Tag: Christian

Searches that have Lord, Christ, Calling, Evangelism, or Discipleship in the descriptor

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Agur the Brute

Proverbs 30:7-9, “Two things I ask of you, Lord; do not refuse me before I die: Keep falsehood and lies far from me; give me neither poverty nor riches, but give me only my daily bread. Otherwise, I may have too much and disown you and say, ‘Who is the Lord?’ Or I may become poor and steal, and so dishonor the name of my God.”

This scripture is one of my favorite prayers in the Bible. For me, it summarizes both my weaknesses and my desire to rise above them. It emphasizes my internal drive for self-importance, the desire within myself to have meaning, and it cautions me about the lure of materialism, holding God’s gifts in an open hand.

WHO IS AGUR?

Agur is the son of Jakeh, a friend to Ithiel and Ucal. The name Agur comes from a Hebrew word meaning “collector.” Neither he nor Jakeh is mentioned anywhere else in the Bible. Some think it might be a pseudonym for Solomon, but the writing style does not match.  What we do know is that he is righteous enough that God thought we needed to hear what he had to say.

I love how he identifies himself:

Proverbs 30:2-3, “Surely. I am only a brute, not a man; I do not have human understanding. I have not learned wisdom, nor have I attained to the knowledge of the Holy One.”

When I read this, I fell in love with the character of the man. I long to be that kind of person who humbly acknowledges who he is and what he needs to rise above himself. He also dares to implore God, “do not refuse me before I die.”. He sees himself on a journey and prays earnestly to arrive at its destination.

FALSEHOODS AND LIES

I don’t know about you, but I sometimes think my weaknesses are burned into my genetic code in a way that cannot be modified. The desires of my heart are so strong that they rule my head. It doesn’t matter how much head knowledge I have; my heart wants to control. So I deceive myself into believing that what I want is what is real.

In my life, the prayer of Agur is not just about being truthful to those around me but being honest with myself. Agur acknowledges that he is only a brute, not a man. In this statement, Agur deceives himself. No brute could conjure up such a great prayer to God. No brute could step outside himself and ask for help. Agur may have brutish ways, but he is not a brute.

We all have attributes that we dislike. We all feel insecure in some aspect of our lives. Many of us don’t like that to be common knowledge, so we fudge a little; we embellish, we protect ourselves. Most of these issues are so minor that others, especially our friends, don’t see them. But we live with them day in and day out. We feel a need to defend who and what we are. Not in a big way, an outright lie, but small little falsehoods that misdirect and deceive. In time we stop deceiving others and start deceiving ourselves.

Agur not only wants to stop lying, but he also wants to stop deceiving. My heart wants to be that strong; it wants to be that confident in who God made me. But as Agur points out, we are on a journey, and that is our desired destination.

Lord, do not refuse me before I die.

WEALTH AND POVERTY

This part of Agur’s prayer is significant in my life. I cannot go into the details of the story because it involves others, but at one point, I was wealthy, by most standards, and overnight I became destitute.  Destitute in that I was over $100K in debt with no cash, no income, and no assets. This condition was brought about by a decision I willingly made; no one forced it on me. But, there comes the point in life when you have to decide what is important. That point in life was thrust upon me, and I decided. It was the most insane leap of faith I have ever made, one in which I still feel at peace.

“Give me neither poverty nor riches, but give me only my daily bread.” I have lived by that for over a decade. Every time I want more or feel materially insecure, I think of Agur. I think how incredible it is that God had his words inscribed for all men to read. I hold everything God gives me with an open hand. I want for nothing. I volunteer my time and my money to travel the world in the act of worship. I don’t ask for support because God has already given it to me. As a result, I am secure spiritually, emotionally, and materially.

Agur knew the secret of a whole and fruitful life. He says, “I do not have human understanding. I have not learned wisdom, nor have I attained to the knowledge of the Holy One.” Folks, life is a journey, not always a pleasant one. Sometimes admitting we don’t have the answer is the answer.

John 14:27, “Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.”

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The Way of Love

1 John 4:8, “Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love.”

SCOUNDREL

I’m a scoundrel, a dirty rotten scoundrel. I came to Christianity later in life; I lived a bohemian lifestyle. I was a Hedonist, not that I thought I was at the time. I was just a guy trying to make a living and enjoying the fruits of my labor. The problem was, despite my success, I didn’t feel successful. To achieve worldly success, I had to endure conflict, not raging open battle with those around me, but the subtle nuances of worry, anxiety, and competition.

Isaiah 32:7, “And a scoundrel, his weapons are evil; he plans evil devices to ruin the poor with words of deception even when the speech of the needy is right.”

I stretched the truth; I molded the facts; I used it to my advantage. I didn’t break the law; I used it. I did what I had a right to do, not what was right. I prospered in a competitive world; I was a winner. I was a scoundrel of the first order.

This lifestyle is the conundrum I face. I know who I was, and I know who I am, and yet God loves me so much He sent His Son to save me. He did not choose me because of some sterling attribute that He admired in me. God did not save me because I was special or different. He certainly didn’t save me because He needed me. He saved me despite who I was.

