I was listening to K-love today when I heard the DJ say that she heard a line in a movie that said "Why are you trying so hard to fit in when you were made to stand out?". In the movie, this was said to a girl that was a princess but didn't know it. It's obvious how this applies to our teenagers today. As adults, we tend to focus statements like this toward our teens because we don't want them to fall in with "the crowd". However, we adults are more than guilty of falling in with "the crowd" too.
How many times have you participated in a conversation that, when it was over, you just weren't proud. We give the devil so many tools and strong-holds to use against us that before we realize it, we are no where close to living the abundant life that Christ came to give us (John 10:10). Remember when your mom told you "if you don't have anything good to say about someone, don't say anything at all"? I do. There isn't much better advice than that but unfortunately, talking about people (gossip) has become so easy that we don't know we do it because we are fitting in. We adults have to be just as careful about wanting to fit in as our teens.
Peter said that we are a peculiar people (1 Pet 2:9). Webster defines peculiar as distinctive. To be distinctive is to stand out. If this is the case, why do we think it is so odd when a Tim Tebow gives thanks to the Lord on TV. Many of us are proud and think we would do the same think if we were given the opportunity, but don't we have the same opportunity every day? I find that most Christians enjoy talking about Jesus to each other but when they are around non-Christians or even luke warm Christians they tend to tone it down or stop talking about Jesus altogether. We can all come up with 10 good reasons why we don't witness to people. We can think of 10 good reasons why we don't tell someone that is hurting that God loves them. But isn't one reason to do it enough to overcome all the reasons not to? When we boil away all of our excuses as to why we aren't being a peculiar people, all that is left is fear. We are afraid to stand out, we are afraid of what people will think, we are afraid we won't know what to say....
The bottom line is that you can't mess up witnessing to someone until you first try it. Jesus said that if we are ashamed of him on earth, he will be ashamed of us (Luke 9:26). How awful it would be if after all of the sin that Jesus has forgiven us for, he is ashamed of us because we were ashamed of Him.
My challenge to you is, if you don't witness already, tell someone that you don't normally speak to about Jesus that He loves them. Be the peculiar people that he has called us to be and you will soon see what a positive impact that you can have on others.
God loves you and I do too!
Thursday, December 1, 2011
Are you brave enough to be accountable?
I was talking to my dad tonight about my blog because he doesn't have a computer. I told him the main reason I do it is for personal accountability. I know that if I keep posting I must hold myself to a high standard (which is the smallest reason to hold myself to a higher standard). It really got me to thinking about how important it is to be strong enough to be able to admit our faults to a friend. Much to your surprise, your accountability partner probably should not be your spouse. The things that you need to be held accountable for may come across as hurtful to your spouse even though sin hasn't yet been produced. The bible says to confess our faults one to another (James 5:16). The purpose for this isn't for punishment, it's so we can be accountable.
Accountability helps keep temptation from growing into sin (James 1:14,15). Are you strong enough to admit your temptations to another? It's hard, I know, but the bible gives us specific instructions for a reason. Proverbs says "as iron sharpens iron, one man (woman) sharpens another (Prov 27:17). Being able to be open with a fellow Christian is important, in my opinion, to spiritual growth. We forget about the spiritual side of our faith and focus more on our deeds (John 4:24, James 2:14-26) but to get closer to our God, our Creator, we must have spiritual growth.
I challenge you this week to ask someone to be an your accountability partner and volunteer to be theirs. Being an accountability partner means listening without judging....good luck!
God loves you and I do too.
Tuesday, November 29, 2011
Have you drifted but don't know it?
http://sharemygod.blogspot.com/p/christians-prayer-when-you-dont-feel.html
God has been so amazing to Kim and me our entire marriage but this year has been so different. We have grown closer to God than we ever have. I have been in church all of my life and I've seen a lot of things. One thing that I've always observed is how good Christian families live. This "Christian family" cliche is one of the things, I believe that is destroying Christians all over America. This attitude was keeping my family from growing in God until this year. More on this later....
We have been trained that as long as we say a prayer before ever meal, say our bed-time prayers, and go to church every Sunday then we are good Christians. We believe we are pleasing God. I personally believe that that this attitude is the attitude that the devil is using to break up families. We have heard preachers all of our lives saying "if we aren't growing closer to God then we are growing apart from God" and this is true. Now the devil will use scripture against us (like he did with Christ). He will tell you this is nonsense and remind you that nothing can separate us from God's love (Romans 8:38,39) and he is right. However, he is taking the scripture out of context.
I believe that God turned his back on Christ while he was on the cross because in that moment on the cross, Christ became sin for us (2 Cor 5:21) and God can not be in the presence of sin. Nothing can separate us from His love but sin can separate us from Him. Our families, yours and mine, have let the attitude of complaisance and stagnation creep in and kept us from growing. I'm not saying our families aren't saved and going to heaven, what I am saying is that this attitude has kept us from abundant living (John 10:10).
God has shown Kim and me the error of our ways and we have committed our family and ourselves to Him the best way we know how.
