Category: Purpose

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Performance-Based Faith

I have just returned from a trip to Honduras, where we were vetting a potential future project to help locals create micro-businesses.  These trips present a cadre of potential conflicts.  First, we have the friction created by my obedience to God’s call.  It conflicts because I am responding to what I believe to be God’s vision for my life, but I am also judging my effectiveness; how much good am I doing.  The second has to do with what we are teaching.  We are teaching people to use Godly principles to create for-profit businesses.  Most of us see the potential conflict in that.  We must balance living in a performance-based world with grace-based salvation.  It is tough to keep the two separate.

Genesis 2:15, “The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it.”

Christ modeled our relationships here on earth after our relationship with Himself.  He wants us to learn from Him and grow closer to Him through involvement with Him. But, we are to honor the originator of all things in the process.

Ephesians 2:19, “Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God’s people and also members of his household.  “

TRANSACTIONAL FAITH

In a performance-based world, we become obsessed with goal orientation.  We, through constant reinforcement, fixate on achievement.  Our parents remind us that results do matter.  So when we take on a task, we want to know why.  Is it the best use of our time?  Is it within our calling, aptitude, and gifts?  We somehow can’t take our hands off the wheel; if we can’t drive, we want to navigate; even when we don’t know the destination.   

Colossians 3: 23-24, “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward.  It is the Lord Christ you are serving.”

The key to this statement is “as working for the Lord.” God was very clear from the beginning that we needed to be active while living the life He has created for us.  That activity must have a purpose, and with it comes achievement.  Our part is to be obedient in doing the task before us, not the outcome.  The outcome is the exclusive domain of God, not us.  Whatever God puts before us is part of His plan for our lives.  We must do it with peace and joy.  God does not get His highest pleasure from our achievements; He gets it from our obedience.

Ephesians 3: 12-13, “I know that there is nothing better for people than to be happy and to do good while they live.  That each of them may eat and drink and find satisfaction in all their toil—this is the gift of God.”

In The Purpose Driven Life, Rick Warren writes, “Work becomes worship when you dedicate it to God and perform it with an awareness of his presence.”

The implication here is not that we get satisfaction from what we accumulate or accomplish but from the tasks that God puts before us because it is a gift from God.  Being the person God has made you be isn’t about creating something; it is about discovering something.  The pursuit is progressed not by the honors that we accumulate but by our obedience to God’s plan for us.

BUT PERFORMANCE COUNTS

Work is one of the ways we demonstrate God to non-believers.  But, if non-believers cannot trust us with the worldly endeavors one can see, how can we be trusted with spiritual works that require faith?

1 Peter 2:12, “Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable, so that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation.”

So, we endeavor to meet a high level of performance not to please God but to glorify God to non-believers.  We are held responsible for our results; we need to take that seriously.  God created us to work; setting and meeting goals is part of the responsibility.  From a worldly perspective, this responsibility produces the most anxiety in our lives.  It not only affects the way we perceive the nature of our work, but it also affects other aspects of our worldly existence.  It affects our self-perception and self-image and our drive to have better material goods and living standards.  One of our obligations as Christians is to be a good team member, employer, parent, child, and spouse.

2 Thessalonians 3:12 “such people we command and urge in the Lord Jesus Christ to settle down and earn the bread they eat.”

BUT NOT TO GOD

Ephesians 2: 8-9, “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast.”

For most of us, it is hard to turn that switch off.  Somehow, we still try to do good works as if they are the keys to salvation; they aren’t.  That is not to say that we should not strive to do good works; it is just that those good works will not get us to heaven.

Matthew 7:16-20, ” By their fruit, you will recognize them.  Do people pick grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles?  Likewise, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit.  A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit.  Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.  Thus, by their fruit, you will recognize them.”

It is when we start to believe we can be good enough, fruitful enough, holy enough that we lose sight of the beautiful gift of God; eternal life with Him in heaven through grace.  The balance we need to strike is to understand that while the world requires performance as a means of measuring worth, God does not.  Spiritual performance is a by-product of grace, not a goal.

Philippians 4:19, “And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.”

We need to get back to helping our Father with His business.  We are to be obedient to His will.  We cannot control the outcome or the timing; we can only enjoy working in His presence.

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A Gift Worthy for a King

I was loading more music for my car today and fell down a rabbit hole. I have a media server with more than 60,000 songs collected over the last 60 years; it went from records to cassettes to compact discs to solid-state drives. It is about every genre. I listened to the song In Christ Alone by Christina Grimmie, and the rabbit hole opened up.