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”

NEW PERSON

2 Corinthians 5:17, “Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.”

I read this and know that it is true. I know that through the scripture, I have awakened to how my life should play out. God washed my sins away, and I have a second chance. God, through His grace, has reached down into the mire of my life and pulled me up.  Why would He do that?

Colossians 3:10, “and have put on the new self who is being renewed to a true knowledge according to the image of the One who created him.”

God is love. His love is perfected in us; his very nature would not allow for us to remain as we were. So, God hit the reset button; He renewed us. He gave us an out, a way to become more like Him. But it was a choice, not a command.

1 John 4:7-12, “Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us.”

Making the correct choice does not guarantee success or fulfillment. We do not have the material within ourselves to survive. We are not strong enough, smart enough, gifted enough to withstand the onslaught of life. But we have been made in the image of God; just as He is love, so are we.

YET STILL A SCOUNDREL

Romans 7:15-20, “I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good. As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me. For I know that good itself does not dwell in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing. Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it?”

No man had more passion for Christ; no man was willing to endure as much for Christ as Paul. Paul was a true Christian warrior ready to die for his King. And yet, he, too, fought the scoundrel in himself. I find this passage amazing. I think of Paul when I get down on myself, which is easier than I would like to admit. We are all scoundrels who have been saved by love.

In a performance-based world, it is hard to reconcile my performance against God’s reward. It seems out of balance. I constantly believe I am not worthy because I have not performed according to His standard. To think that I am not worthy is to diminish the person God made me. I am not defined by worldly standards but by the One who loves me unconditionally.

THE WAY OF LOVE

Tattoo this on your heart. Make it the most precious words you will ever hear or utter to another. Understand the true power of love to overcome all things, even the scoundrel in all of us.

1 Corinthians 13:1-10, “If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.  And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing.

Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends. As for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when the perfect comes, the partial will pass away.”

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Malta

Where is your Malta? Odd question, it arises from one of the great stories from Paul’s life. You might recall that God told Paul he would testify in Rome. We all want that level of clarity in our lives. We want God to speak directly to us in words that would be hard to misinterpret. I don’t know about you, but that very seldom happens in my life.

Acts 23:11, “The following night the Lord stood near Paul and said, ‘Take courage! As you have testified about me in Jerusalem, so you must also testify in Rome.”‘

God didn’t tell Paul to take route 6 to the intersection of Route 9, turn left, and there you are. Paul’s destination was clear, but the journey was not. Paul may or may not have known what he would do in Rome, but he knew with certainty that he would get there. Can we say that about our destination?

“There will be no peace in any soul until it is willing to obey the voice of God.” – D.L. Moody

The why of Paul’s journey was obedience. The what, when, and how we’re not as clear. Paul’s journey to Rome mirrors our journey in life. It all starts with why. Rome was the epicenter of all knowledge and culture. It was the place that new ideas went viral. It was where God’s story would get legs. God’s story would travel to all the distant parts of the Roman Empire. The why was to testify to the greatness of God.

Paul took a circuital route to get to Rome. But eventually, they put him on a ship headed that way. It was not a journey to proclaim the Gospel; it was a journey to stand trial, but the why was still the why.

Isaiah 1:19, “If you consent and obey, you will eat the best of the land”

MALTA

Here is where Malta comes into play. A great storm arises, putting Paul’s ship in pearl. Paul’s confidence in God assures him that he will not perish but will somehow survive to continue to Rome. But, unfortunately, the ship runs aground on the small island of Malta. Now at this point, Paul could consider this a time out. He could have guessed that evil had set up a roadblock, and God would have to clear it. He could have chilled out until the journey continued; his destination was Rome, not Malta.

Are you in Malta? Have your plans been waylaid? Do you feel you have a greater destiny but are sitting on the beach waiting for the next boat going your way? When we look around to see what lessons are to be learned during this sabbatical, do we see nothing? The wind has stopped, and the sail is slack; nothing to do but wait for the next breeze.

Publius, the chief official of Malta, had a father sick from fever and dysentery. Paul went to see him, prayed for him, put hands on him, and healed him. Many came to believe because of this. Paul knew that God did not waste time. Paul knew that his mission field was where he woke up that morning. There were great things in store for him in Rome, but he wasn’t in Rome; he was where God wanted him that day.

1 Peter 3:15, “but sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence.”

From there, Paul spent time in Syracuse, Rhegium, and Puteoli before reaching Rome. At each of these ports, he had to stay several days as the ship unloaded and loaded cargo. Acts tell us that at each port, Paul preached the Gospel.

THE SHORTEST PATH BETWEEN TWO POINTS IS A STRAIGHT LINE

If you are studying geometry, that is true; if you are studying the Gospel, it is not. We all have to spend time in Malta. We all have to take a deep breath, look around and see what God has for us to do where we are. If we get too fixated on the destination that we lose the journey, we have lost a valuable piece of God’s story for our lives. If we spend too much time trying to understand what God ultimately wants us to be, we lose the joy and passion of the journey God has us on.

