothing you can dream that He can't help you accomplish. He has given us all the gift of Jesus which means we are free to dream the impossible and, when we do, to watch that little god turn into BIG GOD...after all, with Him on your side how can you fail?
It was kinda weird being back in that place after so long. Some things seemed familiar...much of it as foreign as if I had never visited. But it did bring back some memories for me. Times when, looking back, I know God was working on me and in me...but many times when it seemed to escape my grasp that there was so much more I could learn and do. Not that just going and enjoying myself is in and of itself a bad thing, but I guess it reeks of missed opportunities more than anything.
I talked a lot recently about regrets and not having any, so let me assure you that I'm not doubling back on myself here. Recognizing the missed opportunities is important because it helps us learn. To regret the things I did then would mean wishing I had a different life now, but I couldn't be happier and I understand that I had to go through that stuff to get where I am today...so no worries, no regrets.
The thing is...I think we do miss out on opportunities sometimes simply because we refuse to believe it's possible. I can honestly tell you that, looking back on my life, I have never been denied my heart's desire. Anytime I've truly given my heart to God I've ended up with exactly what I wanted...and many times so much more! When I've allowed God to be as big in my life as He needs to be...when I get out of God's way and just surrender, great things happen.
Those other times, and I'm sure you've had them too, it seems like we just can't quite believe that we're special enough to have an awesome marriage or that we can kick that nagging addiction that has defeated us time and again. We want so desperately to have great kids and to be great parents; to have money to spare; to be able to give more generously...we want so much for the things that are off in our lives to be better and yet we never really want to open up and trust God enough to let Him shoulder the load. So we turn GOD into...well, god. We minimize the significance of having the Creator on our side. No matter how great your Dad here on Earth is, how many more times better do you think our Father God is????
Whatever it is with you...I still struggle with things sometimes, we all do...put your focus on God. Retreat further and further into God's grace and love for you. There is nothing you can dream that He can't help you accomplish. He has given us all the gift of Jesus which means we are free to dream the impossible and, when we do, to watch that little god turn into BIG GOD...after all, with Him on your side how can you fail?
Friday, May 07, 2010
The Best Laid Plans...
I've been working on a project with our pastor to get a video message ready to submit to Lifechurch for this year's One Prayer series. It's really cool project if you've never heard of it where churches around the world join together and all teach on a certain topic...this year being Unstoppable.
So we have made a couple of videos and gotten those edited together and we shot our message early this week and then Pastor Phillip and I got together last night and spent about 2.5 hours editing and working on it. We had it very nearly completed. My plans were to come home tonight and spend a couple of hours putting the finishing touches on it and then create our movie file to submit.
And that's when things went wrong. I needed to clear out some hard drive space so I would have room to write my video, so I started combing through directories and culling out the trash. I very casually hit delete on a directory that I thought was all trash...and it was, all except for the raw video from when we shot our message!
Gone...deleted...and apparently too big to recover (I tried). We went from 90% of the way home on this project to significantly behind the eight ball, just like that. I felt sick to my stomach...truthfully. I got pretty upset with myself for doing something sooooo stupid, something I've warned others about a thousand times. Then I had to make the call to Pastor Phillip. He took it WAY better than I did...and thanks again for that Phillip!!!
I have an idea for possibly being able to get back to where we were before the night started...I'm going to try that tomorrow. But Phillip pointed out a couple of other ways around the problem as well and I'm confident that, come Monday, we'll have something to submit for this year of which we can be proud.
The point is, we're gonna mess up sometimes when we're doing work for God. It's important not to sit around wallowing in frustration and anger (like I was), even if it's directed at yourself. We have to hang in there and find ways around the roadblocks and not let it discourage us from continuing in our efforts. It's also important to remember that we aren't alone in our efforts and that there are people around us that we can fall back on who will help lift us up.
I'm going to be taking the weekend off from writing the blog, so look forward to my next report on Monday. Have a great weekend everyone!
So we have made a couple of videos and gotten those edited together and we shot our message early this week and then Pastor Phillip and I got together last night and spent about 2.5 hours editing and working on it. We had it very nearly completed. My plans were to come home tonight and spend a couple of hours putting the finishing touches on it and then create our movie file to submit.
And that's when things went wrong. I needed to clear out some hard drive space so I would have room to write my video, so I started combing through directories and culling out the trash. I very casually hit delete on a directory that I thought was all trash...and it was, all except for the raw video from when we shot our message!