She was about 15 when she recorded it. She was a neat kid and a great Christian. Initially, she only performed on YouTube with almost 4 million followers. Later on, she stared on The Voice and rose to an acceptable level of fame. Then, on June 10, 2016, Christina Grimmie was fatally shot at the age of 22 while signing autographs following a concert performance at The Plaza Live in Orlando, Florida. Her assailant committed suicide, leaving no evidence of motive, only speculation.

Every time I hear this song, I can’t help but think about what could have been. I do not doubt that God cried on that day. Not because it was unexpected or unknown, but because the world would lose out on an extraordinary talent. I understand that God uses all things for His glory. We, the ones left behind, lose a light illuminating the darkness. Six years after her death, people like me are still affected. People like me ask this one fundamental question.

If my life was asked of me today, and my greatest passion in life was laid at the feet of Christ would He weep because of a life cut short or because of a life lived unfulfilled?

When Jesus heard that Lazarus had died, He wept.

John 11:35, “Jesus wept.”

As He was entering Jerusalem before His crucifixion, He wept.

Luke 19:41, “And when he came near, he beheld the city, and wept over it.”

When I look at the passions of my heart, what do I see? How do I invest my time, money, and gifts? What do I think about when I go to sleep at night? What books do I read, what podcast do I listen to, and what discussions do I gravitate toward? What’s my passion?

When I lay that passion at the feet of Christ, how would he react? Is it a worthy gift for a King?

“If you don’t stand for something, you’ll fall for anything.” – Anonymous 1926 Methodist church announcement.

Isaiah 1:17, “Learn to do right; seek justice. Defend the oppressed. Take up the cause of the fatherless; plead the case of the widow.”

We all have a desire to have meaning and worth. We all create a unique sphere of influence to leave our mark. If we don’t have purposeful intent, we will be part of someone else’s meaning and worth. Chart your course. Through prayer, scripture, and Godly counsel, find your path. Once you have found it, own it; make it meaningful. Don’t worry about results, only obedience. It’s not about creating a ripple through eternity; it’s about creating a tsunami. Never sell yourself short. Never let the world determine your worth. You are more than the sum of your experiences.

Some people, maybe even most, would equate passion with calling. They might say that we are called to something by God, which becomes our passion. I add a slight nuance to that. I believe our calling is to a people group; it might be children, young adults, inner-city or a foreign country. Our passion is the gifting we use to execute our calling; we may be teachers, artists, musicians, or leaders. Our calling may change over time as we mature. God will send us in a different direction. Our gifting, and passion, may vary when we are younger as we experience new things, but at some point, it comes to rest on something. The problem is that we often don’t know how to use our passion to make a living and minimize its importance. We see the value of God’s calling on our life, but not necessarily our passion.

J. I. Packer, in his book “A Quest for Godliness,” stated, “a half-truth masquerading as the whole truth becomes a complete untruth.” Therefore, don’t deceive yourself concerning who you are. When you lie to yourself about any aspect of who God made you, you degrade all of who God said you are.

1 Corinthians 7:17, “Nevertheless, each person should live as a believer in whatever situation the Lord has assigned to them, just as God has called them.”

My greatest hope is that we all find our passion that glorifies God and chase it all the days of our life; that we take the riches that God has created within us and use them to praise Him. My primary passion is small business development. My current calling is to help impoverished third-world Christians rise above their poverty. I have secondary passions like black and white photography, the outdoors, and listening to music. All of our passions should be to glorify our King. Secondary passions are the ones we hold with an open hand. Our primary passion is the gift we set as His feet; it is the first fruits of our existence. It is what gets us up in the morning and lulls us to sleep at night.

Micah 6:8, “He has shown you, O mortal, what is good and what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.”

Christina Grimmie found and chased her passion throughout her short life. She did not wait for a better time or more clear direction. She didn’t wait for her passion to be discovered; she put herself out there. Her life was cut short by what still seems like a senseless act, but her impact continues. People like me, and maybe you, ask ourselves; Do we use our passion to present a worthy gift to our King? She did. Will you? If you do, the ground will shift on the ocean floor and the tsunami will rise.

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Loving Ourselves

Our close friends are our close friends because we see their strengths. We know they have weaknesses, but they are overshadowed by what we see as gifts and skills that we admire. When asked, we help them build up their faults, but mostly we overlook them for the sake of our friendship. They bring light and joy to our lives despite minor flaws.

We are far more critical of ourselves. We rationalize that our strengths are common and our weaknesses are glaring; to doubt yourself is to be human.

