Thought for Friday, February 1st

February 1, 2013

These are the Days of Our Lives

What days are the most important days of your life?

      Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.  For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.

Philippians 2:12

“How we live our days is… how we live our lives.”

-       Anne Dillard

Each day is an opportunity filled with potential and possibility, especially for Christians.

Our days on this earth are limited and minimum in contrast to eternity: so our challenge is to make the most of them and to make each one count for something worthy and worthwhile: and of course that would intone that we did something or accomplished something of an eternal value that would bring honor and glory to God.

There is an older praise song composed by Les Garret; taken from Psalms 118:24 that goes like this:

This is the day, this is the day

That the Lord hath made,

That the Lord hath made.

We will rejoice, we will rejoice

And be glad in it, and be glad in it.

This is the day that the Lord hath made;

We will rejoice and be glad in it.

This is the day, this is the day that the Lord hath made.

Solomon wrote in Ecclesiastes:

Vanity of vanities, saith the preacher; all is vanity. And moreover, because the preacher was wise, he still taught the people knowledge; yea, he gave good heed, and sought out, and set in order many proverbs.  The preacher sought to find out acceptable words: and that which was written was upright, even words of truth. The words of the wise are as goads, and as nails fastened by the masters of assemblies, which are given from one shepherd.  And further, by these, my son, be admonished: of making many books there is no end; and much study is a weariness of the flesh.  Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man.  For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good or whether it be evil.

Ecclesiastes 12:8-14

So it would seem wise to conclude that each day God gives should be given back to Him for the purpose of doing those things that will please and honor Him.

So doesn’t that mean every day is an important and special day?

Today’s Prayer

Father, each day is an opportunity – help me make the most of each opportunity you give me.

Thought for Thursday, January 31st

January 31, 2013

An Obsession

What is your one true obsession?

      Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ.

1 Corinthians 11:1

“Obsessed people are more concerned with obeying God than doing what is expected or fulfilling the status quo.  A person who is obsessed with Jesus will do things that don’t always make sense in terms of success or wealth on this earth.”

-       Francis Chan

To be obsessed is in some ways like unto being possessed.   But least you misunderstand my intent, let me clarify.  A person who is possessed is under the control or influence of something beyond themselves.  As Christians we need to be possessed by the Holy Spirit in that we allow Him to have the control over us.

To be obsessed means to be so overtaken with something that you can’t get enough of it or stop talking about it and in short it totally consumes your life.  Shouldn’t’ this be how our relationship with God is?

If we could become so focused, consumed and immersed in the things of God, to the point that we could do nothing that was not connected to, a part of, or affected by that obsession – imagine how we could change our world.

Paul was obsessed by His desire to serve the Lord and further the gospel.  And even when he was beaten, imprisoned, shipwrecked and left for dead – he did not detour from or find his obsession diminished in the least.

Do we have that same kind of determination?  Are we willing to be crucified with Christ; to die to ourselves and to allow Him to live through us?

This is what it takes to be totally obsessed with God.

So would you consider Him to be your one great obsession?

Today’s Prayer

Father, helped me become totally obsessed by the things that matter to you and the things you want for me to do.

Thought for Wednesday, January 30th

January 30, 2013

Outside The Box

Do you feel comfortable outside the box of a socially accepted norm?

     But the anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you: but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in him. And now, little children, abide in him; that, when he shall appear, we may have confidence, and not be ashamed before him at his coming. If ye know that he is righteous, ye know that every one that doeth righteousness is born of him.

1 John 2:27-29

“Something is wrong when our lives make sense to unbelievers.”

-       Francis Chan

Many people live their lives outside the box of socially accepted norms; though the box of what is acceptable seems to get bigger with each passing year.

However, for my purpose I am less interested in the social behaviors that are confined within the proverbial box: and more interested in the spiritual values that are outside of the box of what the world would call normal.

The whole idea of being outside the box implies that we are somehow beyond the normal, the average or that which is considered acceptable without rocking the boat or creating waves.

As Christians, living for the Lord, and seeking to serve Him with all our heart, mind soul, body strength and purpose: I contend that we need to get outside of the box of what makes people comfortable and live like we are radically saved and incapable of containing our joy, hope enthusiasm and desire to change the world as dramatically as God has changed us.

One of the worst things that can happen in a church is to adopt a ‘We’ve never done it that way before’ mentality thus concluding it is either wrong, or won’t work.

God is not limited by our personal experiences or our past history.  When you look at the lives of many of the Old Testament heroes of the faith; you will see that God took them outside the box of their experience and comfort to new challenges, greater opportunities and a place where they really had to rely on and depend on Him.

