Tag: motivational

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Influence and Purpose

When I was much younger, I marveled at the chance of my existence. I even calculated the probability of being born as a middle-class male living in a small town in the most prosperous country in the world. Incredibly, I am who I am. Every aspect of my existence is an attribute required by God to accomplish His will. Each of us has the same story with a slightly different twist. We are all uniquely qualified for what God has in store for us. None of our characteristics should be considered weaknesses because they are specific to the path God wants us to follow; each attribute a strength to be used to advance His Kingdom here on earth.

1 Corinthians 12:4-6, “Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; and there are varieties of service, but the same Lord; and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who empowers them all in everyone.”

It got me thinking about the influence God has given me in this world and how that influence interlocks with my purpose. I have a personal philosophy to have the most significant impact on God’s kingdom while here on this earth; I must stay on the path He has put before me. That path will not only enhance my salvation experience; it will also have the most significant impact on the sphere of influence I have in this world.

Ephesians 2:10, “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.”

The foundation is my personal spiritual growth. Without that, I can neither accept salvation nor influence others to seek redemption, which we can all agree on as paramount to any plan God has for us. Much like the safety video on an airplane, we have to put the oxygen mask on ourselves before helping others.

VIRAL SALVATION

With a sound foundation, how to take our salvation viral? How do we create the most significant impact for Christ in the short time we have? I believe God wants us to work exclusively within our circle of influence; I call it my social ecosystem. The people with which I have the most commonality start with my family and very close friends. The next circlet might be people in groups or organizations to which I belong, people with whom I interact regularly, but I would not consider close. Like ripples on a pond that expand outward, the further from the center, the less amplitude to the wave. In my case, at the far reaches, where the wave is almost flat, is national influence. I certainly do not feel I have any significant global influence. The work I do in third-world countries is focused on individuals, not nations or governments.

Psalm 119:73-74, “You made me; you created me. Now give me the sense to follow your commands. May all who fear you find in me a cause for joy, for I have put my hope in your word.”

My national influence is exclusively through voting in elections. I do vote, and I should vote. But I do understand that my impact there is as one in about 130 million. I am not politically active. Even if I was the paper “Testing Theories of American Politics,” Martin Gilens and Benjamin Page concluded, “the preferences of the average American appear to have only a minuscule, near-zero, statistically non-significant impact upon public policy.”

When I look at my responsibility in this world, I look at it through that lens. I look at it by saying the first obligation I have is the safety and nourishment of my soul, with the constant refocusing of my spiritual energy to be the person God wants me to be. The second role I have is expanding God’s Kingdom. I grow God’s Kingdom through my influence on others around me.

Matthew 5:16: “In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.”

In my world, I try to stay away from issues for which I have little influence. I can worry about the global economy, I can worry about the global pandemic, but my impact is limited. We know that because of God’s providence, He has control over everything. God has a direct influence on all things. God has chosen not to include me in many issues; I don’t have an active role outside my ecosystem. I can wander outside of my lane, but I do it at great risk.

OUR SOCIAL ECOSYSTEM

There are people in my life that I have immense compassion and love for that need me. There are real and everyday issues that create pain and suffering that never get media attention. Friends, family, and neighbors are on the cusp of abandoning God because they feel alone and alienated. The pandemic may have created a worldwide phenomenon, but it also amplified individual suffering. Most of the people we know grind through life, hiding their despair and guilt because they don’t think anyone cares. These are the people God has put before us. These are the people God has sent us to Shepard. Do we take the time to listen? Are we people of God who are willing to get down in the dirt with those we love? It is so much easier to debate politics or the latest downward spiral in society than open our hearts and homes to those we love that have complex, difficult questions that only God can answer.

Corinthians 7:16, “For how do you know, O wife, whether you will save your husband? Or how do you know, O husband, whether you will save your wife?”

All of this brings me to a question; as Christians, are we doing the right thing when we engage in conversations on subjects over which God has not given us influence? Do we dilute our impact when we use energy to chase issues that we, one, are not privy to the details and two, have little or no influence outside our opinion? We can have strong views on these subjects; these opinions may or may not have biblical grounding, but our opinion will not change the course God has established.

God has taken care of the more significant issues. He has put in power people who He has given the responsibility to govern. We may not understand or agree with His choices or direction, but that is not our prevue. He has not asked for our advice about His kingdom. What He has asked is that we join Him in serving those around us. Even those who are in positions of power still have an obligation to their immediate social ecosystem. Even they, with all their power and prestige, will be held responsible for the lives around them.

RESETTING OUR IMPACT

I would like to see myself get back to my primary purpose; that purpose is expanding God’s Kingdom with the people around me. Our social ecosystem is different for all of us. God has created a specific and vital role for each of us. We cannot neglect the people God has put in front of us by chasing issues beyond our control. Our focus needs to be on the lives God has put in front of us.

Psalm 139:16, “You saw me before I was born. Every day of my life was recorded in your book. Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed.”

This need is not a passive but active responsibility. These are the people God has asked you to Shepard. The people God has brought into your life He has done with purpose; it is not a random selection. When we overlook their needs for the needs of others, we neglect not only our loved ones but the very purpose God has placed you here in the first place. We were created solely for His purpose.  There are people in our social circle whose eternal existence might depend on us.

James 5:20, “let him know that he who turns a sinner from the error of his way will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins.”

How do I reset; how do I get back to using my resources, skills, and passion for focusing on the issues on which God wants me to focus? How do I chase God’s desire for my life without disconnecting from worldly matters? Can I consume secular subjects without them taking residence? If I cannot, then is it profitable, within God’s providence, for me to allow that intrusion?