It is easy for us to struggle with our weaknesses, our frustration with our sin, and our lack of focus on Christ. We become our own worst critics. We need to remember that God created us and understands our weaknesses. He understands that we will falter.

Psalm 103: 13-14, “The Lord is like a father to his children, tender and compassionate to those who fear him. For he knows how weak we are”

Life is full of pressure to excel. We have conflicting roles as parent, child, sibling, provider, mentor, and friend. Many of us are someone’s child, someone’s sibling, and someone’s parent at the same time. We are a provider at work and home. We play roles as the mentor and friend and sometimes the disciplinarian to the same people. In all of these things, we want to do our best. But we are mere mortals with limited capacity.

Ecclesiastes 3:20, “Both go to the same place—they came from dust, and they return to dust.”

We need to rise above self-condemnation. We need to find a way to replay the tapes of our victories over the sound of our defeats. God does that; God rejoices when we obey. God delights when we overcome. God wants us to live a life worth living, not a life filled with regret and remorse. When we turn from God, God does not turn from us.

Romans 3:3, “What then? If some did not believe, their unbelief would not nullify the faithfulness of God, will it?”

SATAN LOVES DOUBT

One of Satan’s most effective tools to keep us distant from Christ is self-doubt. Satan knows we all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. He uses that knowledge to his advantage. He knows many of us will see through this attempt to vilify our existence, so he takes a more circuitous route; he magnifies our flaws until they overshadow our strengths. The Grand Canyon was created through millions of years of erosion, don’t let slight imperfections create vast chasms in your faith.

Corinthians 11:14, “ And no wonder! For Satan, himself transforms himself into an angel of light.”

He does not lead us to outright self-condemnation, just self-incrimination. He tells us God forgives sin if we truly repent and turn from our ways, but we aren’t doing that, are we? Are we turning from our sinful ways? If we are truly repentant, why do we still sin? Other people are doing a better job of it than we are. Other people have their act together. God is not happy with our effort. We create separation from God.

1 John 1:9, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.”

Stop letting this broken world get inside your head and dictate your existence. Stop comparing yourself to others around you. Instead, compare yourself to the person Christ has always wanted you to be. He created you to be that person. You have everything you need to achieve it. It won’t be the same as anyone around you. You are unique in this world; embrace that uniqueness. Although time and again, you will fall short or fail, that is the by-product of living in a broken world. It does not define the person God made you.

What will distance you from Christ is not your sin; it is the thought that your sin will separate you from Christ. Your decision to dwell on your shortcomings is the differentiator, not the shortcomings. Everyone is created uniquely for a specific purpose. Comparing your purpose with someone else’s purpose is meaningless. Embrace your moment, rest in the assurance that you and you alone were created for it; no one can be a better you.

Esther 4:14, “Perhaps this is the moment for which you have been created.”

TURN THE TIDE

Philippians 4:8, “Finally, brothers and sisters, 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.”

Whenever negative thoughts creep into your head, change directions. We all have a laundry list of good qualities, many we take for granted. If a list of good qualities is hard to remember, write them down. Keep adding to the list as new things come to mind. Soon you will start to see you as God sees you, beautifully and wonderfully made.

Psalms 139:14, “I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.”

C.S Lewis says in Mere Christianity: “Aim at Heaven, and you will get the earth thrown in: aim at earth, and you will get neither.” Focus on the great attributes given to you by God, and joy, peace, and contentment will be yours. Focus on being what the world defines, and you will lose your salvation along with joy, peace, and contentment.

1 Samuel 16:7, “… The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”

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What Is Godly Purpose?

Most Christians want to serve Christ. Once we admit that to ourselves, we immediately say, but. We want to help in our way, to the people we choose, using our disposable resources within our timetable. We do not wish to serve ungrateful people in a faraway land, using up our hard-earned vacation time. Thinking this is not the same as saying it, so we’re good. Right?

How often do we fit the Gospel into our situation; rather than fit our circumstances into the Gospel?

PURPOSE

Mother Teresa, in her book, The Joy in Loving: A Guide to Daily Living, wrote, “I am a little pencil in God’s hands. He does the thinking. He does the writing. He does everything, and sometimes it is really hard because it is a broken pencil, and He has to sharpen it a little more.”

Paul reminds us that if we genuinely pursue the will of God, no matter the outcome, we can count on it serving God’s purpose. It is not for us to determine the time or method God will choose to use us for His Kingdom.

Romans 8:28 “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”

God created us to do good works predestine for us to accomplish. Preparation does not mean just our time and money but also our gifts, passions, education, experiences, and even where we are. God will sometimes send you; mostly, He will use you exactly where you are.