Personally I don’t believe it is possible to put God in a box and I don’t think He wants His children living inside a box either.

So are you ready to experience a day outside of the box?

Today’s Prayer

Father, there are some who know me who I sometimes think wish you would put me in a box somewhere: but when it comes to serving you and living for you keep me outside the box, on the edge and living radically and audaciously for you.

Thought for Tuesday January 29th

January 29, 2013

Who Am I

Do you ever stop to consider yourself in respect to the vastness of the universe surrounding you?

   But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away. And there is none that calleth upon thy name, that stirreth up himself to take hold of thee: for thou hast hid thy face from us, and hast consumed us, because of our iniquities.  But now, O Lord, thou art our father; we are the clay, and thou our potter; and we all are the work of thy hand.

Isaiah 64:6-8

“Men are never duly touched and impressed with a conviction of their insignificance, until they have contrasted themselves with the majesty of God. ”

-       R. C. Sproul

In a world that teaches us to foster our self image; to build up our self esteem and to see ourselves as the center of our world: it is often hard to understand and embrace the idea that without God we are nothing.

Without God giving us air to breath we would die.

Without the benefit of God’s handiwork in creating human kind; our bodies would fall apart rather than replenishing and doing all the amazing things our bodies do to keep us functioning and alive: in spite of the many abuses we perpetrate upon them.

Without God there would be no universe to comprehend: nothing of which to learn about or to learn from: there would be nothing but a void emptiness and there would be no purpose for our existence.

Yet we know we were made by God, for God and He has a plan and a purpose for every single one of us.

We are fearfully and wonderfully made for the purpose of honoring the one who made us.

He knew us before time began: He knew our name, our shoe size and every little nuance of our personalities and that did not diminish His plan, His love and His desires for us.

Yet so many times we think we can make it on our own; without Him – and how wrong are we?

If it were not for Him – we would not be and without His plan – we would be hopelessly lost; aimlessly wondering about with no hope or meaningful purpose.

When you put who we are in perspective: we are everything in Christ and nothing without Him.

Today’s Prayer

Father, I know you are more than amazing, and I know in you I can be more than amazing too; but without you I can be nothing: so keep me close to you and don’t allow me to loose sight of where my strength, purpose and meaning comes from.

Thought for Monday, January 28th

January 28, 2013

Questioning God

Is there a difference in asking God a question and questioning God?

  For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him:

Colossians 1:16

But our God is in the heavens: he hath done whatsoever he hath pleased.

Psalms 115:3

And all the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing: and he doeth according to his will in the army of heaven, and among the inhabitants of the earth: and none can stay his hand, or say unto him, What doest thou?

Daniel 4:35

“Can you worship a God who isn’t obligated to explain His actions to you?  Could it be your arrogance that makes you think God owes you an explanation? ”

-       Francis Chan

There is probably not one of us who do not have a whole plethora of questions for God.  I know I have hundreds of them: but isn’t their a profound difference in asking God a question; as opposed to questioning God?

Asking a question usually indicates a desire to understand something better or to help garner a deeper knowledge of it: while questioning implies a predisposition towards an assumption that the person being interrogated has done something wrong or messed up somehow.  We would never want to presume to be so bold as to suggest God had made a mistake – for in truth He is not capable of it:   yet we sometimes do find ourselves asking God why He allowed this or that to happen and why didn’t He do this or that.

God’s thoughts are way beyond ours and there are some of His reasons, rationales and decisions that defy our comprehension but He is God and all of creation is subject to Him and it is not always necessary for us to question, but rather by faith to embrace and accept that He knows what He is doing, why He is doing it and how it is all going to turn out in the end.  Sometimes we may need to ask for grace, mercy or strength to help us to do this but the fact of the matter remains God does not owe us an explanation for anything.

I truly don’t believe God minds us asking for edification but if our inquiries take on an accusatory nature then I think we need to step back and remember just who it is we are talking too.  After all He is, was and always will be and that is just an irrefutable fact.

Today’s Prayer

Father, help me to accept those things that defy my logic in faith and trust that you know what is best even when I can’t seem to understand it.

Thought for Saturday, January 26th

January 26, 2013

The End

If today were the last day of the rest of your life, what would you do?

Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.  Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow.  What is your life?  You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.

James 4:13-14

And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:  So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation.