The Atlanta Braves just won the World Series; one of the feel-good stories concerned Freddie Freeman. Freddie has been a long-time Braves player. He hit a home run in the final innings of the clinching game. As Freddie rounded third, heading to home plate, he looked at his wife and son in the audience and broke out into a wide grin. When asked about this, he said (paraphrase) I saw my son and remember when I was his age, lying awake at night dreaming of hitting a home run and winning the World Series. Finally, my son got to see his dad do that.

1 John 4:18, “There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.”

Folks, as God rounds third, He sees us and grins. He knows we lay awake at night with visions of greatness. He sees our future with great pride and love. So do not miss the journey thinking about the destination. Instead, live the moments that God gives you as worship to Him. Remember that God hits the home runs, and we get to cheer with pride and say, “That’s my dad.”

Ephesians 3:18-19, “And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep His love is. May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God. “

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Wait

Mark 16: 17-18, “And these signs will accompany those who believe: In my name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new tongues; they will pick up snakes with their hands; and when they drink deadly poison, it will not hurt them at all; they will place their hands on sick people, and they will get well.”

Does our expectations put a fence around answered prayer?

PRAYER

Let me start with a short story on the power of answered prayer. On the very first visit to a prison, God helped me better understand answered prayer. I went with Champions for Life, and I was in Broad River Correctional, Columbia, SC. I was standing next to the rail overlooking the cellblock below me. I was in this particular location to avoid speaking to the inmates. I was uncomfortable because it was my first visit, and I didn’t feel I had anything to share. So, I was hiding in plain sight. I was there without really being there.

My thoughts were on a hundred things without landing on anything, fleeting moments of clarity that dissipated like the fog in the morning sun. I know they were there, without knowing what they were. Then I heard, “I have been praying for weeks that my lawyer would find a way to get me out of here.” This inmate had settled next to me, without making eye contact with me, and started talking to me. You see, he wasn’t a Christian, but he thought he would try out prayer. He didn’t expect anything, but he had hope. I was a Christian; maybe I knew the answer.

Jeremiah 29:12, “Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you.”

The good news was that this was a conversation that didn’t require scripture memorization. This inmate didn’t know scripture. He had no preconceived theology. He didn’t even know if he had the right to expect a result. He just made a statement. New evidence came to light that proved his innocence. But getting released was a process, not an event. A lawyer had taken his case and was working on his release. For two months, the inmate hadn’t heard a thing. That had to be incredibly depressing; to know you are innocent and shouldn’t be in prison, the release would come from outside the walls, and you were stuck inside.

I can’t remember the exact conversation as none of the words were mine. It went something like this; there was evidence to be reviewed, docket to be cleared, maybe hearts to be softened, liability to be assessed; God’s time is not our time. I remember his response; “Thank you, I prayed for encouragement, and He sent it through you.” That floored me. I couldn’t remember what I said; how could it have been encouraging.

1 John 5:15, “And if we know that he hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of him.”

What I took away from that weekend was to wait upon the Lord. I’m impatient, get it done, execution is everything type of guy. Ideas are a dime-a-dozen; success comes from following through. With my first visit to a prison, my challenge was that I wanted to be a great success the first time out. I wanted God to provide me with immediate fulfillment. I didn’t see this first visit as a step toward a new destination; it was the new destination. I fall into this trap all the time. I’m impatient about God’s plan for my life. Everything is significant, and I want to know why. I want instant feedback to confirm I am on the right path.

How do these seemingly false starts keep me on the right path? Why hasn’t this person or that person responded the way I thought they should? Why has nothing happened when I have worked so hard? I am waiting on the evidence that God is with me.

Mark 11:24, “Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.”

FIG TREE

The second I ask, God answers. When Jesus saw the fig tree without fruit, he cursed it. But it did not die right away.

Mark 11:12-14, “The next day as they were leaving Bethany, Jesus was hungry. Seeing in the distance a fig tree in leaf, he went to find out if it had any fruit. When he reached it, he found nothing but leaves, because it was not the season for figs. Then he said to the tree, “May no one ever eat fruit from you again.” And his disciples heard him say it.”

Mark 11:20, “In the morning, as they went along, they saw the fig tree withered from the roots.”

The fig tree died from the root. It started dying the second it was cursed, but the evidence wasn’t clear until the following day. God answers prayer the second we ask, but it may be some time before we see the fruit of that blessing. My impatience saps the joy out of that blessing. Sometimes when I don’t get what I want, when I want it, I stop looking and miss the gift altogether.

All of us have had situations that we have prayed about for years. We may not have prayed for a specific resolution, just that one happens. We want God’s will to be done. It ebbs and flows like the tide crashing over the shore; good days followed by bad days followed by good days—every fiber of our being screams out to give up. Finally, we’re tired of it all. But a small, meek voice always cautions us to be patient; one day, God will reveal His plan. One day.