Ephesians 1:11 “In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will.”

I have a purpose. I was created as a unique creature with specific skills and afforded specific resources to accomplish an individual task. But I have free will in choosing both if and how I will respond. So I can accept that I have this unique purpose without actually working to advance it.

Tom Shuler wrote an excellent book entitled “Metaporphyx.” He tries to clarify the process of both understanding and fulfilling God’s purpose in our lives. It looks at this purpose as not a thing or a single event but a continuous process that repeats itself, each cycle building on the last. A pivot point punctuates each cycle or season. A pivot point is a critical event that causes us to both reassess and redefine our direction. However, the redefinition of our direction does not alter our purpose. The purpose remains the same, but the direction constantly changes based on the seasons of our lives.

 So again, what is our purpose?

HINT

John 15:1-27,“I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit. Already you are clean because of the word that I have spoken to you. Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. “

Our purpose has to do with bearing fruit. So, what does the Bible say about fruit?

James 2:14-26, “What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him? If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and filled,” without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that? So also, faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead. But someone will say, “You have faith, and I have works.” Show me your faith apart from your works, and I will show you my faith by my works. …”

First of all, the fruit we are looking for comes from the Spirit. Not every good work qualifies, just those that are created out of an abiding love and obedience to the Spirit. Second, it is active and not passive. We must do something. We can not just say, “God loves you, go in peace.” We must minister to their actual needs. “So also, faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.” Dead, as in entirely worthless.

To summarize up to this point, I have a unique and specific purpose for which I was created, and that purpose requires that I do something material. We also know.

Philippians 1:6 “And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.”

I end this thought knowing that whatever my purpose, I will be successful if I abide in Christ and diligently search. As I’m still working on the whole purpose, God has assured me that I will eventually succeed.

Psalm 67, “May God be gracious to us and bless us and make his face shine on us— so that your ways may be known on earth, your salvation among all nations. May the peoples praise you, God; may all the peoples praise you. May the nations be glad and sing for joy, for you rule the peoples with equity and guide the nations of the earth. May the peoples praise you, God; may all the peoples praise you. The land yields its harvest; God, our God, blesses us. May God bless us still so that all the ends of the earth will fear him.”

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There is no Neutral

Jeremiah 9:23, “This is what the Lord says: “Let not the wise boast of their wisdom or the strong boast of their strength or the rich boast of their riches.”

Pride

Pride is a high or inordinate opinion of one’s dignity, importance, merit, or superiority; Pride is the root of most sin. Pride is the catalyst that starts the reaction. Pride is the insidious emotion that lurks behind most arguments and hurt feelings. Pride deprives us of knowledge, wisdom, friendship, and self-respect.

Proverbs 13:10, “Where there is strife, there is pride, but wisdom is found in those who take advice.”

In his book, Mere Christianity, C.S. Lewis said: “According to Christian teachers, the essential vice, the utmost evil, is Pride. Unchastity, anger, greed, drunkenness, and all that, are mere fleabites in comparison: it was through Pride that the devil became the devil: Pride leads to every other vice: it is the complete anti-God state of mind… it is Pride which has been the chief cause of misery in every nation and every family since the world began.”

James 1:14–15, “Each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin, when it is fully grown, brings forth death.”

All of us have heard Proverbs 16:18, “Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall.” When we unleash our inner desires unchecked, we know that bad things happen. We say things and do things that we regret even when we are right. We look back and feel a sense of humiliation at our actions. We know we could have handled it better. We know we lost some of the positive impacts of our defense because of our presentation. Yet, we’re considered arrogant and overbearing instead of being thought of as right.

We live in a competitive world where our image is important. “Perception is reality” is almost the tagline of most lives. The idea of faking it until you make it is supposed to motivate us to stretch our abilities. We are constantly marketing ourselves to others around us.

We want to walk the fine line between seeing ourselves as made in the image of God, yet a descendant of the Garden of Eden. We do not wish to diminish who God created, but we understand we are flawed. So we oscillate between Pride in who God made us be and humility in who we are. And then there is everyone else; who are they compared to me?

Humility

The Christian attribute that counters pride is humility. Humility is not weakness. Humility does hot require us to acquis our position or take a subordinate role. Humility does not allow for hypocrisy. It is not about right and wrong; it is about presentation. The message is the message; it is how you present the message that is important.

Psalm 10:4, “In his pride, the wicked man does not seek him; in all his thoughts there is no room for God.”