Remember Mordechai’s warning to Ester, “If you will not do it God will raise another to take your place.” If we spend too much time and effort coloring outside the lines that we neglect our primary mission, God will raise someone else in your place.

Isaiah 58:10: “If you pour yourself out for the hungry and satisfy the desire of the afflicted, then shall your light rise in the darkness and your gloom be as the noonday.”

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Small Choices

Small choices build the foundation for more meaningful decisions in our lives. Big decisions are not so much a choice at the moment but the culmination of many small decisions made over time leading up to the moment.

“What is always true is that the decisions we make today determine the stories we tell about our lives tomorrow” – Craig Groeschel, Divine Direction

The decision to choose one job over another was started with smaller choices. Maybe it was the choice to look for a new job, or perhaps the decision to investigate a new profession. It could have been a decision to have coffee with an old workmate. The decision to ask someone to marry you might have started with a decision to attend a party. Our many small decisions craft the environment in which we make our big decisions. 

When we try to understand God’s purpose in our lives, what are some of the small decisions that directly or indirectly impact our understanding? Do we make small decisions that inadvertently eliminate opportunities to achieve His purpose?

1 John 2:15-17, “Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride in possessions—is not from the Father but is from the world. And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever.”

I’m sorry folks I can’t get over the waste of humanity. All of those people walking the face of the earth living substandard lives thinking they have made it. People whose greatness is shrouded by the perceptions of the world. We compromise and compromise and compromise; not knowing we are planting the seeds of an unfulfilled life. 

Starting a New Habit

One of the most straightforward small choices we can make that will immensely impact how we make big decisions is to create a new habit that changes our worldview. We are inundated every day with an overwhelming amount of new information. All of this information is like dripping water on a stone. If the drip continues long enough, it will eventually wear down the stone.

Romans 12:2, “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.”

We need to create a new habit that counteracts the damage of our old habits. We need to consciously ingest good, positive, and Godly information to replace much of the anxious, negative, and worldly information force-feed to us daily. The idea is not to radically change our environment; some people are capable of this, most are not. The objective is to slowly shift our attention away from those inputs that dominate us today.

The new habit might be a quiet time to contemplate God’s blessing, time in the scriptures, or journaling about answered prayer. I would suggest early in the morning before your day begins or late at night as your day is winding down. Don’t think revolution; think revelation. Try to create a new habit that you can maintain for the rest of your life. If you think of something, ask yourself; can I do this every day for the next ten years? If you can answer that yes, you are on the right track to do it the rest of your life.

Philippians 4:8, “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.”

Stopping an Old Habit

Many of the habits we have in life we don’t view as habits. We have done them so long that they have become part of us. Many of those habits, if not unhealthy, are at least unproductive. Here is a habit I am still trying to break. It is the habit of negative thought. I get into arcane mind games where I debate with myself over controversies that will never happen in real life. I don’t know when this started in my life. It seems it has always been there. I used to think of it as preparing to overcome an objection before anyone objected. It was a good thing to think through my position and internally discussed its weaknesses. Nice rationalization. The reality is that it is just negative thinking.

1 Corinthians 10:13, “No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.”

Each of us has something that stands in the way of our hearing God speak. Trust me; God was not involved in my internal debates; it was all me. They caused me to think negatively about people without giving them a chance to do something about which to feel pessimistic.

Maybe you start the day listening to the news or reading the latest political column. Perhaps you spend too much time with the wrong people, watching the bad movies, or reading the wrong books. There is always something.

Pick just one thing that you want to stop doing, then commit to yourself to stop doing it. If you need an accountability person or group to be successful, get them.

Staying When We Want to Leave

If you have not run into this by today, you will eventually. You find yourself at a crossroads. There is a decision to make. Should I keep doing what I am doing, or should I change? There are so many times when what I am doing does not seem to produce fruit. I feel that I am doing it out of obedience, but I start to question even that. It might be a job or a relationship, or a calling.

1 Corinthians 15:58, “Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.”

This post is one for me. I’m an engineer, a computer geek, a high type “A,” and highly goal-oriented; these are not the character traits of someone who writes. Although there are times when what I write speaks to me so loudly, I know it is right. There are also times when I wonder why I am doing this? If God is not inspiring my words, they just don’t come. It is like staring into a vast black void waiting to hear an echo. My commitment to myself is to stand firm. I have no idea what the fruit of this labor is; I only know that God wants me to continue.

It takes tenacity, perseverance, and faith to stand when every fiber of your body says to run. There will be times in your life when staying may seem like the most painful thing ever ask of you. It is in these times when you have to lean on God to give you the strength. He will never give you a burden that you cannot endure. He will never test you to see your reaction.

It is hard to see the sun in the middle of a storm, but it is always there just above the clouds. When you find yourself at a crossroads, seek God, He is always there just above the clouds.

Deuteronomy 31:6 “Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.”

Going When it is More Comfortable to Stay

The other crazy dilemma is when to leave. I was sitting in the garden of our residence in Kyrgyzstan early one morning, relaxed, having my morning coffee, when suddenly I asked myself, how did you get here? I hadn’t thought about it. The trip here is 17 hours in a plane over ten time zones. It is not cheap, it is certainly not convenient, and The State Department says it is not advisable. But the question wasn’t really about the travel arrangements or the comfort; it was about the intent. What was my intention in being here?

Joshua 1:9, “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”

My home is very comfortable. My life has a nice cadence to it. The food is good, my friends are great, and fellowship with other Christians is easy and numerous. I can be useful at home. But, that is not God’s plan for my life.

