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.

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.

Not Everything Is Good For You.

“Not everything that tastes good, or feels good in life is good for you.” This is a clear lesson that we note from Judges 14:1-10 as we see Samson break the clear instructions that were given to him so that he would fulfill the purpose of his life and enjoy the blessings of God.  Samson was not to touch anything that was dead according to the standards God had given to him from birth (Judges 13:3-5; Numbers 6:1-21). As he “scraped” honey from the carcass of the lion he had killed Samson’s only focus was on gaining a momentary pleasure, but not everything that tastes or feels good is good for you.

So it is with “love” and sex in our society today. We can enjoy the pleasures of the moment that are not in line with God’s standards for holiness—the momentary exhilaration of a stolen glance, a flirtatious interchange, inappropriate fantasies, a ‘friend’ outside of our marital union, an occasional visit to an inappropriate location, a casual hook up, or whatever else might fall into this category—but we must realize as Samson later did that love is not where you find it. God has set boundaries for even our love life and only when we stay within these boundaries will we experience the full blessing of God in our lives.

“Delight yourself in the LORD;And He will give you the desires of your heart.”  Psalm 37:4

Living Sacrifices

As those who have trusted in Jesus we are each called to be ‘living sacrifices.’ This is an incredibly comprehensive descriptive phrase. Even Paul’s use elsewhere in his writings of the concept of ‘bond servant, which is probably the closest descriptive phrase to this one, cannot capture the depth of the surrender, commitment, dependence, and trust the believer is to have in Jesus which is communicated in his calling us ‘living sacrifices.’

But such an outlook on life is very radical to how we typically view our lives. For 21st century Americans who are fed daily the milk of independence this concept seems overly obtrusive and fanatical to us. No wonder Paul commands us to ‘renew our minds’ so that we might switch from our culture’s view of life to God’s. Then and only then can we prove by experience that God’s will, His way of living, is truly good, acceptable, and perfect.

Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.  Romans 12:1-2

So, how dead are you today? Remember, this will not be an easy task, it takes consistently committed effort as does all change in this world.  As Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. noted “Change does not roll in on the wheels of inevitability, but comes through continuous struggle.”
May the Lord bless you as you walk in dependence on Him today.

Lord Use Me!!

Remember our prayer at the end of service yesterday—“Lord use me as you will this week.” So, keep your eyes and ears open for what the Lord might have you to do this week. My prayer is that you will be blessed in seeing the Lord reveal Himself as real to you. Remember, a yielded you is the greatest gift you can give to God this season.

The memory verse for December—“Whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father.
” Colossians 3:17

The Presence Of God

As we start the week let me encourage you to take the challenge of praying Exodus 33:15 daily or multiple times daily as you go through this week:
“Lord, ‘If your presence does not go with me, do not lead me up from here.”

My prayer for you is that the presence of God will become real to you this day.
“for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”
—Matthew 6:21 (Augusts’ memory verse)
Are you investing wisely?
INVEST & INVITE

What makes an effective Christian leader today?

Here’s an email I received last week but did not get a chance to read it till after I delivered this past week’s sermon. I am again amazed how good the Lord is to orchestrate those things that affect our lives.

Effective Leadership
TGIF Today God Is First Volume 1 by Os Hillman
Thursday, June 05 2008

“And when the Israelites saw the great power the Lord displayed against the Egyptians, the people feared the Lord and put their trust in Him and in Moses His servant.” - Exodus 14:31

What makes an effective Christian leader today? Is it charisma? Is it ability? Is it communication and oratory skills? God’s view of an effective leader has nothing to do with these qualities. They may be a part of an effective leader. However, the core attribute of a Christian leader is his integrity with God and his obedience to follow Him. When this happens, God manifests His power in and through that leader. Moses was effective because he was willing to obey the commands God gave him. When Moses did this, God manifested His presence in him. The result was that people followed. They followed because they saw God working in and through the man. They saw that this man was worthy of following because God’s anointing was on him.

