Living Sacrifices

In Romans 12:1—2 Paul strongly encouraged believers to present their lives as thank you gifts (the idea behind ‘living sacrifices’) to God for what He has done in saving them. But he states that this can only happen when we radically change our minds to clearly see God’s desires as the best goal for us to aim our lives at.

So, how are you doing with this process? Are you aware of the important connection between what you consume mentally and what you become? What does your soul diet consists of? I like the way Frank Outlaw summarizes the importance of this process:

Watch your thoughts; they become words.
Watch your words; they become actions.
Watch your actions; they become habits.
Watch your habits; they become character.
Watch your character; for it becomes your destiny!

Heavenly Father, help us to remember the power of our thoughts. Remind us that through the power of your Holy Spirit we can renew our minds, thereby changing our mental cravings heavenward. Bless us today in this process. 

God-Centered Life

“Aim at heaven and you will get earth thrown in. Aim at earth and you get neither”—C.S. Lewis

One of the most subtle tricks in Satan’s arsenal of strategies is to have people believe that a good life is the same as a God-centered life. The intent is to keep individuals from zealously serving God without longing for more. But is that God’s primary goal for us? His words in Matthew 6:33 tell us otherwise—‘But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” So, are you committed to being God-centered or being good-centered? Take a moment and evaluate your present outlook on life. Here are a few questions to help you in that process:

1. Do I consider whether my time, money, energy, and thoughts are God pleasing? (Galatians 2:20).
2. When was the last time I risked my reputation or risked being laughed at to let others know that I am a fully committed Christ follower? (Mark 8:38).
3. When was the last time I prayed for Jesus to return? (Revelation 22:20).
4. Do I ever wonder if I could be doing more for Jesus? (Philippians 1:21).

So, how are you doing? Please note that every new breath brings a new opportunity to change.

Father, help us to live with eternity in view. To live as if we were on the verge of stepping into your presence. Aim us heavenward so we might be of earthly good as well.

Positive Approach

I recently read the true story of a Little League coach who had to make an outlook choice about his right fielder. The little guy who was playing that position had already dropped two fly balls hit to him and after dropping the third fly ball threw down his glove and marched into the dugout exclaiming “No one can catch a ball in that darn field.” I couldn’t help but wonder if the coach was able to keep everything in proper perspective—first his response (with a chuckle mixed in there), then working on his player’s fielding and attitude skills.

How are we when we find ourselves in difficult situations? Do we focus first on the circumstances that caused or are causing the problem, or do we focus on our response?

As you walk through your day I would encourage you to keep in mind the great counsel we are given in Proverbs 17:22. The writer of Proverbs counsels us to leave room in life for a God-centered, positive approach to challenging moments. That is why Proverbs 17:22 gives us this prescription—“A cheerful disposition is good for your health; gloom and doom leave you bone-tired.”

Father, don’t allow us to take ourselves or life so seriously that we overlook the importance of a cheerful outlook. Thank you for life and the joyful moments you have hidden within it. Help us to find and to appreciate each one as we go through our days.

Sharing Our Faith

Most of us could never get a book or television contract to invite others into our life stories. But do you know that all of heaven and hell is interested in your life. A major reason is the potential it has to affect the lives of others. Just think of the eternal changes that occur when we allow God to have His way through our lives.

One of the most incredible ways this is evidenced is when we share our faith thereby giving others the opportunity to trust in Jesus as their Savior. With a decision to trust in Jesus an individual’s destination is immediately moved from hell to heaven. What a great impact your life can have! Are you using your opportunities?

Here are a few key steps to help you do just that:

1. Every morning pray that the Lord will give you opportunities to share your faith.
2. Relax and make friends. This is an overlooked aspect of sharing our faith but we must remember that Jesus was known as the friend of sinners (Mtt. 11:19).
3. Carry a few tracts with you placing them in your pocket, wallet, purse, or wherever is easily accessible for when the opportunity arises.
4. When the Holy Spirit prompts you to share, do so!
Father, help us to believe you and to allow ourselves to be used by you. Thank you for the privilege of service and may we see the fruits of our obedience, even today. 

Forgiveness is Letting Go

“Forgiveness is letting go of the belief that the past will ever turn out any differently.” We know that we are not living out forgiveness if we can’t allow ourselves to move beyond the past, expressed in the use of the word “should.” You know how that sounds—“He should not have treated me that way,” “They should have given it to me,” or “I shouldn’t have had to do all that.”

If you’re living a rear view mirror kind of existence please know that you can change. There are a lot of good opportunities on the road of life still ahead of you. But you will miss them if you can’t let go of the past and look forward. How can you change your focus? It all begins with a choice. Note the words of Joseph who was freed from the past to live for God in the present and future as he tells his brothers who sold him into slavery—“Now do not be grieved or angry with yourselves that you sold me here; for God sent me before you to preserve life [even your life]” (Genesis 45:5).  Here are four easy steps you can take to let go of past wrongs:

1. Trust God that He had a purpose in the events of the past.
2. Give yourself permission to let go of what will never be.
3. Quickly remind yourself of that permission/decision every time you remember the wrongs of the past.
4. Prayerfully move on to what God has empowered you to accomplish.