“A ship is safe in harbor, but that’s not what ships are for.” ― John A. Shedd

At some point in your life, God will ask you to move. It can be as simple as changing seats to interact with a stranger or travel 7,000 miles to a country where you have never been. It can be changing jobs, changing cities, or changing relationships.

1 Corinthians 15:33, “Do not be deceived: “Bad company ruins good morals.”’

Small Decisions Big Consequences

In every case, you will find that God gave you several small decisions that led to the big decision. Life isn’t a pop quiz; life is an essay exam. It is paying attention to the details and writing the story. If we make the small correct decisions, the bigger ones make more sense. God will never abandon you; He will never forsake you. He will never test you beyond your endurance. There is no wasted effort or bunny trails. And in all of this, He wraps it in love. His love for you is unimaginable. His desire to have a deep, meaningful, and joy-filled relationship with you is without bounds.

Matthew 25:23, “‘Good work,’ his master said. ‘You are a good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over this small amount, so now I will give you much more.’

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To Infinity…and Beyond!

Proverbs 22:29, “Do you see a man skillful in his work? He will stand before kings; he will not stand before obscure men.”

This week I find myself in Toknok, Kyrgyzstan, helping teach a class in micro-business development. I am here with two other men to teach local Kyrgy’s how to create and operate Kingdom Impact businesses. I love being here because it is all about chasing your passion for Christ. The first thing we discuss with them is that God has to be the leader of your vision. Without the Holy Spirits’ direction, their new business will be another business; it might create wealth, but it will not fundamentally change the world. If God is driving the vision, then the business will have an eternal impact; it will drive changed lives and brighter futures.

1 Peter 4:10,” Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms.”

KINGDOM IMPACT BUSINESS

A Kingdom Impact business is a business that applies Christian principles to the way the owner interacts with employees, customers, suppliers, and the community. It impacts the way they manage their finances, their wages, and their prices. Most of all, it drives their need to share the joy of the gospel with the community in which they live and do business.

2 Kings 12:15, “They did not require an accounting from those to whom they gave the money to pay the workers, because they acted with complete honesty.”

I learned to appreciate how God works; it is best to visit third-world countries. These people have not been jaded by first-world expectations. They haven’t been told what they can accomplish and what they can’t. They are both teachable and passionate. God has opened them up to possibilities beyond their expectations. There is a fearful excitement about the future.

I learned how to be brave. In many cases, the hardship these people face daily would break most of us. Some of the places I have been to don’t have electricity or clean water; they live in a hut with a dirt floor. They don’t go home at night to TV and the internet, but only darkness. What they have is a hope in Christ that overshadows their environment. Most of the people I deal with are filled with joy and hope. They are hungry for God’s direction and confident that no matter how difficult life is, heaven awaits.

When we talk about being an example for the community, they get it. These people understand that they are the light in the darkness around them. They know from their experience how tough life is without hope. They want to share that hope with others.

Philippians 4:11-13, “Not that I speak from want, for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am. I know how to get along with humble means, and I also know how to live in prosperity; in any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, both of having abundance and suffering need. I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.”

They want their business to be successful in supporting their families and lifting the community, and drawing others to Christ.

Acts 20:35, “In everything I did, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the words the Lord Jesus himself said: ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’ “

BACK HOME

Is that the way we live? When we go to work, do we see the blessing of work as an opportunity to build up our peers and draw them to Christ? Do we operate from a Kingdom Perspective? I know that question isn’t fair. When you have nothing, everything is important. But when you have everything, nothing is important.

Our lives are consumed with keeping all of our stuff straight. We have careers and college education funds and retirement funds about which to worry. We have homes with mortgages or rent, taxes, and insurance. For many of us, it is the condo association or the homeowners association that we must appease to maintain peace . Our kids not only have to have a good education, but they must also grow up to be well-rounded. We are busy chasing the American Dream.

1 Timothy 6:17-19, “Instruct those who are rich in this present world not to be conceited or to fix their hope on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly supplies us with all things to enjoy. Instruct them to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share, storing up for themselves the treasure of a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is life indeed.”

This is all to say we get lost in our stuff and forget our purpose. We forget that everything we have or will ever have come from the creator of the universe that loves us unconditionally, and we should show it more often. We should take a lesson for our less fortunate brothers and sisters in Christ. We should use all that God has given us to lift the community we live in and draw others to Christ.

I don’t mean to shame anyone; really, I don’t. It is to say we live complex, busy lives. It is extremely easy to become so busy living that we never realize we are not living; we are marking time. We find ourselves devoting way too much time reaping the harvest of the blessings that we forget the source of those blessings. It’s not intentional; it just happens. Periodically we catch our breath and whisper out thanks.

FINAL THOUGHT

Maybe we should think about putting a task on our calendar every day to remind us to take a moment to remember our purpose.

Well, I’m going to enjoy this week. I’m going to enjoy the country, love the people and reset my perspective. Then I will come back home with a healthier understanding of what God has done, is doing, and will continue to do for and through me.

Proverbs 13:22, “A good person leaves an inheritance for their children’s children, but a sinner’s wealth is stored up for the righteous.”

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Greatness

Greatness: noun: the quality or state of being important, notable, or distinguished: The goal of greatness is to inspire others to achieve excellence by taking risks, working hard, and pushing their limits.

We all want to be the hero of our own story. This desire does not make us arrogant, narcissistic, or self-absorbed; it makes us human. In many, this desire drives over achievement. In others, it creates a vacuum that they fear they will never fill. God has created each one of us to be great, to be greater than great. God has created each of us to be unique and treasured in all the universe.

