Monday, July 20, 2009

The cure for want!

A pastor friend of mine once preached about contentment out of the book of Colossians. He challenged us to hunger after the things of God and not the things of this world. I found my notes this week and thought I would share them with you. Warning, they are quite challenging.

(1) "Don't be greedy for the good things of this life, for that is idolatry" (See Col 3:5 NIV). Stop craving things we don't need. Instead, try enjoying what we've got.

(2) If we're not tithing, start now! We'll be switching from the world's faltering economy to God's fail-safe economy. When we tithe He promises to protect our interests and send blessings "there shall not be room enough to receive" (See Mal 3:8-12).

(3) "The earth is the Lord's, and everything in it" (Ps 24:1 NIV) and He guarantees to "supply all our need" (Php 4:19). So before we go shopping, try praying! Ask God for what we need, then wait for Him to respond.

(4) Begin giving away some of what we've got. "It is possible to give away and become richer...[and] to hold on too tightly and lose everything...the liberal man shall be rich" (Pr 11:24-25 TLB). Go ahead, do it! Obey God, be patient, and watch what happens.

I am strengthened in my own faith after re-reading these notes. God Bless you.

Tuesday, July 14, 2009

Treasure in Earthen Vessels.

When God calls us to do something, it means we're called to a higher level of accountability. Jesus said, "Unto whom much is given, of him shall much be required" (See Luke 12:48). But this is where we get it wrong. We think those who are called, are not cut from the same bolt of cloth as others. Wrong! Just because someone prays powerfully and delivers God's Word skillfully, doesn't mean they don't struggle in certain areas. Their struggles may be unseen, but they're still real. We must be careful to make the distinction between the treasure and the vessel. If we're a leader, we should never allow anyone to expect us to be the treasure. Paul says: "We have this treasure," he didn't say we are the treasure!

Let's face it, God uses people we wouldn't use, like Rahab, working the red light district of Jericho. But when she placed her faith in God He used her to win the battle of Jericho, then included her in the family of Christ. Or how about Jephthah who was born to an unwed mother, rejected by his family, and lived in a cave with his own gang of private mercenaries? God used him to deliver Israel and become the nation's youngest judge. Isn't grace amazing?

God specializes in restoring broken vessels. He takes things that aren't productive - marriages that don't work, people with "issues" - and teaches them how to be victorious and fruitful in His service. Knowing this gives us the strength and tenacity to face whatever comes, because we know that when God places His treasure within us, He prizes, protects and prospers it. Paul declares, "We have this treasure in earthen vessels." (2 Corinthians 4:7)So God, let the prize, protection and prosperity flow.

Thursday, July 9, 2009

Be careful what we say

Here is a great proverb for the day. "The tongue of the wise brings healing." (Proverbs 12:18)
Careless words can hurt people. Not only can they influence a person's self-worth, they can actually shape that person's destiny. If you doubt that, consider these two stories:

(1) One day in a small country church an altar boy accidentally dropped the communion wine. The officiating priest slapped him and shouted, "Leave, and don't come back!" That boy became General Tito, the brutal communist dictator who ruled the people of Yugoslavia for years.

(2) In a big city cathedral another altar boy dropped the communion wine. His bishop turned to him and whispered reassuringly, "It's okay, some day you'll be a great priest." That boy became Archbishop Fulton Sheen, whose sermons touched the hearts of millions on national television.

Your words either build people up or tear them down. Solomon said, "Reckless words pierce like a sword, but the tongue of the wise brings healing." Here's a truth we don't like to acknowledge; what comes out of our lips reveals what's in our heart, and all our "I didn't mean its" don't change that or undo the damage.

Eugene Petersen writes: "Every day I put love on the line. There's nothing I am less good at. I am far better in competition than love; far better at responding to my instincts to get ahead, than at figuring out how to love another. I'm schooled and trained in getting my own way. And yet I decide every day to set aside what I do best, and attempt to do what I do very clumsily - open myself to the frustrations and failures of loving, daring to believe that failing in love is better than succeeding in pride."

Let's shoot to speak and release words that elevate other people. It shapes their destiny and ours. God Bless you and see ya Sunday....

Tuesday, July 7, 2009

Longing for Heaven

Mel Blanc was the voice behind the Warner Brothers cartoon characters in Looney Tunes. At the end of every movie Porky Pig pops up with the same send-off: "That's all, folks!" When Mel Blanc died guess what his family put on his tombstone? "That's all, folks!" But it's not, and deep down we know it. The Bible says God "set eternity in the hearts of men" (Ecc 3:11 NIV). It's a longing that won't go away. It's why the Egyptians built the Pyramids and the Greeks put a gold coin under the tongue of the departed so they could pay the ferryman to cross over the River Styx.

But our longing is not just for a longer life, particularly if longer just means more of the same. A Christian college once sent students door to door to talk to people about spiritual issues. Two of them knocked on one door to find a frenzied mother of three with a vacuum in one hand and a screaming baby in the other, food burning on the stove and a living room so messy it would have qualified as a Federal disaster area. "Are you interested in eternal life?" they asked. "Frankly, I don't think I could stand it," said the mom. We don't want more of just more of the same. We want what's wrong to be put right. We want suffering to stop. We want clean air, meaningful work, honest politicians, clear consciences, ceaseless beauty, and the end of loneliness and war. In other words, we want Heaven. And the good news is, when Christ is your Savior that's where you go when you die!

I love what Revelation 21:3-4 says about Heaven and everything being put right. "(3) And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. (4) He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away."

I am also reminded about the words that Jesus spoke that confirm just where our citizenship really is located. He said, we pass from death to life. Many act as though we pass from life to death but actually it is quite the opposite. Let a longing for heaven grow in your heart today.

Thursday, July 2, 2009

Are you losing yourself?

Luke records: "There met Him ten...lepers...they lifted up their voices and said, 'Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!'...He said to them, 'Go, show yourselves to the priests.' And...as they went, they were cleansed" (Lk 17:12-14 NKJV). Leprosy was a slow, painful death. First you lost your fingers and couldn't work, then you lost your toes and couldn't walk, then it attacked your internal organs. Every day you lost a little more of yourself. Here are five helpful insights from this story:

(1) If you feel like you're "losing yourself," turn to Jesus. He can restore what you've lost and give you back your peace and joy.
(2) "Lift up your voice." Away with dignity and decorum! Desperate people do desperate things. God promises: "You will...find me when you seek me with all your heart" (Jer 29:13 NIV).
(3) Whatever He tells you - do it. Don't lay down conditions to God. And don't seek an identical experience to somebody else. Jesus told the ten lepers, "Go, show yourselves to the priests." Why didn't He just speak to them or touch them like He did others? Don't question, obey! Faith doesn't demand explanations.
(4) Take a step of faith. Luke records, "As they went, they were cleansed." You've got to walk it out; each step brings you one step closer. But nothing happens till you take that first step of faith.
(5) Start praising God! Only one of the ten lepers returned to give thanks, and Jesus noticed it. You can go to God with confidence for your next answer, when you know you remembered to give Him thanks for your last one.