Monthly Archives: August 2012

August 7, 2012 · 7:56 AM

Great for God

I love Nike’s new “Greatness” commercials. For years they have had commercials featuring the best athletes in the world. Now, their commercials feature everyday looking people who overweight, short or not athletic. They are saying that greatness isn’t reserved for a chosen few. We all have the ability to be great, even if it’s just greater than we were.

You and I have the ability to be great for God’s Kingdom. Even if we never become as famous as Billy Graham, it doesn’t mean we can’t do great things for God. Jesus said to be greatest in His Kingdom, we had to be the least. It starts with humility because to be great recognizes that we can’t do it on our own. It is God who works through us. There is more to being great though. I’ve found that physical disciplines often translate to spiritual disciplines and greatness is one of those that translates.

Here are three things required to be great for God.

1. Time

No one ever became great at anything without putting in lots of time. Jesus asked the disciples in the Garden of Gethsemane, “Can’t you just spend one hour with me?” He knew that to do what He needed them to do, they needed to put in quality time. Today, for most of us, Jesus would love it if we just spent 10 minutes with Him.

D.L. Moody used to spend 8 hours a day in prayer. He recognized that to be a great minister, he had to spend time with God. When you spend time with someone, you get to know them. To know God’s heart and what His desire is, you will have to spend time with Him. If you want to be great for God, you will have to put in lots of time in prayer.

2. Pain

We’ve all heard the phrase “no pain, no gain” which is why most of us stay out of the gym. We don’t want to go through the pain to get our body in shape. We don’t want to break a sweat, but we want to get the results of it. If being fit were easy, we’d all do it. Greatness requires you to go through some pain and sweat.

Anyone who ever did anything great for God went through times of intense pain. Those times of pain and struggling temper you and prepare you. They allow you to connect with others and help you to endure in tougher times that may be coming. Great people often attribute their greatness to enduring times of hardship and pain. It’s in those times that we find out what we’re made of and who we are.

3. Faithfulness

Greatness starts with faithfulness. You have to be committed to continuing the course even when you don’t feel like it. You have to keep the end in mind and take things one step at a time. You don’t get to the Olympics by showing up there. You have to compete in small tournaments. When you’re successful, you move up to larger ones until you make it.

Jesus said that when we’ve been faithful over a few things, He will make us faithful over many. Most of us want to start with many and work our way up from there. That’s not God’s plan. Be faithful where you are right now to those that God has entrusted to you. When you spend time there, go through the growing pains and prove your faithfulness, He will take you to that next level of greatness.

Leave a comment

Filed under Uncategorized

Tagged as , , , , , , , , , , , ,

August 6, 2012 · 8:29 AM

Victory in your trials

One of the things I love about Jesus is that He didn’t pull any punches in His ministry. He told it like it was. Take for instance John 16:33 where He said, “In this world you will have tribulation and trials and distresses and frustration (AMP).” If He told us ahead of time we were going to experience these things, why are we shocked and upset when they happen? I’ve had my share of these and know there are more on the way as long as I live.

So often when we encounter these in our lives, we ask others to pray for us to be delivered of it. Our immediate response to tribulations, trials, distresses and trouble is to want to get out immediately. If that was God’s desire for them, we would never face them. He uses times like that to grow us, to make us more dependent on Him and to prepare us for something down the road.

Here are some things I’ve found that help me to get the most out of these times.

1. Admit I can’t do it alone

We were not made to go through these times alone. I’ve tried to make it through difficult times by myself and it has never worked. I try and I try, but always fall flat on my face after I get worn out by the stress of it all. It’s only when I come to the realization that I need God’s help that growth truly happens. In II Corinthians 12:9, Paul said that it is when we are weak that He is made strong. We don’t realize our need for dependence on God until those times.

When we think we can do it on our own, our pride grows as a result. I thought it was fitting that Michael Phelps final medal was in a team event. He didn’t get to be the best Olympian ever on his own. He had help along the way. He had a coach to push him beyond what he thought he could do. That’s what God does for us in our difficult times. He pushes us to grow more than we ever thought we could.