Most of us never live up to our potential. For most it is because we set our goals too low. We look around our environment to determine our potential. We seldom look to our maker. We seldom look at our impact from an eternal prospective. We can’t visualize the ripple effect of our actions that send waves to the horizon and beyond. We are here, we produce and we are gone. Maybe we leave a little something for our children, but that is the extend of our vision.

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.”

He works out everything in conformity with the purpose of His will. You must answer two fundamental questions before you can achieve His greatness. They are WHY and HOW. Most people start with the HOW because it is more objective. But without knowing the WHY, the HOW is almost irrelevant.

Colossians 1:16, “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.”

God created each of us with a unique set of attributes; aptitude, passion, intelligence, skills, personality, and drive for Himself. No two of us are precisely the same. This stew of attributes is what God designed so that each of us could achieve His specific plan for our lives. If we choose to live a life that does not align with God’s plan, we will never achieve contentment no matter how worldly successful we become. We will not live to the fullness of His purpose.

John  15:11, “I have told you this so that My joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.”

Before we start out investing in resources to achieve greatness, we need to assess our goal; is it mine or God’s? I can achieve worldly success outside of God’s plan for me, but I cannot achieve true greatness. I will always feel it is the next “thing” that is missing and will bring me that contentment, that ounce of joy.

John 15:5, “I am the vine, you are the branches. The one who remains in Me  – and I in him – bears much fruit, because apart from Me you can accomplish nothing.”

A CAUTIONARY TALE

I have a friend who has spent the a significant part of their adult life being good at something; it’s been their chosen profession. The profession pays well. They came to this profession by looking at the job market and determining where the demand was today and which vocation had future growth potential. They then set out to be very good at what they do; God gave them this personality trait. They have been rewarded handsomely for their effort.

Now they are at the tail end of their career and are counting the days until they can quit. It is not that they hate their job, they feel blessed that it has supported their family for so long. They don’t love it; it’s just a job. It’s what you do, you work for a living. If they had just a bit more money, they could retire happy; they could finally do what they always wanted to do. They would be free.

Throughout their successful career, they have never experience contentment. They have met great people, had great experiences and had fun at times. But, they have never known what it feels like to be in the center of God’s will. Why didn’t they chase God’s plan in their life all along? They didn’t pursue their God-given passion because the HOW got in the way of the WHY. As time went on, what my friend was doing grew in monetary rewards so that they didn’t know how to transition from what they relied upon to what they loved. They kept doing what they were doing, building more skills around it, and eventually trapped themselves in a life less rewarding. Now they have lived the better part of their life waiting for this phase to end so that they can try again to be content.

Romans 12:2, “Do not be conformed to this present world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may test and approve what is the will of God – what is good and well-pleasing and perfect.”

They do have an extraordinary skill that they have ignored. It is something my friend loves to do but doesn’t have time for doing it. Why? Their job keeps getting in the way. They have always passed it off as a hobby or non-profit passion. They never really looked at its monetary value because they would have done it for free if they could.

I know their story. I see the number of times they went without food or worried about the rent because they were starting their career. I know the times they did side jobs to make ends meet. They did all of this for something they don’t even like doing. They are good at it; over time, they have become proficient at it, and people are willing to pay them to do it; but it has never truly made them happy.

Don’t spend your entire life with the taste of bitter grapes in your mouth.

Hebrews 13:5, “Make sure that your character is free from the love of money, being content with what you have; for He, Himself has said, “I will never desert you, nor will I ever forsake you,”

How do you think their lives might be different if they had applied that same grit to chase their passion? Do you think they might be good at it, might be proficient at it, and maybe, just maybe, people would pay them to do it?

PAYDAY

Proverbs 16:3, “Commit your works to the Lord and your plans will be established.”

We know from The Book of Ester that God’s will is unstoppable; if we don’t do it, He will raise someone else to take our place. Do you think that maybe today, my friend would still be counting the days until they can quit if they were living according to God’s will? Or, do you think my friend might be mentoring others so that those people could experience the same contentment my friend would have experienced?

Philippians 4:19, “And my God will supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus.

I assure you that you can monetize any skill, to varying degrees, of course. If what you are chasing is within God’s plan, He will not let you fail. He will always make sure to meet our needs. There might be a few terrifying times, God will test your resolve, but you will make it through those times. People will seek you out because of the joy and passion you bring to what you do.

What will be your legacy, will it be worldly possessions that will fade or wisdom passed from generation to generation?

John 4:13-17, “Some of you say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to some city. We will stay there a year, do business, and make money.” Listen, think about this: You don’t know what will happen tomorrow. Your life is like a fog. You can see it for a short time, but then it goes away. So you should say, “If the Lord wants, we will live and do this or that.” But now you are proud and boast about yourself. All such boasting is wrong. If you fail to do what you know is right, you are sinning.”

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Exploding into the Night

Don’t you want to live a life that leaves a brilliant streak across the night sky? Do you want that streak of light to end in a fourth of July extravaganza; an explosion of light, thunder and amazement? Do you want the world to look toward that darkness and see your impact, all for God’s glory? Do you want your impact to be bigger than life itself?

Psalm 97:4, “His lightnings lightened the world: The earth saw, and trembled”

To be what you are capable of and who God created you to be, you have to grab the opportunities God puts in front of you and let go of the baggage you have pickup up along the way.

We think too small. We think in terms of what we know and understand. We need to stop doing that. We all struggle with self-actualization, the need to be validated based on our perception of what could be; the ripple effect through eternity is beyond our comprehension.