God may send someone to encourage you, He may not, but the blessing is already happening. Know that it is happening and know that God is faithful in all things.

Romans 12:12, “Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.”

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Uncertainty

Matthew 6:31-33, “So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.”

WORRY, WORRY, WORRY

We all have worries; we all have concerns for the future. Uncertainty is the killer. It is the one thing that we, as humans, have the most trouble dealing with. Some of us are more risk-averse than others, but we all hate uncertainty.

Most of us save for retirement. If we have children, we save for education and weddings. If we are prudent savers, we have savings for household emergencies, vacations, and medical problems. We are concerned about our health, our jobs, and our loved ones. As humans, we are constantly trying to look into the future to anticipate uncertainty.

It is tough for us to put our futures in the hands of the One who created us; the same entity that predestined our future. Yet, he is the same superpower that sees all things, knows all things, and loves us unconditionally.

John 14:1, “Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me.”

Maslow’s hierarchy of needs tells us that we need these things: Physiological, Safety, Love and Being, Esteem, and Self-Actualization. First, we needed to take care of our physical being with air, food, and water; then, we needed to protect ourselves from danger, including clothes, sleep, and warmth. After we are feed and safe, we turn to love and being loved, including friendship, intimacy, and acceptance by others. Only then did we care about our emotional well-being. Only then do we care about growing as a person and improving ourselves. The lower-level needs, when unmet, prove to be dissatisfiers; in that, we satisfy them to avoid unpleasantness. The higher-level needs stem from a desire to grow and become more. Some people can become unbalanced in that their hierarchy changes order; for example, someone may need esteem more than love. There are many cases where some cultures put much more weight on the higher levels over the lower levels. For example, they would sacrifice food and safety to be seen as valuable or improve their social position. Whatever the case, when life becomes uncertain, we struggle.

When we don’t know where the next meal will come from or have a safe place to sleep, life becomes stressful. In first-world nations, we seldom worry about existence levels of food and safety and worry more about our positional existence. We worry about our place in society, how nutritious our food is, how good our neighborhood is, and how secure our job is. Many a marriage has broken up because one party or the other wasn’t pulling their weight, providing for the basic level needs of the other; physiological and safety trumps love.

Luke 12:22b-23, “Do not worry about your life, what you will eat; or about your body, what you will wear. For life is more than food, and the body more than clothes.”

Interestingly, most people are more concerned about what other people think of them than what they feel about themselves; their self-view is a derivative of their worldview. They need to sense that they are valued by others more than it is to have personal growth. Only when they are secure in their view of how others see them, do they turn to personal growth. True satisfaction in life can only begin once we believe we are valuable and start to grow as a person.

HOW DO WE FLIP THE SCRIPT?

Philippians 4:6-7, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

I’m not much of a prosperity gospel kind of guy. I’m a guy who believes that God sometimes gets involved with tough love. Faith that our prayers will be answered is more about seeing God’s results than obtaining our results. Sometimes the outcome of prayer is not what we ask for but what we need. And as my dad might say, “sometimes that is a swift kick in the pants.” I believe certainty comes from knowing that God has your best interest in mind, not from getting everything you think you need.

Matthew 13:22, “The seed falling among the thorns refers to someone who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word, making it unfruitful.”

I get caught in this trap; I tell God exactly what I need to solve the problem the way I see it. Fortunately, God’s view is much greater than my view. Most of the time, the immediate crisis has long-term implications that I cannot begin to understand. So I try to remember that there is a ripple effect through eternity in all things.

Luke 12:24, “Consider the ravens: They do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom or barn; yet God feeds them. And how much more valuable you are than birds!”

Flipping the script on uncertainty is not believing that God loves you; it is knowing that He does. Overcoming uncertainty is knowing that it is only uncertain to you, not God. The book “When Helping Hurts” talks about rescuing someone relieves a temporary situation but robs the person of valuable skills needed to survive long term. Helping a person use their available resources to help themselves, builds the person up and creates confidence to survive. Sometimes we want to be rescued when what we need is to be helped.

EVERYDAY MIRACLES

My comfort does not rest so much in believing as it does in knowing. How the problem will be solved is not as important as knowing that God will solve it; in His time and in His way. I will see the solution only if I know that He always answers prayer. I have seen and experienced miracles disguised as everyday activities. I have seen problems solved by people finding things they thought were long lost. I’ve seen and heard of overdue promotions and pay raises coming when the person needed it most. I know people who got a short-term gig when they were unemployed, that got them through until they found a permanent job. I had seen disenfranchised family members come together when the need arose; I have seen fear erased with a hug, a kind word, or a knowing glance. I have seen broken hearts mended by a new puppy. None of this looked like manna from heaven; it wasn’t the parting of the Red Sea. But, all of this, by the grace of God, is answered prayer.

1 John 4:18, “There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The One who fears is not made perfect in love.”

The cure for uncertainty is not having a crystal ball that shows us the future; it is living with the knowledge that God cares. God is not capricious or arbitrary; He is constant, unchangeable, and passionately in love with you.