When people see the Lord’s power manifested in your life, they will have a healthy fear of the Lord. They will look at you and say, “This person has something I don’t have that is worthy of more investigation.” Your challenge is to seek the Lord with a whole heart, resulting in God’s power being manifested in the daily activities of your life. When this happens, you can expect others to be drawn to what they see in you. The problem with many Christians today is that non-Christians see nothing different about the way they live to motivate the unsaved to desire their faith.

What makes you different from your neighbor? Is your experience with God noticeably different from that of the man next door? If you’re not experiencing regular encounters with God, it’s time to ask why not. We don’t live day-to-day for the next spiritual experience, but we should see by-products of a life centered in God that is reflected in fruit from His presence in our lives.

“Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon the earth, where moth and rust consume,

and where thieves break through and steal: ”

—Matthew 6:19

Identity Theft

Identity theft is a crime that hurts everyone as a person pretends to be someone they’re not in order to enjoy what a targeted person possesses. In the end though, the person whose identity is stolen loses what they have worked hard to achieve, the person who does the stealing loses their reputation and possibly their freedom, and society loses its sense of security.

Yet, identity theft is a crime that is greatest when it occurs in the spiritual realm. When a Christian takes on the persona, presentation of them self, as someone who is not godly there is great loss to everyone. The person who is ungodly loses by not seeing another way of life modeled for them, the child of God who steals that identity loses their godly reputation and free-flowing intimacy with God, and a needy world loses a presentation of the hope that is in Christ. Imagine what God thinks when He considers our choices.

This would be like the child of a billionaire trying to live like those who are poor around him/her because he/she sees a part of their lives that is appealing. Can you imagine the feeling of the rich father who sees his/her child acting as if limited in budget? Can you imagine the father’s feeling seeing the child give up the family name and character traits in order to fit into that community? Can you feel the father’s hurt when the child goes against everything he has done to raise him/ her right?

This is the way our Heavenly Father feels when we give up our God-given identity to take on the identity of those around us who are not a part of His family. When we take on the character of God our creator we take on the identity of a creation that is loved of God and who is cherished in His sight.

Today, ask God where you are compromising your birthright and when those areas are revealed commit to stop dabbling in identity theft. There are many who will be blessed by your choice.

“Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon the earth, where moth and rust consume,

and where thieves break through and steal: ”

—Matthew 6:19

“Be Holy, for I Am Holy”

“Be Holy, for I am holy” (1 Peter 1:16). This is an incredible command that is full of great challenge but also great hope. When God gives us a command it is always on the basis that the power to achieve that command is available to us. Holiness, not perfection, is achievable.

Peter in 1 Peter 1:13—16 tells us three steps that are vital to the achieving of this command—“Therefore, prepare your minds for action; be self-controlled; set your hope fully on the grace to be given you when Jesus Christ is revealed.” More succinctly stated, they are:

1.    Have a made up mind. We must make an unshakeable, determined commitment to take action that leads to change.

2.    Keep your eyes wide open. Know that our habits, desires, and the messages of the world around us will work against our change. Therefore we must keep an eye on ourselves to make sure that we are not sabotaging our commitment.

3.    Keep your ultimate goal in focus. Realizing that we can all sacrifice what we presently have for what we view as better, Peter tells us to keep our eyes on the great prize—eternity with Jesus.

As you go through this day ask God to show an area of your life that needs to be changed so that you might live more holy in His sight. Once that area is highlighted apply this 3 step approach to change Peter highlights for us. 

“Let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we will reap if we do not grow weary.”

—Galatians 6:9

Power Of The Resurrection

Let me remind you as a gray Monday ushers us into another week that the power of the resurrection is a 24-7, 365 day reality! So, as we committed to yesterday, let us begin our day praying Philippians 3:10—“I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death,”

“Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, this he will also reap.”

Galatians 6:7