That brings me to the real topic of this post. In our Christian walk we have up's and down's. We seem to have seasons of victory and seasons of struggle. C.S. Lewis called the down's and the seasons of struggle "troughs". During these troughs, the devil tries to steal our victory. I believe, as does C.S. Lewis, that God will withdraw that "feeling" we get when we are with him to see if we will continue to serve Him. Nine days ago, Kim and I were both on the mountain. God gave me a word of warning for Kim that soon, He would withdraw Himself from her and He wanted her to be ready. By Saturday, Kim was in the valley. She wasn't sinning, she was still praying and praising God but just couldn't feel Him. Sunday afternoon after church, she decided that she was going to spend some time alone and seek God. When she broke through He gave her a prayer to pray that was AMAZING! When she read it to me I was certain she was reading from one of the Psalms. God is SOOOO good to us, He reminds us to never stop seeking him.
I am attaching a link to Kim's prayer that God gave her. Please take five minutes and read it. If you are struggling, read it out loud to God as your own prayer. See if God will do for you what he did for Kim. She isn't a poet, God gave her this prayer as fast as she could write it with no time spent thinking about it. I am so proud of Kim for listening to God's voice.
http://sharemygod.blogspot.com/p/christians-prayer-when-you-dont-feel.html
God Loves you and I do too.
God has been so amazing to Kim and me our entire marriage but this year has been so different. We have grown closer to God than we ever have. I have been in church all of my life and I've seen a lot of things. One thing that I've always observed is how good Christian families live. This "Christian family" cliche is one of the things, I believe that is destroying Christians all over America. This attitude was keeping my family from growing in God until this year. More on this later....
We have been trained that as long as we say a prayer before ever meal, say our bed-time prayers, and go to church every Sunday then we are good Christians. We believe we are pleasing God. I personally believe that that this attitude is the attitude that the devil is using to break up families. We have heard preachers all of our lives saying "if we aren't growing closer to God then we are growing apart from God" and this is true. Now the devil will use scripture against us (like he did with Christ). He will tell you this is nonsense and remind you that nothing can separate us from God's love (Romans 8:38,39) and he is right. However, he is taking the scripture out of context.
I believe that God turned his back on Christ while he was on the cross because in that moment on the cross, Christ became sin for us (2 Cor 5:21) and God can not be in the presence of sin. Nothing can separate us from His love but sin can separate us from Him. Our families, yours and mine, have let the attitude of complaisance and stagnation creep in and kept us from growing. I'm not saying our families aren't saved and going to heaven, what I am saying is that this attitude has kept us from abundant living (John 10:10).
God has shown Kim and me the error of our ways and we have committed our family and ourselves to Him the best way we know how.
That brings me to the real topic of this post. In our Christian walk we have up's and down's. We seem to have seasons of victory and seasons of struggle. C.S. Lewis called the down's and the seasons of struggle "troughs". During these troughs, the devil tries to steal our victory. I believe, as does C.S. Lewis, that God will withdraw that "feeling" we get when we are with him to see if we will continue to serve Him. Nine days ago, Kim and I were both on the mountain. God gave me a word of warning for Kim that soon, He would withdraw Himself from her and He wanted her to be ready. By Saturday, Kim was in the valley. She wasn't sinning, she was still praying and praising God but just couldn't feel Him. Sunday afternoon after church, she decided that she was going to spend some time alone and seek God. When she broke through He gave her a prayer to pray that was AMAZING! When she read it to me I was certain she was reading from one of the Psalms. God is SOOOO good to us, He reminds us to never stop seeking him.
I am attaching a link to Kim's prayer that God gave her. Please take five minutes and read it. If you are struggling, read it out loud to God as your own prayer. See if God will do for you what he did for Kim. She isn't a poet, God gave her this prayer as fast as she could write it with no time spent thinking about it. I am so proud of Kim for listening to God's voice.
http://sharemygod.blogspot.com/p/christians-prayer-when-you-dont-feel.html
God Loves you and I do too.
Monday, November 28, 2011
But God, I'm not that strong!
We’ve all heard that God won’t put more on you than you can bear, I’ve even said it. Is it true? Some would tell you that it isn’t true because the scripture has been misquoted. That, indeed, is true. The scripture in question is 1 Cor 10:13 "…He will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, He will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it". This scripture obviously deals with temptation and not our burdens. Don’t get me wrong, I’m very glad to be able to refer to this scripture. However, it isn’t always what I need.
A very close loved-one of mine has had a horrible year filled with one disappointment after another, none of which she had any control over. I have often said that "God must think you’re awfully strong" but did I have biblical basis? The answer is a resounding YES!
Numbers 11:11-17 has a very specific example of where Moses was under such a burden that he couldn’t bear it. He basically asked God to fix it or kill him. Verses 16-17 are why I believe that God won’t put more on us than "we" can bear.
16 The LORD said to Moses: "Bring me seventy of Israel’s elders who are known to you as leaders and officials among the people. Have them come to the Tent of Meeting that they may stand there with you. 17 I will come down and speak with you there, and I will take of the Spirit that is on you and put the Spirit on them. They will help you carry the burden of the people so that you will not have to carry it alone.