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Alone in the Dark

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

YOU ARE MORE THAN THE SUM OF YOUR THOUGHTS

I’m not good enough. I’m not smart, funny, pretty enough. There will always be someone better than you, at almost everything, in a world obsessed with image and performance. Others may live a life that seems so effortless, fluid, graceful. You may feel like the elephant stomping grapes, and they’re the eagle gliding above it all.

Somewhere along the line, we started to believe life is the Universe’s version of America’s Got Talent. Just like the show, talent isn’t enough; you have to be marketable. If you are not, you will be voted off the planet. We fear, like some of the contestants, we will embarrass ourselves for even trying. Like Alice Fredenham, we come unaccompanied with the expectation of failing alone, unnoticed.

Colossians 2:8, “See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ.”

We live in a world of hyper expectations. Social Media feeds us the best moments of people’s lives while hiding from view their struggles. As a result, we start to believe we are alone amongst 4 billion delighted individuals.

You see, I know my past. I know my weaknesses and shortcomings. Many of them I have had my entire life, even though I have tried desperately to overcome them. I see the lives around me, and I don’t measure up. I’m always looking at people I feel inferior to, never at those who struggle with me. I spend way too much time reinforcing my weaknesses as opposed to building my strengths.

You have to believe what God says is true even when you can’t see it.

Numbers 28:19, “God is not man that He should lie, or a son of man, that He should change His mind. Has He said, and will He not do it? Or has He spoken, and will He not fulfill it?”

IF YOU TRULY BELIEVE WHAT YOU SAY YOU BELIEVE, YOU ARE NOT THREATENED BY THE OPINIONS OF OTHERS.

Matthew 5:48, “Therefore you are to be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.”

You were made in the image of God. That means you were made to be perfect. God created you specifically to live the life you are living. No one can live that life but you. The trials that you face are unique to you, even those trials shared by millions. We each experience them differently.  Even our disabilities are part of God’s plan.

If you are like me, you experience doubt from time to time. During those times, I am alone in the dark. I have stepped out of the light of God’s grace to cower in the darkness, alone. But look up Alice Fredenham and her real-life experience on BGT. (Compare the beginning with the end) It is the same type of experience God has for you once you come back into the light of His love and compassion. You are so much more than the sum of your thoughts.

LIVE BIG, FAIL BIG

The genuine desire in your heart is God’s proof to you of what God has planned for you in advance. Seize it, own it, nurture it. Do not be afraid of failure. Failure is one of the ways God teaches us.  Those things that seem to hold us back are the very things that God has given us to demonstrate His glory to others. We should not pray that He takes these away, but pray that He shows us how to use them. Even Paul struggled with his “thorn.”

2 Corinthians 12 7-9, “Therefore, so that I would not become arrogant, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to trouble me—so that I would not become arrogant. I asked the Lord three times about this, that it would depart from me. But he said to me, ‘My grace is enough for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.'”

Remember, you can fail at things you don’t like easier than you can fail at those you love. If you are going to fail, fail at something with meaning. Living a life worth living is what helps us rejoice in old age. You will not go into the final chapter of your life with regret. You will not look back at things you wish you would have done, people you wish you spent more time with, or places you’ve always wanted to visit. Instead, God will drive you to levels of fulfillment you never thought you could achieve.

2 Kings 6:17, “Then Elisha prayed and said, “O Lord, I pray, open his eyes that he may see.” And the Lord opened the servant’s eyes and he saw; and behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.”

Life is a fight, and you have an army. You’re never alone. We live in a fallen world, so struggles will continue to happen. When you struggle with lies, life becomes far more complex. Take a moment, turn around and see God’s army. Take courage.

Isaiah 41:10, “Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”

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Good Passion Versus Bad Passion

It all started with thoughts about passion; you know, good passion versus bad passion.

Psalm 73:25-26, “Whom have I in heaven but you? And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.”

TOMORROW

Annie sings that the sun will come out tomorrow; Tomorrow clears the cobwebs and the sorrow. Tomorrow we can start with a blank canvas and paint a new picture of our life. Tomorrow we can erase the errors of today and start over.

The Beatles sing about Yesterday that our troubles seemed so far away, but they’re here to stay. “I’m not the half the man I used to be.” The Beatles remind us of our regrets that we might improve our future.

Kaki Kings, the musician at a TedTalks convention, states that time runs endlessly for eternity backward and forward, making this moment seem insignificant. But the reality is that this moment is the most critical in our life; at this moment. So, all we have is to make this moment the most significant moment of all moments.

U2’s song Tomorrow, Bon Jovi sings, “Will you be back tomorrow? Open up, open up to the lamb of God. To the love of he who made the blind to see. He’s coming back.”

My arrogance, and maybe your arrogance, is that we might be granted a tomorrow. I go to sleep each night, asking for forgiveness of my transgressions and listing what I need help with tomorrow. I talk about friends that I need to reach out to because they suffer. I speak about deeds I will do for those in need. I ask for wisdom and discernment for the decisions ahead. I assume that God will grace me with one more day on this earth.