Gone...deleted...and apparently too big to recover (I tried). We went from 90% of the way home on this project to significantly behind the eight ball, just like that. I felt sick to my stomach...truthfully. I got pretty upset with myself for doing something sooooo stupid, something I've warned others about a thousand times. Then I had to make the call to Pastor Phillip. He took it WAY better than I did...and thanks again for that Phillip!!!
I have an idea for possibly being able to get back to where we were before the night started...I'm going to try that tomorrow. But Phillip pointed out a couple of other ways around the problem as well and I'm confident that, come Monday, we'll have something to submit for this year of which we can be proud.
The point is, we're gonna mess up sometimes when we're doing work for God. It's important not to sit around wallowing in frustration and anger (like I was), even if it's directed at yourself. We have to hang in there and find ways around the roadblocks and not let it discourage us from continuing in our efforts. It's also important to remember that we aren't alone in our efforts and that there are people around us that we can fall back on who will help lift us up.
I'm going to be taking the weekend off from writing the blog, so look forward to my next report on Monday. Have a great weekend everyone!
Thursday, May 06, 2010
The Law Of Grace
If you've spent much time at all reading the Bible, you've probably experienced reading a passage you've surely read before but gotten a completely new insight into it's meaning than you've ever gotten before.
I've been reading through Paul's letters during my daily reading over the past few days and there is much talk of The Law of Moses vs. Grace. He talks about the fulfillment of The Law at times and seems to talk like the law no longer applies at others. As I have read it, I've found myself being able to understand the different sides of the argument but I finally found a passage that spells it out pretty clearly.
What shall we say, then? Is the law sin? Certainly not! Indeed I would not have known what sin was except through the law. For I would not have known what coveting really was if the law had not said, "Do not covet." But sin, seizing the opportunity afforded by the commandment, produced in me every kind of covetous desire. For apart from law, sin is dead. Once I was alive apart from law; but when the commandment came, sin sprang to life and I died. I found that the very commandment that was intended to bring life actually brought death.
For sin, seizing the opportunity afforded by the commandment, deceived me, and through the commandment put me to death. So then, the law is holy, and the commandment is holy, righteous and good. Did that which is good, then, become death to me? By no means! But in order that sin might be recognized as sin, it produced death in me through what was good, so that through the commandment sin might become utterly sinful. -- Romans 7:7-13
So I find this law at work: When I want to do good, evil is right there with me. For in my inner being I delight in God's law; but I see another law at work in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within my members. What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? Thanks be to God—through Jesus Christ our Lord!
So then, I myself in my mind am a slave to God's law, but in the sinful nature a slave to the law of sin. -- Romans 7:21-25
What this means to me is this:
There is absolutely nothing wrong with the law, but because we can't possibly go without sinning we are incapable of meeting the demands of the law which puts us directly in line with God's wrath. That's where Jesus comes in. Because Jesus took human form and accepted punishment for crimes he didn't commit, our belief in Him means we are set free from that wrath and, instead, in line with grace.
I've been reading through Paul's letters during my daily reading over the past few days and there is much talk of The Law of Moses vs. Grace. He talks about the fulfillment of The Law at times and seems to talk like the law no longer applies at others. As I have read it, I've found myself being able to understand the different sides of the argument but I finally found a passage that spells it out pretty clearly.
What shall we say, then? Is the law sin? Certainly not! Indeed I would not have known what sin was except through the law. For I would not have known what coveting really was if the law had not said, "Do not covet." But sin, seizing the opportunity afforded by the commandment, produced in me every kind of covetous desire. For apart from law, sin is dead. Once I was alive apart from law; but when the commandment came, sin sprang to life and I died. I found that the very commandment that was intended to bring life actually brought death.
For sin, seizing the opportunity afforded by the commandment, deceived me, and through the commandment put me to death. So then, the law is holy, and the commandment is holy, righteous and good. Did that which is good, then, become death to me? By no means! But in order that sin might be recognized as sin, it produced death in me through what was good, so that through the commandment sin might become utterly sinful. -- Romans 7:7-13
So I find this law at work: When I want to do good, evil is right there with me. For in my inner being I delight in God's law; but I see another law at work in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within my members. What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? Thanks be to God—through Jesus Christ our Lord!
So then, I myself in my mind am a slave to God's law, but in the sinful nature a slave to the law of sin. -- Romans 7:21-25
What this means to me is this:
There is absolutely nothing wrong with the law, but because we can't possibly go without sinning we are incapable of meeting the demands of the law which puts us directly in line with God's wrath. That's where Jesus comes in. Because Jesus took human form and accepted punishment for crimes he didn't commit, our belief in Him means we are set free from that wrath and, instead, in line with grace.