The key element here is WE. Galatians 6:2 tells us to bear one another’s burdens.
But what about my loved-one? The one thing that I’ve learned is that hurting people tend to NOT ask for help. Human nature is to not want to be a victim. Human nature is to want to be strong, even if we aren’t. Admitting that you are hurting seems like admitting a weakness to the one that is hurting. Even if you aren’t hurting, the last thing most people want to do is to ask for help for something.
Ask my wife how often I ask for help when I’m sick. She says I’m the worst sick person in the world because I don’t let her love on me and take care of me. Being sick is a weakness to me and I don’t want to be weak. Does my pride keep me from being less sick? NO! The fact is that now, not only am I sick but I’ve turned away the best possible earthly helping hand that I could have. How stupid of me. I’m sick, I should let my baby take care of me. The same goes for hurting people carrying a burden they don’t think they can. Hurting is a burden. As a matter of fact, I would say that hurting people make up the largest set of people carrying a huge burden in this country. Have you ever been hurt? Has anyone close to you ever let you down? Did you wish that you had someone to help you carry that hurt. Did you wish that you didn’t feel alone?
Now, that briefly addresses the hurting loved-one but what about me? Did I look at this person as though they were weak? Of course not. Did I look at them with judgmental eyes? No. All I want to do is help everywhere that I can. God has shown in Numbers 11 that he is willing to help let our brothers and sisters bear each other’s burdens but he has two requirements; 1) Someone that is asking for help and 2) some person or people that is willing to help.
It is my opinion that every one of us should be a 1 or a 2. Ask yourself today "Am I a person with a heavy burden in need of help or am I a person with a light burden today looking for someone that I can help"? Once you sign up for this Christian life you lost the right to take a day off. You lost the right to have middle ground where things are just OK and I’m just "minding my own business". It all boils down to loving our neighbor as we love ourselves.
As loving, kind, humble, charitable Christians (I could go on forever listing the Christ-like qualities that should be present in our lives) we should we should pray for divine appointments with hurting loved-ones or even strangers for that matter.
Whether you are burdened or carrying someone else’s burden, it is our obligation to love people. This is one of the callings that we all share.
I love you and God does too!
A very close loved-one of mine has had a horrible year filled with one disappointment after another, none of which she had any control over. I have often said that "God must think you’re awfully strong" but did I have biblical basis? The answer is a resounding YES!
Numbers 11:11-17 has a very specific example of where Moses was under such a burden that he couldn’t bear it. He basically asked God to fix it or kill him. Verses 16-17 are why I believe that God won’t put more on us than "we" can bear.
16 The LORD said to Moses: "Bring me seventy of Israel’s elders who are known to you as leaders and officials among the people. Have them come to the Tent of Meeting that they may stand there with you. 17 I will come down and speak with you there, and I will take of the Spirit that is on you and put the Spirit on them. They will help you carry the burden of the people so that you will not have to carry it alone.
The key element here is WE. Galatians 6:2 tells us to bear one another’s burdens.
But what about my loved-one? The one thing that I’ve learned is that hurting people tend to NOT ask for help. Human nature is to not want to be a victim. Human nature is to want to be strong, even if we aren’t. Admitting that you are hurting seems like admitting a weakness to the one that is hurting. Even if you aren’t hurting, the last thing most people want to do is to ask for help for something.
Ask my wife how often I ask for help when I’m sick. She says I’m the worst sick person in the world because I don’t let her love on me and take care of me. Being sick is a weakness to me and I don’t want to be weak. Does my pride keep me from being less sick? NO! The fact is that now, not only am I sick but I’ve turned away the best possible earthly helping hand that I could have. How stupid of me. I’m sick, I should let my baby take care of me. The same goes for hurting people carrying a burden they don’t think they can. Hurting is a burden. As a matter of fact, I would say that hurting people make up the largest set of people carrying a huge burden in this country. Have you ever been hurt? Has anyone close to you ever let you down? Did you wish that you had someone to help you carry that hurt. Did you wish that you didn’t feel alone?
Now, that briefly addresses the hurting loved-one but what about me? Did I look at this person as though they were weak? Of course not. Did I look at them with judgmental eyes? No. All I want to do is help everywhere that I can. God has shown in Numbers 11 that he is willing to help let our brothers and sisters bear each other’s burdens but he has two requirements; 1) Someone that is asking for help and 2) some person or people that is willing to help.
It is my opinion that every one of us should be a 1 or a 2. Ask yourself today "Am I a person with a heavy burden in need of help or am I a person with a light burden today looking for someone that I can help"? Once you sign up for this Christian life you lost the right to take a day off. You lost the right to have middle ground where things are just OK and I’m just "minding my own business". It all boils down to loving our neighbor as we love ourselves.
As loving, kind, humble, charitable Christians (I could go on forever listing the Christ-like qualities that should be present in our lives) we should we should pray for divine appointments with hurting loved-ones or even strangers for that matter.
Whether you are burdened or carrying someone else’s burden, it is our obligation to love people. This is one of the callings that we all share.
I love you and God does too!
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