Colossians 1:16, “For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things have been created through Him and for Him.”

God’s plan for us should be like the Scream Machine at Six Flags Amusement Park, thrilling, scary, exhilarating, up, down, and around, relying on the creator for our safe arrival; it’s a step up, strap in and hold on, ride.

Do not be afraid of God’s plan. Don’t be scared to step out on faith. Abandon your perception of worth; you are more valuable than you can imagine. God will use you to achieve things that you cannot imagine and may never see this side of heaven; all of this, according to His unique creation, you.

Psalm 8:3-6, “When I look at the night sky and see the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars you set in place. What are mere mortals that you should think about them, human beings that you should care for them? Yet you made them only a little lower than God and crowned them with glory and honor. You gave them charge of everything you made, putting all things under their authority.”

It is not about believing in who God made you; who God made you is a fact since the beginning of time. Your belief does not determine its existence. I want you to accept who God made you. I want you to drop the pretenses of this world and grab on to the reality of God’s power to become more than you ever thought you could be.

Part of the problem is that we determine greatness through the lens of the world. We look to others to determine what greatness is. God created each of us to be excellent in our unique way for a purpose individual to us alone. There is no comparable standard. God’s standard for us is unique to us.

Psalm 139:16, “Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them.”

The Bible translates the term Shema to mean, listen, but it means more; to listen with the intent of doing. As we go through life and God speaks, we should listen to do. The act of listening is not passive; it is active; it requires movement. We all too often determine God’s direction in terms of our perceived ability or desire. We believe God would never ask us to do something we are not equipped for, and He won’t; the problem is that we don’t fully understand what He has already done for us so that He can work through us.

You can be very effective for God’s kingdom by plodding down the road, one foot in front of the other, into a headwind. You can serve God by being yourself. You can be tenacious and determined. You can see evidence of positive impact. You can do all of this without living to your potential. You apply what you know to where you find yourself and produce fruit.

What if you cast all of that aside? What if you recognized that there is only one aspect of life you have some control over, that is obedience. What if you decided to do whatever was asked of you, no matter how foolish it might sound. Remember, God created you with specific attributes to do particular things for His Kingdom. Obeying God will not cause you to spiral out of control.

Deuteronomy 5:33, “Walk in obedience to all that the Lord your God has commanded you, so that you may live and prosper and prolong your days in the land that you will possess.”

In a couple of weeks, I am going to Kyrgyzstan. If you asked me if I wanted to go, I’d have said: “not really.” But Kyrgyzstan is just a destination, a place on the map. The journey is about changing people’s lives for Christ; they happen to be in Kyrgyzstan. Is there a lot of uncertainty, absolutely? It is not just the everyday safety issues with third world countries; it is also the complications of COVID. Then there are the 19 hours sitting in an aluminum tube hurtling through space. What I do know is that God would not ask me if He didn’t already know how it was going to turn out.

Part of the thrill of being the person God made you is the unexpected. God will show us that we have the power to change the world, one person at a time. It can happen in your backyard, your community, or some backwater place, not on any map. 

Listen with the intent of doing. Our worldly lives will all burn out at some point that we cannot stop. People will not remember your social status, position, wealth, and possessions, but they will remember that explosion in the night sky from a life worth living. Make it a big one.

Ephesians 4:1-6, “Therefore I, a prisoner for serving the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of your calling, for you have been called by God. Always be humble and gentle. Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other’s faults because of your love. Make every effort to keep yourselves united in the Spirit, binding yourselves together with peace. For there is one body and one Spirit, just as you have been called to one glorious hope for the future. There is one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all, in all, and living through all.”

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Own Your Impact

Don’t let your disappointment in who you think Jesus should be, distract you from who He is.

My passion in life is that God did not create us just to fight our sin nature; He put us here to bask in the glory of His love. There are enough Christians around to remind you of the fire and brimstone that accompanies an unrepentant heart. We know that the wages of sin are death. I want to represent a more positive corollary proposition. For those non-math whizzes, a corollary is a proposition that can be readily deduced from the original proposition or is self-evident from its proof.

Romans 6:23, “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”

MY APPROACH

Shorthand – Do we do good so God will love us, or because God already loves us, we do good?

Do you believe in God to avoid the pain of damnation, or has God’s love been so incredible in your life that you want to share it with others? You will never be good enough to save yourself or anyone else, but you are already good enough to love yourself and others. You are God’s creation, the work of His hands.

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

Once we stop fixating on the things we shouldn’t do, we open our eyes to the things we should. Once we cast off the chains of fighting against sin, we free ourselves to freely and openly love others. Rather than spending our lives trying to demonstrate perfection, how about we spend our lives sharing the love that God is raining down on us.

It is impossible to sin and reflect God’s love at the same time. We can spend our time beating ourselves up over sin or spend our time loving God and demonstrating that love to others. In my opinion, the second approach is more rewarding. The second approach leads to a life worth living.

Because of God’s love, we will want to avoid sin (which separates us from God), and we will want to attract others to that love. We will not be tied legalistically to rules, but we will want to please God and show His love to everyone.

HEALTHY FEAR

Proverbs 16:6, “Through love and faithfulness sin is atoned for; through the fear of the Lord evil is avoided.”

When the Bible refers to the “fear of the Lord,” it means having deep respect, reverence, and awe for God’s power and authority. Rather than causing someone to be afraid of God, a proper “fear of the Lord” leads one to love Him.