Humility is about bringing God back into the conversation. Our foundation is still the scriptures, and our objective is still to attract people to Christ. Worldly issues will come and go; God’s continence will always prevail.

Jeremiah 50:31, “Behold, I am against you, O arrogant one,” declares the Lord God of hosts, “For your day has come, the time when I will punish you.”

When we engage Christ in our conversations, we become empowered by His compassion and grace. As a result, we will be held in esteem by the creator of the universe.

James 4:10, “Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.”

Empowerment

How do we empower ourselves through humility? First, we need to have confidence that Christ will not allow us to suffer needlessly. There has to be an inner strength to present ourselves in a Godly way, and God will honor that behavior. Do not let your Pride control your reaction. Look up and not out when engaging in conversation, especially when passion is involved.

Proverbs 27:2, “Let someone else praise you, and not your own mouth; an outsider, and not your own lips.”

Christ should direct all of your conversations. The Gospel is the foundation of all truth. Any time your actions deviate from Gospel teaching, you have shut God out. The way to overcome Pride is to bring Christ back into your conversations.

Jeremiah 9:24, “But those who wish to boast should boast in this alone: that they truly know me and understand that I am the Lord who demonstrates unfailing love and who brings justice and righteousness to the earth, and that I delight in these things. I, the Lord, have spoken!.”

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Why Spend Time with God?

There are three powerful reasons to create an intimate relationship with Christ. By intimate, I mean a daily personal ongoing dialog.

a. Relationships take time to build.

b. Strong relationships can be counted on during a crisis.

c. We were created to love and be loved.

Build a Relationship

All relationships take time. A relationship with God is unlike other relationships in many ways but still follows the rules of other relationships. We are important to God; He wants a strong relationship with us. But a relationship is a two-way street. He can not have a strong relationship with us if we do not encourage the same relationship with Him.

Luke 12:7, “Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Therefore don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.”

How often do you talk to your best friend? How important is it to you to know what they are doing? How strongly do you want to be involved in what they are doing? To whom do you share good news and bad news? Is that relationship any different from your relationship with God?

Matthew 5:6, “God blesses those who hunger and thirst for justice, for they will be satisfied.”

What would your friends feel like if you only spoke to them when you needed them to do something for you? How would you feel if someone treated you this way? Relationships are about understanding each other’s deepest desires of the heart. Relationships are about sharing the daily joys and triumphs of your life, along with the challenges. Take time to thank God for every moment of joy that happens in your life, as it happens. Acknowledge the challenges and ask for guidance.

Jesus made time to get away from His earthly calling to speak with His Father; He understood the need to keep the relationship centered on His life and constantly renewed.

Mark 1:35, “And in the morning, rising up a great while before day, he went out and departed into a solitary place, and there prayed.”

Daily intimacy with God is vital in creating a lasting relationship that will weather any storm. The strength and depth of your relationship with Him is a barometer of your trust in Him.

Draw Strength to Fight the Daily Battles

It is essential to spend time alone with God because God is the source of our strength, and we need His strength to fight the spiritual battles of our lives.

John 15:4. “Remain in Me, and I will remain in you. Just as no branch can bear fruit by itself unless it remains in the vine, neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in Me.”

He goes on to say;

John 15:7-8, “If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. By this, my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples.”

We live in a broken world. That has almost become a cliché. We all know this, but we somehow still believe we can navigate the turbulent waters of daily life without help. Somehow we come to think that we only need the sustenance of the vine for the more significant problems of our lives, not the daily grind.

In many cases, it is the daily grind that introduces problems because of the lack of fruit in our daily walk. Having a continuous intimate relationship with Christ will smooth out some of these challenges. His presence in our daily walk will remind us of how we should live. The constant dialog will nudge us back on track when we stray.

It will also give you the confidence to know that Christ is there in the tough times. These are when the pain is so great we forget to ask for help. Our mind is so occupied with the circumstance that we fail to look up. Sometimes, we even feel God has stepped away, and we are on our own.

Strong and solid relationships do not abandon each other in time of need; they bond closer together. So don’t wait until you need a friend to create a friend.

To Love and Be Loved

1 Corinthians 13:13, “And now these three remain faith, hope, and love. But the greatest of these is love.”

We also spend time alone with God out of love. It is central to our nature to love and desire to be loved. We don’t all experience this similarly, but we all need love.

Ephesians 3:17-19, “so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; and that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled up to all the fullness of God.”

Worldly love is challenging. People are not capable of unconditional love. As hard as we try, we fall short. God’s love is perfect. God’s love for us is unchanging. God’s love for us is steadfast.