1 Corinthians 9:19-23, “For though I am free from all, I have made myself a servant to all, that I might win more of them. To the Jews I became as a Jew, in order to win Jews. To those under the law I became as one under the law (though not being myself under the law) that I might win those under the law. To those outside the law I became as one outside the law (not being outside the law of God but under the law of Christ) that I might win those outside the law. To the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all people, that by all means I might save some. I do it all for the sake of the gospel, that I may share with them in its blessings.”

What if that was my last prayer here on earth; what if I did not see another tomorrow this side of heaven? What if that very night I met God face-to-face? Would I have regrets? Would I have deeds undone? Would I want one more day?

TODAY

Colossians 3:5, “Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry.”

God continues to give us these two-edged swords; passion is one of them. Earthly passion can drive us to destructive behaviors. It is not just the passion to have more, be more and experience more. It sometimes is the passion to present ourselves perfect to the world around us. Earthly passion can disguise itself as a virtue. It feeds upon pride to puff us up. Worldly passion can make us feel superior to others because we care more. Earthly desire can cause us to be addicted to behaviors that do not glorify God but glorify ourselves. Worldly passion assumes there will be many tomorrows. Without tomorrow’s, earthly desire loses its meaning. Worldly passion feeds on the expectation of tomorrow.

Ephesians 1:4, “Even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him.”

Spiritual passion feeds on eternity. Spiritual passion assumes that time here will end. Spiritual passion prepares us for when earthly tomorrows finish. We can do things that others might see as worldly passion, but our drive is different. For example: do we exercise to look good and feel good, or do we exercise so that we are prepared to do God’s will? Do we seek education to advance our future or to use it to glorify God? Spiritual passion is redirecting our worldly desire to glorify God.

Colossians 1:16–17, “For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together.”

We may not be graced with another day; did we live today with that in mind? Chasing the passion God put within us at creation is about living each day to its fullest. It is acknowledging God is sovereign over all; he created all things for His glory. Therefore, everything we do is an act of worship to Him. What did your worship look like today?

1 Corinthians 10:31, “So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.”

In our trials, did we focus on ourselves, or did we take the opportunity to glorify God, knowing that God will not give us more than we can handle? Did we find good in those who sought to harm us? Did we acknowledge God’s presence in everything we did?

Romans 8:28, “And we know that to them that love God all things work together for good, to them that are called according to his purpose.”

FOREVER

I love what Kaki King said because it reminds me that every moment counts. There are no insignificant moments in our lives, even though the totality of our lives may seem trivial compared to eternity. Moments make up eternity, each one extremely important.

We get momentary pleasure for worldly passion. It is a temptation that is hard to pass up. We can start to believe that living in the moment is not harmful to our existence in eternity. But it is every moment that eventually adds up to eternity. So, God counts everyone as important.

Live this day, this moment, as if you might stand before God before tomorrow.

James 1:17-20, “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change. Of his own will he brought us forth by the word of truth, that we should be a kind of first fruits of his creatures. Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger; for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God.”

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Passion

Passion is sometimes it is like looking for a unicorn. You know, the pink ones with the long sparky mane, not the run-of-the-mill white one, they’re too familiar. For some people, passion is make-believe. Some people see it in others, but they can’t find it in themselves. But, once you do find it, it redefines you. It changes the way you approach everything; it becomes the air that you breathe. It’s a high that won’t stop.

How do we know we will ever find our passion? I’ll warn you that I don’t have answers. However, I have a little knowledge and a little direction, and possibly some experience that might help you find your passion.

But it is your quest.

Sima Ballinger defined passion as “passion comes from the inner desires of our heart. Passion comes from our belief and value system, which, in turn, creates a purpose for our very existence.”

There are three specific attributes she applies to passion.

Passion comes from the inner desire of our hearts.

Psalms 37:4, “Delight thyself also in the LORD; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.”

Proverbs 20:5, “The purposes of a person’s heart are deep waters, but one who has insight draws them out.”

Passion comes from our beliefs and value system.

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.”

Passion creates a purpose for our very existence.

Exodus 9: 16, “But I have raised you up for this very purpose, that I might show you my power and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth.”

Here is the journey God took me on:

TRUST GOD

Trust is the foundation of all relationships. If it is weak, the relationship falls apart. If it is strong, the relationship weathers many a storm. It is gut-check time. Do you trust that God truly loves you and wants a great life for you? Does that trust extend to your wallet and your time?

Proverbs 16:9, “A man’s heart decides his way: but the LORD directs his steps.”

We have talked a lot about how God made you as a unique person having a destination. You have to be willing to modify your steps even after you have determined your way. There is no hiding the fact that you have to move, but will you allow God to steer once in motion?

It all starts with trust; do you trust Him?