We cannot find our purpose in life if we do not grieve for those God has put on our path. If you only “care about people” or “worry about people” in the mission field God places you, is that enough? Do we feel compassion and love because we understand, from our own experience, the condition of their hearts?

Matthew 5:3, “Blessed are the poor inspirit for theirs is the kingdom of Heaven.”

To be the person God had created you to be, you have to focus on the right things; you have to free yourself from worldly perceptions and bias. When you understand the original condition of your heart and the pain associated with it, you can become more compassionate with others. Forgiving and loving others starts with understanding what got you here. What got you here is God’s unconditional love for you despite who you were or what you had done. When you stop running from damnation and start running toward love, you begin to live the life God has always wanted for you.

CONTRITION AS A BLESSING

Requirement for a humble and contrite heart: (The Essential Commandment “A Disciples Guide to Loving God and Others”, Greg Ogden)

    • A person with a “broken heart” has given up the pretense of pretended goodness.
    • The person with a “broken heart” has no room for self-righteous judgment of others.
    • Those whose hearts are broken are eminently teachable.
    • Finally, the humble and contrite heart draws delight from the Father.

It is not and will never be about us. It will always be about Him.

Psalm 51:17, “The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.”

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Living Large(r)

Isaiah 43:1, “Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name; you are Mine!”

God has created you for great things, things you can’t even imagine; many of those things will not be revealed to you this side of Heaven.

Job 37:5, “God thunders wondrously with his voice; he does great things that we cannot comprehend.”

MY STORY

I want to tell a story; it involves my life but isn’t about me. It is about what God has done that demonstrates the beauty, mystery, and elegance of his plan for each of us. Back in the early 1980’s I had a perplexing heart problem. I had no heart damage; it just stops beating every once in a while. It was a partial heart block that morphed into a complete heart block. My cardiologist was Doctor Charles Wickliffe. One night in the Emergency Room, Charles saved my life. I was joking with him one minute and waking up in surgery the next. I love this man, not only because he saved my life, but he has become a great friend. He retired from his practice a few months ago. I’ve never really connected the dot for him concerning the impact he has had. Here is what I will tell him the next time we meet.

HIS STORY

“Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.” – Martin Luther King Jr.

At three o’clock in the morning, you got out of bed to come to see me in the Emergency Room when you could have passed it on to the on-call resident. In doing so, you were the man that God created you to be, skilled, compassionate and caring. Neither of us knows the eternal impact of that evening. You see, I went on to spread the Gospel into over 50 prisons through the Champions for Life prison ministry. I spent over 20 years serving in the High Tech Ministry in Atlanta. I was on the board that created Roswell Day of Hope to reach the underserved in Roswell, GA. I now work with International Mission Connection in Honduras and International Micro-Business Development in Kenya, Indonesia, Kyrgyzstan, and Honduras. All of this was made possible by your act of obedience. All of this, and more, is to your credit. God rejoiced that night not for what happened that night but for what was still to come.

Zephaniah 3:17 “The Lord your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing.”

YOUR STORY

“How you live your life is a testimony of what you believe about God.” – Henry Blackaby

All of us have a story, but more importantly, someone out there has unknown stories about us. Your greatness and your true impact are yet to be revealed. I don’t know a thing about your life. I don’t know what you have done, what you have avoided doing, or the darkness you hide (we all do). I know as certain as I know there is a God in Heaven; God created you for greatness. Quietly, through everyday actions, you have encouraged others and you have shown the Gospel through your character. Some of those people who came in contact with you have, or will, go on to have a major impact for God’s kingdom here on Earth.

Matthew 23:10-12, “Neither be called instructors, for you have one instructor, the Christ. The greatest among you shall be your servant. Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.”

Greatness isn’t always an act of courage or sacrifice; it starts with a small act of kindness that blossoms through eternity to create a garden, each plant propagating more plants. Life is not easy, but it has meaning. If God answered every pray precisely as we prayed it, would we need faith? If our lives were perfect; we were well educated, best job, best spouse, and best everything, would we seek God?

We spend a great deal of time punishing ourselves for the person we are rather than rejoicing over who we could be. Today be that new person. Know that there are acts of kindness that will not show fruit this side of Heaven. But that act, the one you do today, maybe the seed that grows a garden.

Matthew 13:31-32, “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and sowed in his field; and this is smaller than all other seeds, but when it is full grown, it is larger than the garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and nest in its branches.”

Charles is known as a great Cardiovascular Surgeon; he has saved many lives, some were important people. God knows him not for all of those physically healed, but for the ones who went on to spiritually saved others, which saved others, that saved others.

We are His. We should start living our lives like we believe it.

1 Corinthians 1:27-31 “But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, so that no human being might boast in the presence of God.”

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Living a Life That Inspires

There are leaders and those that lead. Leaders hold positions of power; those that lead inspire.

There is no louder voice in your life than your character’s voice; it is the drumbeat that announces the consistency of your actions over time. I have seen people of character make incredible decisions of great sacrifice without saying a word. They just did what was right because it was right; nothing more. It cost them a lot, but not as much as it would have cost to live otherwise.

Luke 8:17, “For nothing is hidden that will not become evident, nor anything secret that will not be known and come to light.”

As we strive to become the person God made us be, we must face hard choices. It is the hard choices that define our character. The easy stuff anyone can do. To temper steel, it has to be super-heated. Steel is tempered to achieve greater toughness by decreasing the hardness. We must be tested in the heat of life to perfect our toughness by reducing our hardness. We are to reflect hope by discarding our bitterness; humility by turning our back on self-centeredness.

1 Corinthians 3:13, “each man’s work will become evident; for the day will show it because it is to be revealed with fire, and the fire itself will test the quality of each man’s work.”