Father, bless we your children to turn our minds from the challenges of the past so that we might clearly see the blessings that are yet in store for us.

Gifts from Our Heavenly Father

A joy of watching a person celebrate his or her birthday is to see that person open gifts. The wrapped gifts are only appreciated when a person takes the time and effort to remove the wrappings to discover how they’ve been blessed.

So it is in life as God’s blessings are only discovered as we unwrap them through our daily lives. Are you looking for your Heavenly Father’s gifts as you are going through your day? They are there, we just have to unwrap them by appreciating them.

Thou wilt make known to me the path of life; In Thy presence is fullness of joy; In thy right hand there are a pleasures forever (Psalm 16:11).

In everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. (1 Thessalonians
  5:17)

Father, keep our eyes open for your love and gifts of grace as we experience them throughout the day you have allowed us to walk through.

Experiencing Greatest Growth

Have you taken a risk lately? For many of us this is not a thought we would even consider for we crave the familiar and the safe. It is what we were taught at a young age and the way we’ve been raised. But do you know that the unfamiliar and the ‘realm of risk’ is often where we experience our greatest growth. Letting go of our parent’s hand allowed us to walk, leaving home allowed us to be schooled, surrendering allowed us to be born again, and so many more risks have molded and enhanced our lives.

Do you know that our Heavenly Father placed many of His followers in a risk situation to cause them to grow—Abraham’s call to offer Isaac, Israel before the Red Sea, David before Goliath, Mary’s pregnancy, and many more. There is nothing like a calculated risk to deepen our dependency on God and to reenergize our outlook on life. Maybe it is time for you to ask God to take you through another journey in the realm of risk. Here are a few prayers that can begin that journey—“Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts”—Psalm 139:23. “Teach me your way, O LORD, and I will walk in your truth; give me an undivided heart, that I may fear your name”—Psalm 86:11

Father, I come taking you at your promise that if I would call on you, you would hear me and answer me and show me great and mighty things that would astonish me (Jeremiah 33:3). For this reason I come asking you to take me beyond my self sufficiency to the realm of your ability.

Surrendered Hearts

There is someone looking for you. He is the God who has been looking for a special kind of heart so that He might sit and have sweet fellowship with. This heart is described as one that ‘completely,’ ‘wholly’ longs for Him.

If this does not fit your picture of God I encourage you to change that picture. This is the picture we see of God in the Garden of Eden where He comes looking for Adam & Eve. This is the heart that is highlighted in 2 Chronicles 16:9 that God scours the earth longing to find and then support. This is the heart presented in Hebrews 11:6 that meets God’s standard of diligence in seeking Him. So, are you the one God is looking, searching, scouring for? What does your heart say?

Take a moment from the business of life and allow yourself to be found by the God who longs to meet with you.

Father, forgive us for being too busy to ‘waste time’ with you in silence. Forgive our self-sufficiency that blinds us to our great need for you. This day we give you priority in our schedules, passions, and dreams.

Make a Great Impression

We may have heard that people make decisions about us based on what we say. But, do you know that God does as well? James was clear in writing that a person’s mouth reveals the type of walk he or she has with God—“If anyone thinks himself to be religious, and yet does not bridle his tongue but deceives his own heart, this man’s religion is worthless” (James 1:26). Here are a few other wise statements about our mouths that can help us make a great impression:

“He who restrains his lips is wise” (Proverbs 10:19).

“Reckless words pierce like a sword, but the tongue of the wise brings healing” (Proverbs 12:18).

“Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth” (Ephesians 4:29).

“Let your speech always be with grace, as though seasoned with salt” (Colossians 4:6).

Father, help us this day to be a breath of fresh air to all those we speak with. May they hear our words and think of you.

Identity Check

Who are you? If your answer is based on your name, your upbringing, your achievements, your family history, your hopes, your disappointments, etc. then you’re a victim of identity theft if you are a follower of Jesus. You’ve allowed your true identity to be stolen and replaced by a lesser identity. 

Note that Paul while acknowledging the role of his past experiences (both positive and negative) as shaping him, points to his position in Christ as that which truly defines him (Philippians 3:1-16). So powerful is this Christ-centered definition of himself that he incredibly considers all that once gave him pride as ‘rubbish’ only to be discarded!—“Nothing is as wonderful as knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. I have given up everything else and count it all as garbage. All I want is Christ” (Philippians 3:8).