2. Trust God

I don’t know what my future holds and chances are, you don’t know yours either. We may have a plan of where we are going, but it doesn’t always end up that way. God has a perfect plan for your life. He knows what you need now to get you where He wants you in the future. Sometimes difficult times are a means to put us back on the right track. He uses road blocks, job losses and dead ends to get us to where we need to be. We have to trust His view of the complete picture of our lives.

Last season I watched a couple of episodes of “Gold Rush Alaska”. In one of the episodes, they took their gold to a refinery at the end of the season. They heated the gold until it melted, they then added borax to the gold and then they let it cool. Once cooled, the gold was covered in black stuff (dross). They hit it with a hammer and all the dross fell off leaving pure gold. When we are walking through the fires of life, God purifies us. It’s not an easy process and it often means that we lose people who are close to us. They, like the dross, may be keeping us from being pure. It may hurt, but it’s for our good.

3. Walk in faith

When hard times come, don’t crumble under the pressure. Keep walking and moving in the right direction. Giving up only prolongs the situation. I know what it’s like to give up when the tribulation seems to have no end. This is not the answer. God sees you where you are and is walking through it with you. He is there every step of the way. You may not be able to see the way out, but He does so you don’t have to.

Victory is found in taking up your cross daily and following Him. It’s in your daily walking out your faith even when you can’t see the next step that you overcome trials. I love how the verse in John 16:33 ends. It says, “Take courage; be confident… I (Jesus) have deprived it of power to harm you and have conquered it for you.” Your victory has already been won! Keep walking in faith believing in your victory and learn what God has for you in this.

2 Comments

Filed under Uncategorized

Tagged as , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

August 3, 2012 · 10:21 AM

Chic-Fil-A, The Church and Jesus

I’ve read a lot this week about whether people going to Chic-Fil-A was right or wrong, whether the church failed or not and whether CFA was evil and hateful or good and right. Some people went to protest the protest, some went to speak out against homosexuality and others went to support a fellow believer under attack. Some spoke words of conviction while others spoke words of condemnation. It’s been an emotional roller coaster to watch and be a part of this week.

Jesus faced the same thing in his day. In Matthew 11:12 he talked about how the kingdom of heaven had suffered from violence and that violent people were attacking it. A few verses down (18 & 19), he mentions how John came and didn’t eat what others ate and he was demonized for it. Then, when Jesus ate and drank with sinners, He was called names too. Christians have been attacked whether they do or they don’t. Lately, those attacks have been coming from within though.

How are we supposed to respond when our faith is under attack and one of our own is being ridiculed? If we stand up for them, we are hate mongers. If we stay quiet, will we be attacked next? How do we show love to those in sin without compromising our message. If all we do is show love and don’t bring the truth of the cross have we really accomplished anything than approving of their sin? The message of the cross is just as hard on believers and nonbelievers alike.

Jesus preached in the temple and in the synagogues. His message was tough on the religious leaders. He didn’t pull any punches. They hated Him for it. He pointed out in Scripture what He came to do: preach Good News to the poor, set those in captivity free, open the blind eyes, to deliver the oppressed and to proclaim the day of salvation (Luke 4:18). He was clear in His mission.

He also preached on the hillside where those who couldn’t / wouldn’t go to a synagogue or the temple to hear His message. Even there, He was clear in His message. It was still about repentance. In Luke 5:32, He was being attacked for taking His message out of the synagogue. His response was that He did not “come to invite and call the righteous, but those erring ones (those not free from sin) to repentance [to change their minds for the better and heartily amend their ways, with abhorrence of their past sins] (AMP).”