Most of all, God loved us to the point that he sent His son to die for us that we may have eternal life.

John 15:13, “Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.”

TO DO’s

Spend some quality time with Christ every day and throughout the day

Matthew 4:4, “Jesus answered, ‘It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.'”

Let those truths permeate your mind and think about them throughout the day

Psalm 1:2, “But whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and who meditates on his law day and night. That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither— whatever they do prospers.”

Put away, or quit, things that aren’t pleasing to the Lord. Instead, let the Holy Spirit search your life and point out the things that God wants you to face and overcome.

 Colossians 3:8-9, “But now you must also rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips. Do not lie to each other since you have taken off your old self with its practices.”

“Spending time with God through prayer and His Word is a prerequisite for having a great life and fulfilling your purpose.” — Joyce Meyer

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Greatness in 2022 and Beyond

Psalm 102:18, “Let this be recorded for a generation to come, so that a people yet to be created may praise the Lord.”

“God is looking for those with whom He can do the impossible — what a pity that we plan only the things that we can do by ourselves.” – A. W. Tozer

As I read down the list of famous people who passed on during 2021, it brought mixed feelings. There is the delight of emotions driven by what was going on in my life when they first came to my attention. There was admiration for what they had accomplished and the dedication to their craft. But there was also the melancholia of a time passed that will never be again. I started to think of people who achieved worldly greatness to see that season come to an end.

1 Peter 4:7-8, “For the culmination of all things is near. So be self-controlled and be sober-minded for the sake of pray. Most important of all, you must sincerely love each other because love wipes away many sins.”

Not All Worldly Achievements Come to an End.

If you have painted a picture, played in a band, penned a book, inspired a song, starred in a movie, people might remember your name, they might recall a memory, or they might even conjure an emotion, but will they remember you? How fleeting is fame? The euphoria of accomplishment fades over time as we create new goals to surpass. In time, skills digress, and we must be content to rest on our laurels.

I believe deep down inside, we all crave greatness. Many of us suppress that urge because we think it is beyond us, but it still lurks in the shadows; it nags at us from dark recesses when we are left alone too long. We look at social media and the news (doomscrolling), envious of what is not ours. The world defines greatness, and we strive to emulate it.

Colossians 2:8, “See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the elemental spiritual forces of this world rather than on Christ.”

One of my favorite quotes comes from the book “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings” by Maya Angelou

“I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”

Greatness is not a Thing; it is an Emotion

This quote has become one of my life passages. As time passes, people will not remember your acts of kindness and goodness, but they will remember someone who made them feel loved. The name, the place, the exact actions are fading flowers and wisps of smoke, but the feelings stay with us the rest of our lives. It is not the accomplishment that survives time; it is the emotion the accomplishment brought on.

A movie, a song, or a picture trigger deeper meaning from the soul. They water the seed that grows from our hearts. Greatness is not a thing; it is an emotion. The awards and the platitudes are the trappings of success and greatness; the true indication of greatness is in changed lives. What seeds have you planted in the hearts of those you have touched?

Luke 16:9-10, “Here’s the lesson: Use your worldly resources to benefit others and make friends. Then, when your earthly possessions are gone, they will welcome you to an eternal home. If you are faithful in little things, you will be faithful in large ones. But if you are dishonest in little things, you won’t be honest with greater responsibilities.”

The Ripple Effect

Psalm 78:6, “That the next generation might know them, the children yet unborn, and arise and tell them to their children.”

There is a ripple effect to everything we do, good or bad. When we are in a bad mood and bark at another, our lousy mood can put them in a bad mood, and they, in turn, speak poorly to someone else. The same is true; if we smile and speak kindly to someone who is not in a good mood, it may raise their spirits, causing them to treat others kindlier.

How many times has someone, uninvolved in your conversation, watched silently to the way you behaved and drew a conclusion about who you are; were they drawn closer to God or pushed away? Who did they tell? Did they decide on how to react toward you in the future based on what they saw in the past?

Greatness does not come from being right, being the best, having authority or position in life; it comes from the moments when you made others feel loved and appreciated.

Great people will tell you that greatness is not an event; it is a lifetime dedication to that for which they have passion. It is consistent over time. It is not the pinnacle of the mountain; it isn’t even the climb. It is the years of dedication and preparation to a passion that consumes them. Live life with purpose.

John 6: 68-69, “Simon Peter answered Him, ‘Lord, to whom would we go? You have the words of eternal life. We have come to believe and to know that You are the Holy One of God.’”