I’m reminded of a story in John chapter nine. It is the story of Jesus helping the blind man see. The disciples ask Jesus whose fault it was that the man was blind; was he or his parents? Jesus replied that it was through his blindness that others would see God.

John 9:1-4, “As He (Jesus) passed by, He saw a man blind from birth. And his disciples asked Him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” Jesus answered, “It was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but that the works of God might be displayed in him.”

The people in our sphere of influence watch how we live and draw conclusions concerning our character. It is easy to display a positive persona when things are going right, and all is good in the world. The critical test is what do we look like when things are not so good? Do we still exhibit trust in Christ? Do we still project hope and reassurance when everyone knows our life sucks?

As much as I  would prefer it was different, I now look at challenges as opportunities to show others my faith. When I am in a  dark place, I need to let Jesus’ light radiate through me. This opportunity is the very moment of truth that God can use to spread the Gospel.

Ephesians 5:13, “But all things become visible when they are exposed by the light, for everything that becomes visible is light.”

Very few people live to be tested. Most are like me; try me if you must, but make it either multiple choice or fill in the blank. I dread the heart wrenching tests, like losing a loved one, cancer, or job changes. But I know those will take supernatural powers that I don’t have. The test that catches me off guard is the pop quizzes; you know, deception, anger, or jealousy. So many times, I fail those because I didn’t prepare for them. The big test I cram for; I pray, read scripture, and seek a Christian council. The pop quizzes find me lacking. The bible would say a lamp without oil.

It is natural to focus inwardly in times of peril. It is important to remember of the many people in your sphere of influence whose eternity might rest on what you do next. God has created you for moments just like this. The God that spoke the universe into existence loves you and will not set you up for failure. God’s testing is not to find you lacking but to display His power through you.

Paul concludes his letter from prison to the Colossians by asking them to pray, not for his release from prison, but that God may open the door for the message so that he may proclaim the mystery of Christ. He asked that they pray that he may make the most of the opportunity and that his speech be gracious, seasoned with salt.

Colossians 4: 3-6, “At the same time, pray also for us, that God may open to us a door for the word, to declare the mystery of Christ, on account of which I am in prison— that I may make it clear, which is how I ought to speak. Walk in wisdom toward outsiders, making the best use of the time. Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person.”

Live to inspire. Let your light shine brightest when darkness comes.

1 Peter 1:7, “so that the proof of your faith, being more precious than gold which is perishable, even though tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ,”

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Even if God Doesn’t

Daniel 3: 17 – 18, “If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the furnace of blazing fire; and He will deliver us out of your hand, O king. “But even if He does not, let it be known to you, O king, that we are not going to serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up.”

What happens even when God doesn’t? I think at one time or another, we all confront our Nebuchadnezzar, that person who is so full of themselves and powerful enough to cause us great pain.

THE BACK STORY

This story takes place in the time of King Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon. King Nebuchadnezzar had conquered Jerusalem. The Lord delivered Jehoiakim, king of Judah, along with some of the gold from the house of God.

The King then commanded that the Chief Officials should bring Israelites from the royal family and the nobility— young men gifted in wisdom, knowledge, and understanding, to serve in the king’s palace. Among these young men were: Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. The chief official gave them new names: To Daniel, he gave the name Belteshazzar; to Hananiah, Shadrach; to Mishael, Meshach; and to Azariah, Abednego.

Daniel proved to be wise and diplomatic as he interpreted dreams of the King that others could not. As a result, the king made Daniel ruler over the entire province of Babylon and chief administrator over all the wise men. At Daniel’s request, the king appointed Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego to manage Babylon’s province, while Daniel remained in the king’s court.

All’s good up to this point.

THEN THE WORM TURNS

Nebuchadnezzar started to think much too much of himself. He created a giant golden statue of himself that was to be worshiped by everyone in his kingdom. The penalty for not bowing down to this idol was death. The bible doesn’t say why he did this, but we have to believe that he must have had an ego out of control.

When Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego refuse, the stage was set. We know that Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were thrown into the fire and not only survived but came out unscathed.

Daniel 3:25, “Look! I see four men loosed and walking about in the midst of the fire without harm, and the appearance of the fourth is like a son of the gods!”

This is the point in the story when it takes on a more contemporary tilt. But what about us? When things go south, what happens to us?

WHAT ABOUT ME?

There are two crucial lessons from this story. Well, there is more than that, but for this writing, there are two; “our God whom we serve is able to deliver us” and “But even if He does not.” These are important because we, as a Christian community, sometimes think God doesn’t because God can’t. There are many ways to come to this conclusion; most of them stem from us dictating to God what is best. When He doesn’t do it, we assume He either doesn’t care, can’t hear us, or can’t perform. The fourth reason I cringle at; I am not worthy. Folks put all these in the circular bin; they’re not true.

Epicurus in the fourth century BC said (and I paraphrase it): If He is good, He would. If He could, He should. That He doesn’t means He can’t or He won’t, which really means He isn’t.”

The implication here is that we can know as much as God and, therefore, can have the ability to determine His motivation. Adam Clark, British Methodist theologian, contends we are not nearly as wise as God, and God’s “purposes and actions spring from himself, without foreign motive or influence.” We might think – if He could, He should – but He doesn’t think that way.

There are so many stories in the bible that reinforce the idea that God has a specific plan for us, and that plan sometimes doesn’t look right to us. Moses didn’t know God’s plan for him when he ran from killing the Egyptian. Joseph’s time in prison maybe didn’t feel so good to him. David was constantly trusting God despite Saul trying to kill him. Gedeon was a little shaky about his 300 men against an army of 135,000. What about Ester and Noah? Over and over again, God proves His plan is the best.