USE WHAT HE GIVES YOU

We don’t reinvent ourselves; we repurpose ourselves. Our passion is built around the attributes that God created for us in the womb. We do not have to create this new personification. We are new in Christ, but we are the same person God originally made us; we are just trying to jettison the excess baggage. We are trying to shake off all the stuff that a fallen world has heaped upon us.

Finding our passion is not adding on but shaking off. We need to shake off old attitudes, old habits, old preconceptions of our self-worth or talents. We need to forget what the world defines as success and focus on what God has already defined for us. What is that small voice telling us about true joy? What is that hunger we feel? What is that longing?

It is to get back to what God had planned for us. It is to use the past to build the future.

Colossians 1:16, “For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him.”

STAY IN PRAYER

James 1: 5-8, “If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you. But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind.  That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. Such a person is double-minded and unstable in all they do.”

BE INTENTIONAL

You can’t steer a stationary ship. You want something; you have to move. I remember a hiking t-shirt that I saw that said, “The hardest step in a hike is the first one out the front door” I thought Amen to that. If we spent all our time thinking about how arduous the journey might be, we would never leave home. When we don’t know where we should go, we tend not to go anywhere.

If you don’t have a plan, then set a date when you will have a plan. That plan may only be to find out more information. But do something. Once you think you have an idea, pursue it until God stops you or redirects you. God will course correct you when needed. He may think you need some additional experience before you are ready. If you don’t keep moving, you will never get the experience.

Ephesians 5:15-17, “Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. Therefore, do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.”

Stay in communication with God at all times. You’re moving; you need guidance. Guidance comes from communications. Read, meditate, pray, seek Christian council, keep all channels open.

Proverbs 10:4, “A slack hand causes poverty, but the hand of the diligent makes rich.”

James 4:17, “So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin.”

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Being Different

As Christians, we know that once we commit of lives to Christ, we become members of His family and are assured an inheritance in His Kingdom. We know that we will spend eternity with Him. We know that our lives here on earth are fleeting; they are but a whisper through eternity.

James 4:14, “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.”

TODAY

But today is all we have. Today we have to face the dragons that are determined to devour us. No matter how much hope we have in our future, today is still today. We have never experienced eternity. We have no vision or memory to give us courage. We have a promise which we know to be true, but what about today?

Revelation 12:12, “Therefore, rejoice, O heavens and you who dwell in them! But woe to you, O earth and sea, for the devil has come down to you in great wrath, because he knows that his time is short!”

I get overwhelmed with today. I have issues, my friends have issues, and my country has issues. Many of these issues seem to multiply over time. Some of us, or our loved ones, are dealing with Illnesses or depression that will not go away. Many of us see social trends that are both harmful and, even worse, normalized. Some of us have fractured relationships that we hold so dear. At times, today is a tough place to be.

Psalms 54:4, “Surely God is my helper; the Lord is the sustainer of my soul.”

Someone reminded me this last week that in every situation, I have two choices; I can let it devour me, or I can lean into it. I can fight it on my own, risking it overwhelming me, or I can give it to Christ to see how He will use it for His kingdom. I can dig in my heels, stiffen my back and wait for the full force of it, or I can embrace it, asking Christ to intervene.

There is nothing in your life that God has not foreseen. There is nothing that He can not use for His glory. There are no surprises, no unexpected events, and no actions beyond God control.

Jeremiah 32:17, “Ah Lord God! It is You who made the heavens and the earth, by Your great power and Your outstretched arm. Nothing is too hard for You.”

BECOME A LIGHT

I am old enough that I stopped asking God, “Why?”. I now ask Him, “What’s next?”. I often see the cause and effect, but there are so many situations in my life that I don’t fully understand. In those situations, the reason why becomes superfluous. Knowing why won’t change the day. The real question becomes, what do you want me to do next? What do I do in the middle of this darkness? God does not ask me to find a light; He asks me to become a light.

John 1:5, “But if any of you lack wisdom, let them ask God who gives to all generously and without reproach and it will be given to you.”

This approach may seem counterintuitive. When we need someone to reach down into our lives to help us stand, God, asks us to extend a helping hand to others. Everything we go through in life is not isolated to us. We are not the only ones affected; others become collateral damage—other people in our life hurt with us. Our testimony is how we react in hard times. Are we Victims or Victorious? Is the God we worship passive or active? Are we different because of the hope we have in Him?

Psalms 16:3, “Commit to the Lord whatever you do and He will establish your plans.”

Hard truths are not easy to understand. Living the Gospel requires us to be different. That difference does not come naturally. It is born and nurtured through our faith that God has been, is, and always will be there for us. We have never experienced eternity with Christ, but we have seen what He had done through us when we were open to His lead. That history is what we use to guide us to Him in times of uncertainty and trouble. That is what makes us different. You have the full force of the Holy Spirit that lives in you.

2 Timothy 1:7, “For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love, and self-discipline.”

It takes courage to be different. But being different in a fallen world is not a bad thing. On the contrary, bringing compassion, grace, and love to those who hurt with you is the best way to heal your wounds.

Job 42:2, “I know You can do all things, and that no purpose of Yours can be thwarted.”