Tuesday, May 04, 2010
Shaken...Not Stirred
Queue the 007 theme song! Did you think about James Bond when you first read the title? How in the world could I tie the legendary secret agent into a blog post about faith? I'll be honest with you, I wouldn't have thought so either but I'm just writing what God gives me to write, so here goes...
I would imagine that there are a variety of things that can shake our faith. Things happen to us in life that really make no sense whatsoever and, when they do, they cause us to question God. And you know what, I think we should be honest about our questions instead of suppressing them for the sake of appearances. God can handle it!!! When you get yourself to a point where you can be honest about your questions, the shakiness disappears and you can deal with them...with the help of those who care about you.
That is where our legendary British secret agent comes in. James Bond has been in countless numbers of situations where death seemed certain, but maybe the most famous is when Goldfinger has a laser heading right up between Bond's legs. 007 is visibly shaken and has no idea how he is going to get out of this one. But at the last second, he manages to convince Goldfinger to turn off the laser.
Like Bond, it's OK to not know exactly how we're going to get out of whatever situation life throws our way next. It's OK to be shaken and to question. Now whether Bond had God guiding his words to save his life or not, we DO have God as our guide. Be encouraged! Remember, God is with you 100% of the time. Through prayer and discussion with those you trust, the answers will come.
I would imagine that there are a variety of things that can shake our faith. Things happen to us in life that really make no sense whatsoever and, when they do, they cause us to question God. And you know what, I think we should be honest about our questions instead of suppressing them for the sake of appearances. God can handle it!!! When you get yourself to a point where you can be honest about your questions, the shakiness disappears and you can deal with them...with the help of those who care about you.
That is where our legendary British secret agent comes in. James Bond has been in countless numbers of situations where death seemed certain, but maybe the most famous is when Goldfinger has a laser heading right up between Bond's legs. 007 is visibly shaken and has no idea how he is going to get out of this one. But at the last second, he manages to convince Goldfinger to turn off the laser.
Like Bond, it's OK to not know exactly how we're going to get out of whatever situation life throws our way next. It's OK to be shaken and to question. Now whether Bond had God guiding his words to save his life or not, we DO have God as our guide. Be encouraged! Remember, God is with you 100% of the time. Through prayer and discussion with those you trust, the answers will come.
Monday, May 03, 2010
Picking Yourself Up
Rocky Balboa is one of my favorite movie characters ever. Remember me writing about the cast-offs and the underdogs? The Italian Stallion had those in spades. He lived in a ratty apartment with this two turtles...cuff and link. The world had labeled him a bum.
And then the miraculous happened. The champ in his desire to be a spectacle offered Rocky the chance to fight him on Independence Day. Rocky had no chance, but someone forgot to tell him. He took a beating that left his face look like an abstract painting...but he kept picking himself up. He'd get knocked down again and again, but to the disbelief of everyone continued to get back up and fight on.
We have to do the same. There are going to be rough times. Times when the world is beating us up pretty good. We're going to make poor decisions at times and the consequences will be costly. But we have to continue to pick ourselves up and fight on, because with God nothing is impossible.
I'll leave you with this verse on why it's important to keep going and to keep relying on God for our needs:
“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
And then the miraculous happened. The champ in his desire to be a spectacle offered Rocky the chance to fight him on Independence Day. Rocky had no chance, but someone forgot to tell him. He took a beating that left his face look like an abstract painting...but he kept picking himself up. He'd get knocked down again and again, but to the disbelief of everyone continued to get back up and fight on.
We have to do the same. There are going to be rough times. Times when the world is beating us up pretty good. We're going to make poor decisions at times and the consequences will be costly. But we have to continue to pick ourselves up and fight on, because with God nothing is impossible.
I'll leave you with this verse on why it's important to keep going and to keep relying on God for our needs:
“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
Sunday, May 02, 2010
Is It Too Late?
Have you ever wondered that? You don't have to be very old to have regret...and I would imagine most all of us have done things that caused us to wonder if it would be impossible to make amends.
I've lied, stolen, cheated, gossiped, been drunk, lost my temper (lots of times), told my wife I wanted a divorce, yelled at my kids for no good reason, been filled with spite and jealousy, filed bankruptcy, and ignored God. Doesn't make me sound too good, does it? Truthfully, even though I know I'm forgiven it still doesn't make me feel too good to think about all I've done wrong...and especially not when I start putting it in writing. I've wondered if it was too late to make it right...too late to make a difference.