THE POINT

The point here is that even when God doesn’t deliver us in the way we thought, it doesn’t mean He didn’t deliver us. We just got something different than we expected. Sometimes the manifestation of that blessing doesn’t materialize for years. God sometimes blesses us by not letting us know how bad things would have been had we gotten our way.

Deuteronomy 29:29, “The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but the things revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may follow all the words of this law.”

Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego had faith that God was sovereign over their lives and would do what is best for them, even when they didn’t see it. We all have our Nebuchadnezzar’s and our burning furnaces. What we need to ask ourselves is; Do we trust God with our lives? Do we truly believe God has a plan for us, what is happening is part of that plan, and God will deliver on His promise?

It is not blind faith. It is faith-based on our personal experiences with God. We need to look back on the many blessing we have in our lives and know there are more to come. Many of those blessings we will only see in the rearview mirror.

Ecclesiastes 8:16-17, “then I discerned all that God has done: No one really comprehends what happens on earth. Despite all human efforts to discover it, no one can ever grasp it. Even if a wise person claimed that he understood, he would not really comprehend it.”

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A God too Small to Love Me?

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

Have you ever said, “That’s unforgivable.”? Do you believe that there are certain behaviors you should not forgive? Do you have trouble letting go when someone has treated you poorly? We all tend to worship a God created in our image. For most of us, this is not intentional; we can’t imagine anything different or more significant than our experiences.

We try to squeeze God into a mold of our making. We try to define Him through our logic. We view Him as a better, more benevolent and kinder version of ourselves.

What if God was bigger than you can imagine? What if you could not describe God in human terms? What if that God was passionately in love with you?

This Easter, think about this verse, especially the last word; Friends. I am a friend of Christ. He did not die out of obligation or some misplaced sense of altruism; He died for me because I am His friend. We are not strangers in a world far away; we are brethren.

John 15:15, “No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you.”

God chose us before the foundation of the world; that is incredible. We need to grasp the intentionality of God’s grace. To God, we are not just a member of a herd called the human race; we were chosen from the very beginning and are considered holy and blameless before Him.

Ephesians 1:4, “just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him. In love.”

WHO IS GOD?

Adam Clark, British Methodist theologian and biblical scholar in the early 1800’s described God this way:

God: The eternal, independent, and self-existent Being: the Being whose purposes and actions spring from himself, without foreign motive or influence: he who is absolute in dominion; the most pure, the most simple, and most spiritual of all essences; infinitely benevolent, beneficent, true, and holy: the cause of all being, the upholder of all things; infinitely happy, because infinitely perfect; and eternally self-sufficient, needing nothing that he has made: illimitable in his immensity, inconceivable in his mode of existence, and indescribable in his essence; known fully only to himself, because an infinite mind can be fully apprehended only by itself. In a word, a Being who, from his infinite wisdom, cannot err or be deceived; and who, from his infinite goodness, can do nothing but what is eternally just, right, and kind.

In J.D. Greear’s book Not God Enough, he talks about God as the author of a universe comprised of three septillions (that’s right, septillion, three and twenty-four zeros) stars. His creation was not about cobbling together a few things; although that would be amazing in and of itself, He spoke them into existence. No flour, no eggs, and no yeast; just a word, and it was so.

Hebrews 11:3, “By faith we understand that the worlds (don’t overlook the plural) were set in order at God’s command, so that the visible has its origin in the invisible.”

In Exodus, God told Moses, “I AM.” God knew there was no human equivalent to His existence. There was nothing to compare God with other than Himself.  This is the God, who let His son die a horrible death, not just for generic humanity, but for me, and you, specifically.

“A God small enough to be understood is not big enough to be worshiped” – Evelyn Underhill.

WHO AM I?

But can a God this immense care about a person so small? Can a God so powerful that He can speak the universe into existence have time for me? We are called His children, and as such, heirs with Christ. In looking at our insignificancy compared to God, we must also consider our significance because of Him.

John 1:12, “But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God,”

Romans 8:17, “And if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ…”

We are a chosen race, royal priesthood, and a holy nation. No matter what you have done with your life up to this point, you can start this very day to reap your heritage rewards.

1 Peter 2:9, “But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.”

God, through His grace, had made us sufficient in ALL things at ALL times. All of the power He displayed through creation is available to you through His grace.

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.”

He has provided you with the means of living in a fallen world if you chose to take advantage of what He offers.

1 Corinthians 10:13, “No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.”

Who are you that a mighty God would care? He will rejoice over you with gladness and exult over you with loud singing. You are the object of His creation that you might glorify Him and thus be blessed through Him.

Zephaniah 3:17, “The Lord your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing.”

AND YET

This Easter, remember why. God’s desire to fill your life with joy and peace is so strong that He would stop at nothing to assure it. The original sin separated us from the life God wants for us; don’t let your sin perpetuate that travesty. Our joy and peace can only be made complete through Christ. There is no joy or peace outside of God’s goodness.

Romans 15:13, “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.”

Our God in His absolute dominion cannot fail us. He is infinitely benevolent, forgiving our sins if we follow Him. Our God is eternally self-sufficient in that He does not needs us, which makes His wanting us more magnificent. Do not worship your self-image; worship the one true God of infinite goodness, that can do nothing but what is eternally just, right, and kind.

1 Corinthians 2:9, “But, as it is written, “What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined, what God has prepared for those who love him”

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