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New Year – New Life

Night and day, winter and summer, oceans ebb and tide, the heart contract and relaxes; resolve to live life in cadence with God’s grace.

Hebrews 12: 1-2, “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”

You can resolve to Fail

Over the years, we have been indoctrinated to the concept of a new year, new life. We take this time to rediscover our passions and direction. There is nothing magic about January first, but it has become the launch point for personal change over the years. 

A study by Strava of 31.5 million participants showed that most people abandon their New Years’ resolutions by the second Tuesday of January. A companion study by The Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment discovered that 55% of resolutions are abandoned by February first. The term” Failure to Launch” comes to mind. The world is made of great ideas that are never implemented, plans that are written and never executed, and good intentions that never see the light of day. Why?

You can resolve to be Good

Hebrews 11:1, “Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.”

I think it comes down to head versus heart. We can logically and rationally determine a path forward that our heart is not committed to accomplishing. The pain of changing who we are is greater than remaining as we were. It would be great to chase our passions, but fundamentally we are comfortable being who we are.

It is far more comfortable to conform to the world than to rise above it. We understand that it would be pleasing to God if we did rise above, but is the theoretical promise of eternity better than the world’s comfort? I’m not talking about embracing immorality and unethical behaviors; I’m talking about settling down on our haunches and letting the activities of the world waff over us. It is the passive acceptance of a life that does not please God.

Being good is an admirable worldly trait but doesn’t fundamentally buy anything. Goodness should be an attribute of all Christians and an aspiration of all people. Being a Godly person is the goal. Striving to lead a life that pleases God is the ultimate destination; goodness is a mile marker.

You can resolve to be Great

Isaiah 40:31, “but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary; they will walk and not be faint.”

In his book “Good to Great,” Jim Collins states: “Good is the enemy of great. And that is one of the key reasons why we have so little that becomes great.” So few people translate the plans in their heads to the passion of their hearts. They are willing to accept a good life rather than work at a great life.

Eternal greatness always starts and ends with obedience to God’s call. It is being the person God made you be. It is pushing His Kingdom forward and leaving our kingdom behind. Where is your heart?

The bible defines three attributes of a more prosperous life.

Bios: Bios (bios) is the physiology; properly, God’s gift of physical life, animating all creation to live, move and have its being.

Psyche: Psyche (psuché) is the breath of life, the human soul, the soul as the seat of affections and will, the self, a human person, an individual.

Zoe: Zoe (dzo-ay’) is life real and genuine, a life active and vigorous, devoted to God, blessed, even in this world, for those who put their trust in Christ. The part of us that cannot live without God.

It is always good to resolve to improve your physical or mental health. Your cry should be for a life based on Zoe, an active, vigorous life dedicated to God. Resolve to use every resource God has given you to bring Him glory beyond what the world encourages? Can you resolve to use your education, job, position, friends, family, and even your vacation as a testimony to God’s greatness? What does your resolve put first?

Be a child of God.

Ephesians 4:22-24, “You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.”

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Christmas Afterglow

Luke 6:38, “Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.”

I have been binging on Christmas movies. I can’t help it. The characters make dumb decisions that could alleviate the problems, but those dumb decisions keep the storyline going until the happy ending. It’s infuriating the level of stupidity written into the scripts. What keeps me coming back is the happy ending.

I can’t get over the happy endings. Everyone wants a love story that ends in a crescendo. God created us to love and be loved. We want that sensation to be overwhelming. We want to be swept away with the emotion of never-ending love. We hold out for that magic moment no matter how callous we have become about life. Even when we don’t believe it exists, we can watch a Christmas movie and fanaticize it might be real. We want our hearts to burst.

I know a couple of friends of mine; they seem to have this idyllic marriage. She is gorgeous; he is handsome, both are successful. He constantly compliments her, and she idolizes him.  I find myself mesmerized by their relationship. Now don’t get me wrong, I know every relationship has its challenges. Not every day is a walk-in wonderland; some days, you try to survive.

My point is that I believe in true love. I believe that God wants us to experience the level of love He has for us. I believe that God knows what it is to love someone so much that it hurts. Yet, God tenaciously powers through the pain to experience the love. There is no other explanation for what He has done for us.

John 15:13, “Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.”

The feeling of love can become an opiate, an addiction, and an obsession. We can elevate the desire to love and be loved to the point that it loses its original intention and becomes a distraction. However, love can also be the driving force of our lives. It can be the catalyst for change and growth.

1 Corinthians 13:13, “The three most important things to have are: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of them is love.”