The Bible is full of underdog stories. God absolutely loves to use the cast-offs and underdogs to do His work. Abraham was down right ancient (90 years old) and with no children and yet God produced a nation through he and his wife Sarah. David was the youngest and slightest among his brothers and was a shepherd and yet God chose him to be King of Israel...and you might remember that he completely owned Goliath! Paul who was originally called Saul was by all accounts a horrible human being. He relentlessly pursued and persecuted anyone who spoke about Jesus, so God changed him and he ended up reaching countless numbers of people and leading them to Jesus. His writings comprise a bunch of the New Testament. It wasn't too late for any of them to be changed and make a difference.
I told you about all of the stuff I've done, but I didn't tell you who I am. I didn't get divorced, my kids aren't afraid of their Dad, and I wake up each day looking for ways that I can serve God in thanks for Jesus' sacrifice for me.
Read Psalm 51 which was written by David after he committed adultery.
It is never too late for you. Never too late for God to do amazing things in and through you. He makes all things new. It's happened time and again throughout history. It happened to me. So let God have those regrets and follow His lead and let it happen for you!
I've lied, stolen, cheated, gossiped, been drunk, lost my temper (lots of times), told my wife I wanted a divorce, yelled at my kids for no good reason, been filled with spite and jealousy, filed bankruptcy, and ignored God. Doesn't make me sound too good, does it? Truthfully, even though I know I'm forgiven it still doesn't make me feel too good to think about all I've done wrong...and especially not when I start putting it in writing. I've wondered if it was too late to make it right...too late to make a difference.
The Bible is full of underdog stories. God absolutely loves to use the cast-offs and underdogs to do His work. Abraham was down right ancient (90 years old) and with no children and yet God produced a nation through he and his wife Sarah. David was the youngest and slightest among his brothers and was a shepherd and yet God chose him to be King of Israel...and you might remember that he completely owned Goliath! Paul who was originally called Saul was by all accounts a horrible human being. He relentlessly pursued and persecuted anyone who spoke about Jesus, so God changed him and he ended up reaching countless numbers of people and leading them to Jesus. His writings comprise a bunch of the New Testament. It wasn't too late for any of them to be changed and make a difference.
I told you about all of the stuff I've done, but I didn't tell you who I am. I didn't get divorced, my kids aren't afraid of their Dad, and I wake up each day looking for ways that I can serve God in thanks for Jesus' sacrifice for me.
Read Psalm 51 which was written by David after he committed adultery.
It is never too late for you. Never too late for God to do amazing things in and through you. He makes all things new. It's happened time and again throughout history. It happened to me. So let God have those regrets and follow His lead and let it happen for you!
Saturday, May 01, 2010
Fill In The Blank
The Bible is very specific about salvation. Believe that Jesus is the Son of God and that he came to be the sacrifice that forgives everyone's sins. That's it. Pretty simple...except that you actually have to believe it in your heart and not just say it with your mouth.
But there is so much more teaching there that IS important too. Answers to everything that matters in life and instructions on how to focus on those things. If you've never read through the New Testament in particular, you don't know what you are missing.
Having read through it, and especially now that I have committed myself to writing a daily blog about faith, I didn't realize just how important spending some time each day reading the Bible had become. For the past two days I've allowed life to win and have neglected to do my reading, so when it came time to write a blog post...I came up blank!
"Love the Lord your God with all your heart and all your soul and all your strength and all your mind."
That begins with believing, but that is only the beginning. Like any relationship it takes an investment on both parts to make it work. Luckily for us, God doesn't play hard to get!
I need my daily reading to keep me grounded and my mind in the right place. Lesson learned...
But there is so much more teaching there that IS important too. Answers to everything that matters in life and instructions on how to focus on those things. If you've never read through the New Testament in particular, you don't know what you are missing.
Having read through it, and especially now that I have committed myself to writing a daily blog about faith, I didn't realize just how important spending some time each day reading the Bible had become. For the past two days I've allowed life to win and have neglected to do my reading, so when it came time to write a blog post...I came up blank!
"Love the Lord your God with all your heart and all your soul and all your strength and all your mind."
That begins with believing, but that is only the beginning. Like any relationship it takes an investment on both parts to make it work. Luckily for us, God doesn't play hard to get!
I need my daily reading to keep me grounded and my mind in the right place. Lesson learned...
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