Hebrews 9:27-28

“Intellectually we all know that we will die, but we do not really know it in the sense that the knowledge becomes a part of us.  We do not really know it in the sense of living as though it were true.  On the contrary, we tend to live as if our lives will go on forever. ”

-       Fredrick Buechner

No one likes to really think about the futility of their existence in terms of time on this earth.   But none of us are promised tomorrow and thus some point of ceasing to exist seems inevitable.   Yet at the same time, most of us comprehend we are eternal creatures and hence even though our physical life may end we will exist for all eternity: and as Christians that means an eternity in Heaven.

So why then do we seem to focus on the precept of living like we are dying?

Not to over simplify the point, but for me the answer seems obvious: we have a limited time in this physical world before we will face our eternal existence: and in that time span of what we will call ‘life on earth’ we have limited opportunity to make an impact of eternal significance.

We work, not to be saved, but rather because we are saved and in the efforts and effects of those labors we perform we are in effect laying up for ourselves treasures in Heaven.  But even beyond the concept of amassing eternal rewards, we should desire to live as such every day so that our Heavenly Father will have reason to smile and say, ‘Well done my good and faithful servant.’

If we are doing anything less than this: are we really optimizing the potential of what, whatever is left, of our life can be?

There is a physical end to our life: but the results of that physical life will follow us into our eternal existence.

So then, does it not make some sense that we should live everyday like it could be our last?

Today’s Prayer

Father, when the end has come and all is done, may I look back and say, I did it your way.

Thought for Friday, January 25th

January 25, 2013

The Comfort Zone

How wealthy do you feel you are?

Then said Jesus unto his disciples, Verily I say unto you, That a rich man shall hardly enter into the kingdom of heaven. And again I say unto you, It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.

Matthew 19:23-24

“It is not scientific doubt, not atheism, not pantheism, not agnosticism, that in our day and in this land is likely to quench the light of the gospel.  It is a proud, sensuous, selfish, luxurious, church-going, hollow-hearted prosperity. ”

-       Frederic D. Huntington

The majority of us would not consider ourselves to be wealthy, especially not by the standards of the society in which we live.  But if you go beyond the confines of American culture and compare even some of the poorest, fiscally speaking, with the majority of the population in the world: we would be in their eyes, extremely wealthy.

Spiritually speaking, we know we are wealthy for our Father owns the cattle on a thousand hills: everything created is His: and He has given us the most valuable gift of all by giving us forgiveness and eternal life in Him through the blood of His son, Jesus.

But, whether we consider ourselves to be wealthy either physically or spiritually, that does not impact the fact that we have, by-in-large, found ourselves to be comfortable and thus contented, in that we, for the most part go lacking for nothing essential and in most cases have better than we often really need or could survive on.

It is this comfort and satisfaction that often leads us to lethargy and complacency in our efforts at living by faith.

Sometimes I think we are so overly blessed by God that we often take Him for granted and then it takes something almost catastrophic to really jolt us out of our comfort zone into a place of activating our faith and truly getting in touch with God.

The Word tells us that He rewards those who diligently seek Him: so I can’t help but wonder if we were more diligent, how much more blessed would we be than we currently perceive that we are?

This notion is enough to nudge me out of my comfort zone: how about you?

Today’s Prayer

Father, as blessed as I am, may I never take it as common place or a sense of entitlement just because I am your child: but may I desire more, not for the sake of value, but rather for the sake of a deeper and more meaningful relationship with you and a greater ability to be more effective in service for your Kingdom.

Thought for Thursday, January 24th

January 24, 2013

Soil Quality

Do you bloom where God has planted you?

The same day went Jesus out of the house, and sat by the sea side.  And great multitudes were gathered together unto him, so that he went into a ship, and sat; and the whole multitude stood on the shore. And he spake many things unto them in parables, saying, Behold, a sower went forth to sow;  And when he sowed, some seeds fell by the way side, and the fowls came and devoured them up: Some fell upon stony places, where they had not much earth: and forthwith they sprung up, because they had no deepness of earth: And when the sun was up, they were scorched; and because they had no root, they withered away. And some fell among thorns; and the thorns sprung up, and choked them:  But other fell into good ground, and brought forth fruit, some an hundredfold, some sixtyfold, some thirtyfold. Who hath ears to hear, let him hear.

Matthew 13:1-9

“Most American churchgoers are the soil that chokes the seed because of all the thorns.  Thorns are anything that distracts us from God. ”

-       Francis Chan

Many horticultural references are made throughout scripture.  We are referred to as vines grafted into the branch, defining the source of our nourishment.  We are instructed to yield the fruits of the spirit and if we fail to do so we may be subject to pruning.  And in the parable above our spiritual lives: our growth: and our effectiveness as servants is defined by the soil in which we choose to have our lives planted, which will in effect affect the ability of our spiritual lives to grow.