The essence of most Christmas movies is a great lie. This fundamental element in Christmas movies is someone deceiving someone else and gets caught. It all starts as an innocent deception; as the story grows, so does the deception. In the end, it is forgiveness that creates a happy ending. Although meant for commercial consumption, Christmas movies mimic the true Christmas story. First, we deceive ourselves into believing it is an innocent lie. As our lives progress, the lie grows. It is God’s forgiveness that creates a happy ending.

We deceived our King. We became so comfortable in our deception that we allowed it to grow and grow. It is only the benevolence of our King that we receive a happy ending. It’s not a movies script; it is real life. We receive eternal life through the charity of the King of Kings.

Romans 3:23, “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”

This thought leads me to think about true greatness. We all seek greatness in our lives. We all want to leave a legacy that stands the test of time. We want to mean something, to be something. For me, it is making an eternal difference in a single life. If I could be a person with such great love for humanity that I could humble myself to serve another to the extent that they see God in me, I would be successful. I will have achieved greatness.

Ephesians 3:20, “Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us.”

Spiritual greatness starts and ends with loving our fellow man. The yearning we have inside to be something greater than we are can only be relieved by learning to love those that do not love us. Loving those that do love us is easy. Turning the other cheek is complicated but still does not require love. Humbling oneself and truly submitting ourselves for the benefit of someone less deserving is the essence of love.

Matthew 5:46-48, “It is easy to love those who love you—even a tax collector can love those who love him. And it is easy to greet your friends—even outsiders do that! But you are called to something higher: “Be perfect, as your Father in heaven is perfect.”

Let us all bask in the afterglow of Christmas. Let us all understand that we live a life of deception, both big and small. But, let us also take heart that the King of Kings, in His unconditional love, has already written our happy ending.

2 Corinthians 9:8, “And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work.”

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Merry Christmas

Luke 2:11, “For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord.”

Christmas is always a special time. We get to celebrate the birth of our savior. Technically it is not His birthday but the celebration of His birth. It is the day that changed history. It is also an incredible event where the creator of the universe cared so much for His creation that He sent His only son, in human form, as a sacrifice for our sin. When Jesus came as a newborn baby, with all of its frailties, He knew His destiny. Jesus knew that He was a living sacrifice. He knew his future was to die for us.

1 John 4:19, “We love because he first loved us.”

Which brings me to today’s question; Do you know Christ, or do you just know about Christ?

Howard G. Hendricks describes it this way; “A belief is something you will argue about. A conviction is something you will die for. “

Do you stand in awe of things you do not understand, or do you yearn for His presence in your life? Is the extent of your faith marveling at the creation, or is it an overwhelming need for closeness to the God that loves you unconditionally? Do other people see God’s presence in your life, or do they just see positive worldly traits? Is the fullness of God’s presence in your daily walk, or are you just mimicking characteristics that the world sees as good?

I sometimes question if I am trying to do what is right to receive God’s blessings and grace, or does He truly indwell within me? This worldly analogy comes to mind; do I complete the assignments at work to please my boss in hopes of a promotion or a pay raise, or is it because I have a passion for my chosen profession. Would I do it if there was no reward?

John 4:48, “Unless you people see signs and wonders,” Jesus told him, “You will never believe.”

Even the people of Christ’s time, people who were steeped in the story of the coming Messiah, marveled at what He could do, not who He was. They wanted tangible worldly proof over divine intervention. Can you imagine walking with Christ, seeing all He had done, experiencing His compassion and grace, and still wanting evidence of who He said He was? It is easy to see why we might mimic His behavior without truly internalizing His grace. It is easy to see why we might become fans but not understand how to become followers.

 Job 5:8-9, “But if I were you, I would appeal to God; I would lay my cause before him. He performs wonders that cannot be fathomed, miracles that cannot be counted.”

This Christmas season, we will worship the Messiah that wiped away the sins of the world. We will celebrate the birthday of the baby, who walked this earth to show His compassion for what we experience, He would counsel us with His wisdom, and He would lay down His life that we might live. He gives us the greatest reason to have hope.

Let us, in turn, strive to integrate His holiness into our being. This coming year, let us try not just to mimic the goodness of the world but let Christ live through us. To truly let Christ live through us requires humility and patience. It requires, just as Christ lived, a servant’s heart. It requires us to love others truly; not just turn the other cheek. It requires us to help and support others who would harm us.

Luke 11:13, “If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”

The Holy Spirit living within us is the most fantastic Christmas present Christ is willing to give you, just ask, and it is yours.

Psalm 37:4, “Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.”

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