As you go through your day make sure you have the right identity in mind. You aren’t who you were so let God define the new you. How? Here are a few steps that will assist you in this discovery:

1. Spend time reading Bible passages that describe the identity of Christians—Ephesians 1; Colossians 3; and other passages you can discover as you read through the Bible.
2. Memorize a statement of who you are in Christ that counters your feelings or experiences.
3. Identify a godly encourager who you can call on to remind you of how God sees you.

“Father, help we your children to realize how common identity theft is among our brothers and sisters, and even in our own lives. Then give us the strength to live in our true identity each moment of this day.”

Rejoice and Be Glad In It!

It is no coincidence that Psalm 118:24 reads ‘This is the day that the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it.” This verse’s strong command highlights the power of a godly choice to transform our lives. God is always seeking opportunities to empower us when we act on His instructions.

So, how’s your day? If you want to take it to another level, choose to “rejoice and be glad in it” regardless of whatever challenges cause you to think or feel otherwise.  I assure you that your day will instantly improve.

“Father, bless my brothers and sisters today to take you at your word and then bless them as they walk in obedience to you over what they are thinking, feeling, or experiencing. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen”

No Way

“Never, He just won’t do it! He just can’t do it!” This is a pretty strong denial but that is just how strong James makes his argument against the thought that God would ever do that which is not best for His children. James is so strongly opposed to this thought that he even goes as far as creating a new word in the Greek language to say this could never happen—“Let no one say when he is tempted, ‘I am being tempted by God’; for God cannot be tempted by evil, and He Himself does not tempt anyone” (James 1:13).

So as you go through a day and something you view as bad happens to you remember to respond in line with this truth. Don’t give in to an inappropriate “WHY (did you let this happen to me God)?” but choose to think “WHAT (would you have me to see, learn, or do in light of this situation Father)?” I assure you that if you are able to make this shift in outlook you will be able to ‘consider it all joy’ when you experience various challenges throughout your day (James 1:2).

“Father, bless your children this day with a reminder of your love for us. And when those reminders get a little stiffer, help us not to forget the truth that you are always good and have promised to always be good to us.”

Take care and go discover God’s sufficiency for every situation you face.

Holy not Oldie Week

The problem with reading a book we know the ending of, or watching a game we know the final score for, or viewing a movie we’ve seen before is that we can lose focus and excitement when engaging with it. This is the danger we all face once again walking through one of the most significant weeks on the calendar for our faith—Holy Week. This is the week we remember Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection.

Please don’t miss the strong emotions that are evident in the accounts of this week in the Bible. Since we all seek someone or something we can trust in, when our trust is found to be wrongly placed our emotions can run from anger to betrayal. That is the challenge of Jesus’ disciples before as they stumble through this week dazed by the events that are taking place around them.

Some of us may be having the same challenges in our spiritual lives right now. We all wonder, if not doubt, the trustworthiness of an all powerful good God when bad things happen to us. We even hear this from Bible writers— “Righteous are You, O LORD, that I would plead my case with You; Indeed I would discuss matters of justice with You: Why has the way of the wicked prospered? Why are all those who deal in treachery at ease?” (Jeremiah 12:1). But we also see the strength of those who are challenged by God’s actions expressing a strength of faith that we all need—“Though He slay me, I will hope in Him Nevertheless I will argue my ways before Him” (Job 13:15). How do we keep our faith through trying times? Here are a few insights on how to keep from doubting the one we should always trust:

1. Remember the faithfulness of God in the good times (Psalm 63:6-8).
2. Remember His promise that everything that touches us He would use for ‘good’ (Romans 8:28).
3. Respond in faith with ‘joy’—a clear byproduct of trust (James 1:2).
4. Remember that after the pain of the crucifixion comes the exhilaration of the resurrection.

“When you get to your wits end you’ll find God lives there.”

What If?

What if you gave an invitation to someone and they came to church Sunday?
What if that person heard the message and gave his/her life to Jesus?
What if that person left Sunday’s service with a sense of hope?
What if that decision delivered a person from an addiction?
What if that decision removed the option of suicide?
What if that decision rescued a family in need?
What if that decision kept touching lives?
What if we TRULY believed this? 

FRIENDS SUNDAY, 2/21/10.

INVITE SOMEONE!

A Marker

Throughout the process of Yahweh taking His people into the ‘promised land’ we see God continually instructing them to set up markers to remind them of their journey & His provisions. One such account is given in Joshua 4:8—10; 19—24 where Joshua was commanded to build a stone monument to mark God’s faithfulness in leading them. God was building a people, a history, a trust, and a force/movement.

From this pattern we gain a pattern for our own lives as a church—we should set up markers to let us know how we’re doing on the course of fulfilling the great commission we’ve received. As we approach another Friends Sunday I’d like for us to keep a marker in mind. This year we will put all of our energy in setting a new marker—having 350 or more people attend our service.
This would clearly be the largest number of people we have ever had attend a Friends Sunday at Grace!

Are you up for the challenge? To achieve this goal we will need everyone of us inviting someone who is either committed to the Lord or to a church.