Are we blooming where we are planted in the optimum soil of God’s word, His presence and communion with Him?  And even if we do show signs of having had some growth is it old growth or are we sprouting and showing signs of fresh growth?   Or could we possibly be producing thorns and thistles within the garden of God’s work where we are; by being contentious, disharmonious and an impediment to the movement and work that God is trying to accomplish in the area where we have taken root?

Scripture tells us in John: “Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit.” – John 12:24

In short this means we must be willing to let go of what we think or maybe even want and we need to allow God to plant, nourish and nurture, as well as prune and cut back when He needs too, so that we can grow, produce and be the best producing plant, figuratively speaking, that we can be in the best soil that He chooses for us.

Today’s Prayer

Father, may I always be willing to submit the growth, nurturing and even pruning processes in my life to you, knowing that you always know what is best.

Thought for Wednesday, January 23rd

January 23, 2013

Priorities

What item on your daily to do list will receive the greatest priority today?

      Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed?  (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things.  But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.

Matthew 6:31-33

“Our greatest fear as individuals and as a church should not be of failure but of succeeding in life at things that don’t really matter.”

-       Tim Kizziar

We live in a world that is obsessed with the idea of prioritizing.  We rank everything from songs to people:  goals to tasks: in a seeming list of the top ten or top one hundred or somewhere in between.  There is no end of the availability of lists which rank and prioritize any number of things in our world and about our lives.

Yet, as Christians we need to really have only one real priority.  While there is nothing wrong with having a sense of what needs to be done in what order when it comes to accomplishing the activities of our daily lives: so many times that list does not leave any room for the cultivation, development and exercising of our spiritual needs and requirements.

We aim to succeed at so many things from day to day, but do we as our first and for most priority in life aim to please God and make our relationship with Him the greatest it can be and work toward allowing our service to Him to be the best that it can be?  If not, then I have to wonder if we really have our priorities in order.

He should be first and come first on any list and in any endeavor we attempt if we truly want to experience success that matters and will last the test of time.

Today’s Prayer

Father, may being with and living for you be my first priority in all I say and do each and every day, all day long.

Thought for Tuesday, January 22nd

January 22, 2013

Mediocrity

What does it mean to be mediocre?

    I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot. So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth.  Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked: I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see. As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent.

Revelation 3:15-19

“As a rule, the one who can do all things equally well is a very mediocre individual.”

-       Elbert Hubbard

It would seem that mediocrity and being lukewarm have a lot in common.  Both imply a sense of somehow being average or middle of the road.   And most certainly a person who would be considered to be mediocre or lukewarm would most definitely not be accused of excelling or going the extra mile to achieve or accomplish the task, goal or objective at hand.

William Hazlitt stated, “The way to get on in the world is to be neither, more or less wise, neither, better or worse than your neighbors.”

This seems to be the philosophical approach many Christians have taken towards their spirituality and service to God.

They want to do as much as brother so and so but not any more than sister what’s her name because they want to appear to be dedicated and committed but most certainly don’t want to be misconstrued as being overzealous or radical when it comes to their faith.

They want those around them to be able to witness a form of godliness: but they most certainly don’t want the world to think they are out of touch with them and most assuredly they must strive to be politically correct in all situations so that they will fit in and be accepted in any social situation.

In short a mediocre or lukewarm Christian would seem to want to get by, by the skin of their teeth, so to speak, and they plan to get into heaven by the hair of their chinny-chin-chin.

If we are among those who have this mentality towards our spiritual life; we need to keep in mind the admonition in the passage above and what God says His intentions are towards those who find this to be an acceptable approach to a relationship with Him.

It would seem to me that He does not hold a high regard for lukewarm Christians or those who aspire to mediocrity.

Today’s Prayer

Father, in a world where mediocrity is so easy to achieve; help me to desire more, give more and commit more than just enough.  I most certainly don’t want to become cold, so please continue to ignite the flame and fan the fire of your presence within me so that I will stay on fire and be hot and extreme for you.

Thought for Monday, January 21st

January 21, 2013

A Made Man or Woman

What constitutes the making of a man or woman?

    For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit. For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God. But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.  And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness.

Romans 8:5-10

“I am sure of one thing, that I am not much without Jesus.”

-       Mark Brown

The value of a person’s perception of their self-worth can be wrapped up in many things. Often it is somewhat connected to their sense of acceptance by their peers; or by their rank or stature in the particular social or professional dynamic.  For others it is often somehow connected to the size of their banks accounts or the seeming value of their properties and possessions.  While for others it can be the degree to which they excel at an art or craft in which they are somewhat prolific.