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My Testimony

Psalms 107:4-6, “They wandered in the wilderness in a solitary way; they found no city to dwell in. Hungry and thirsty, their soul fainted in them. Then they cried unto the Lord in their trouble, and he delivered them out of their distresses.”

THE STARTER’S GUN

I was kind of late to Christianity. Although I was baptized at a young age, it was more because I was a joiner. By the time I left High School, I was the president of the Baptist Youth Fellowship at my small church. These things can happen in small communities; the one who raises their hand gets the job.

I went to college not because I had a life plan but because it was the next step. I worked full-time during college; my goal was to get a diploma, not an education. If you don’t know what you want to be in life, what is the point in getting too educated on stuff you may never use? Sorry parents, there are a lot of kids in college with this plan.

1 Corinthians 9:24-27, “Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but only one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may win. Everyone who competes in the games, exercises self-control in all things. They then do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. Therefore, I run in such a way, as not without aim.”

THE TURN

After college, I packed up all my stuff in a Chevy Vega and headed 750 miles south to get a job; I didn’t know a person in town, had no business connections and had no direction. I was working on the next step in life; I got a diploma now get a job. A man has to eat. At this point, life was just a series of checkmarks. Next on the list was marriage and family. There wasn’t any real passion or objective to being alive. I was insanely insecure, insanely angry, and insanely driven. This mental state was a tightly joined lethal cocktail. My insecurity drove my anger which forced me to overachieve. I look back on it now, and it seems so illogical, but it all made sense at the time. The good news for me was that I was an ambivert, you know, the guy that fits well in a social environment but has to go home to hide. I could mask all of my daily issues and feed them when I was alone at night.

The weird thing was that I thought this was all normal; it was just life. Everyone was fighting to get ahead. But it was a formula for disaster; still, I didn’t see it. Even when I was in the lifeboat watching the last of the ship as it dipped below the waves, I thought, this is life; everyone has problems. A wrecked marriage and a pacemaker at thirty, stress was the fuel. Stress kept me focused; it fed the anger to be someone.

Jeremiah 12:5, “… you have raced with men on foot and they have worn you out,”

THE STRETCH

Finally, I had to agree that this approach wasn’t working. I couldn’t keep it up for a lifetime. There had to be better way.  Back in childhood, there was this book that was supposed to have the answers. So I got a copy, it was the Bible; I started to read. I wasn’t looking for salvation; I was looking for a better life. Up to this point, life was a sprint that turned into a marathon; I wasn’t prepared for it. I read the Bible from cover to cover eight times. Every time I learned something new about how God made me and the way I needed to live my life. I was convinced God existed; Christ was still a little iffy.

Proverbs 4:13, “Hold on to instruction, do not let it go; guard it well, for it is your life.”

I started going to church. Over time there grew a desire in me to become something bigger than just me. I began to question my existence. Just why was I driven to achieve, and what exactly was I to achieve? Then I read the book “A Case for Christ.” From both a historical and factual standpoint, it was almost impossible to deny Christ’s ministry. He had to be who He said He was; what did that mean to me?

My conclusion; I was dead in my sin. Christ did die for my sins. He did raise from the dead. Salvation was real. I rededicated my life to Him. With that rededication, I am a new person in Christ no longer driven by anger and insecurity; I was created in the image of Christ. But I was still internally driven, still focused on worldly standards. It was still easy to separate my Christian beliefs from my material efforts. The scoreboard was about using everything God had given me to become a better me. I started out embellishing my worldly resume, then I turned to embellishing my spiritual resume.

THE FINISH

I remember the day that I finally saw God’s truth. I was on the way to the airport in the early morning. I traveled five days a week almost my entire career; it was a typical Monday morning. A friend had given me a tape of a one-person play called “The Bema.” The essence of the play was to answer the question; What have you done for Christ since you knew Him? My answer was simple, nothing. It has always been about me; it went from me-pleasing-me to me-pleasing-God. But I was still the center of the story.

2 Corinthians 9:8, “And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in good works”

The epiphany was that it has never been about me. Everything God created, myself included, is for God’s glory, not mine. Everything I have, had, or ever will have belongs to Him; I’m just a caretaker of those things.  I bring glory to God by taking what He has given me and serving others. This concept was a pivot point. This was the point in my life that I started to become the man God had always created me to be. This was the start of a life worth living.

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.”

Since then, I have tried to be more outward-focused. I want to see the opportunities God is giving me to serve others through Him. By the way, it took me several years to consistently give Him glory for what I was doing. I would serve someone, but I would forget to tell them that it wasn’t me but Christ in me who had served them. The first step in sharing the Gospel is living the Gospel. I’m getting better at a lot of things; I still have further to go.

Life is a marathon; within that race you can find a calming cadence provided by Christ that guarantees that you can finish the race confidently. My focus is not the road ahead, but the God of the Universe that created me to not only run the race but run it with hope and joy that the race is not in vain.

Hebrews 12:1-3, “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.”

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