Yet for the Christian, it should be none of these things.  Our value as Christians; our self worth, if you will, should be in nothing but who Christ is in us and what we are able to do by His power and through His Spirit.

Paul understood  this concept  when he wrote this in his letter to the Galatians: “  I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.” – Galatians 2:20

The truest and purest assessment of what will make us as a man or a woman is not what we are capable of in our own right: but rather what we are willing to allow Christ to become in us and what we are submissive enough to allow Him to do through us.

Only those things of an eternal value will withstand the test of time and in the end they will be what determine the value of the man or woman we have been.

Today’s Prayer

Father, may I be willing to allow you to make my life count for all that it can for your glory.

Thought for Saturday, January 19th

January 19, 2013

A Word Fitly Spoken

Which would you prefer; a word of praise or a word of reproof?

   Boast not thyself of to morrow; for thou knowest not what a day may bring forth. Let another man praise thee, and not thine own mouth; a stranger, and not thine own lips. A stone is heavy, and the sand weighty; but a fool's wrath is heavier than them both. Wrath is cruel, and anger is outrageous; but who is able to stand before envy? Open rebuke is better than secret love.

Proverbs 27:1-5

“Praise undeserv’d is scandal in disguise.”

-       Alexander Pope

Given the option, most, if not almost all of us, would rather have someone tells us all the things we are doing right and all the things they like about us; rather than to have them point out those things we might be doing wrong or that they don’t particularly care for.  And this is probably not a bad thing: at least not to a point, as long as it does not become a way of life.

Sadly, in today’s society we are encouraged to only be positive and not to set expectations to high: never to quantify winners or losers and to make absolutely certain everyone is always on the team; regardless of aptitude or ability.  We live in a world where it is not politically correct to define a definitive standard or to have exacting expectations; and it would appear that this approach to life has not served us well.

God doesn’t seem to have a problem calling a sin, just that.  He often was very forthright in defining wrong and calling out those who were guilty; and He does the same with us; but often we scoff at the idea of feeling conviction and contest and protest loudly when a sermon steps on our toes or we feel that the lesson is less than comforting and uplifting to our fragile little egos.

God has warned that we need to be careful of those who only desire words that will satisfy their itching ears: and those who only want their self esteem stroked so that they will feel better about themselves.

The road to spiritual growth is not paved with only encouragement and pats on the back; it also requires some reproof; some correction and some instruction in righteousness.

  While it is always good to give credit where credit is due we need to be equally willing to give and receive both correction and instruction in love and according to God’s word.

Today’s Prayer

Father, we all need encouragement from time to time and to feel we are doing something good and right: but we also need guidance and direction as well as correction from time to time as well.  Help me to be willing to receive both in humility and love as well as give both when there is a need for them.

Thought for Friday, January 18th

January 18, 2013

Follow The Leader

Are you good at following?

   For thou art great, and doest wondrous things: thou art God alone. Teach me thy way, O Lord; I will walk in thy truth: unite my heart to fear thy name. I will praise thee, O Lord my God, with all my heart: and I will glorify thy name for evermore.

Psalms 86:10-12

“The man who does something under orders is not unhappy: he is unhappy who does something against his will.”

-       Seneca

There is a simple game that children like to play called ‘Follow the Leader.”  The premise of this game is simple: one child, chosen to be the leader, takes off on a pathway of merry mayhem and all of his or her compatriots are to follow along imitating with exact precision the direction, movements, sounds and any other behaviors performed by the leader.  To fail to do so means you are out of the game and you have to wait for a new game to start in order to participate.  Generally the person, who does the best job at following the leader, gets to become the new leader.

This game has some practical applications for us in our spiritual lives, though we need not ever think we will become the leader: for their can only be one leader and that is God, through the power and presence of the Holy Spirit: yet we need to be willing to follow the leader: by emulating His examples and His actions.

However, like with the children’s game we often find that we want to demand our turn to be the leader and we want God to follow our path and be part of our plan: when the reality is our plan will always fail, but His never will.

We read in Psalms that the steps of a righteous man are directed or ordered by God and as men we know we are not righteous because of ourselves: but only because we have God living in us through Christ Jesus and in the person of the Holy Spirit.

Are you ready to follow the only leader worthy of being followed?

Today’s Prayer

Father, remind me when I try to get ahead of you: or out of step with you: what always happens when I don’t let you lead and I don’t willingly follow.