Jesus was able to preach repentance while showing compassion. He didn’t hide behind the walls of the synagogue. He went out to the people, even those whom the religious leaders thought were the worst of sinners. He made Himself accessible to all who wanted to come near. When people wanted to debate Him or trap Him with questions, He didn’t crush them with His response. He asked them questions or made plain His view without destroying the person. They usually left without saying anything in response because His answers left no room for question.

How do we do that today? It seems our goal in debates (internally and externally) is to destroy the other person, not to bring them to your side. Christians proved they could be mobilized and unified (for the most part) this week. Whatever your reason for going or not going to CFA, the Church sent a message (good or bad depending on your perspective). That mobilization caught the attention of the country and part of the world. What if we showed that kind of unity and mobilization to do something for the least of these instead of for ourselves next time? What if next time we buy those chicken sandwiches and deliver them to homeless shelters and feed others instead? What message would that send? We have the opportunity now to stay mobilized and unified to do something with compassion. Keep this energy and momentum going and channel it into doing something positive that will bring repentance to others and souls into the Kingdom.

Leave a comment

Filed under Uncategorized

Tagged as , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

August 2, 2012 · 7:58 AM

Withholding things from God

Last night as our church group sat around talking and eating, the debate of waffle fries or McDonald’s fries came up. During the debate, it came up that I love McDonald’s fries so much that I won’t even share one with my wife. If she wants just one, I’ll go buy her a bag of fries rather than give her one of mine. Someone told me that if I loved her like Christ loved the Church, I would give her one. I jokingly said back, “I don’t know if He loved the Church that much!”

The truth is that He loves the Church infinitely more than that and he has called us to love our wives that much. Is there something you hold back from your spouse? It could be something silly like a French fry or it could be a compliment, a thank you or the words I love you. Beyond that, what is it you withhold from God?

Here are something’s that I’ve found I withhold from Him sometimes.

1. My time

There are 1440 minutes in each day. If I were to tithe on my time, I should give Him 144 minutes each day. That’s 2 hours and 24 minutes each day to put it into perspective. When you think of all he has given to us, 10% is not much. Time is something that is very valuable to all of us. We only have so much of it and it seems everyone wants some of it.

I was reading yesterday in Genesis about the death of Abraham’s wife Sarah. He needed a place to bury her and someone offered a field with a cave in it for free. He wouldn’t take it because he wanted to give his wife something that was valuable and cost him something. If time is your most valuable asset, God will honor you for giving more of it to him.

2. My problems

I know it sounds crazy, but sometimes I don’t want to bother God with what is bothering me. He has enough on His plate with everything going on in the world without having to worry or spend time helping me with my problems. Sure, I go to him with the big things, but I try to handle the little things on my own. I heard someone say this week that they only take God their big problems and someone responded, “With God, there are no “big” problems.”

God never intended us to carry the load ourselves. He told us to cast all our cares on Him because He cares for us. We don’t have to shoulder the burden ourselves. He wants to help, but we keep Him from it and wear ourselves out. In Matthew 11:28-30, Jesus told all who were weary and had heavy burdens to come to Him and take his burdens because they were light.

3. My gratitude

When I look back at my life and think of all the things I have prayed for, I can see that more were answered than not. I also see that once it has been answered, I rarely go back to say “thank you”. It’s not that I’m ungrateful. It’s that a new problem has come up and I’ve started asking for it. I think it’s important to keep a prayer journal where you write down all your requests of God. When you go back in a month, year or decade and see what your problems were and how God answered them, you’ll be grateful and amazed.

I wrote recently about being thankful here. Being thankful and showing gratitude changes your perspective and builds your faith. When you see all the little things that God has done for you, it’s easy to trust Him with the big things. Everyone likes to be appreciated for things they do. We were made in God’s image. I think He likes to be thanked every now and then too.

Have you found that these are some areas that you withhold from God too? Maybe you haven’t withheld all of them or you’ve withheld other things that are important to you. God loves you so much that the Bible says he will not withhold any good thing from you. In fact, He has proven it by sending His son to die for our sins. Even when we are ungrateful for that at times, He still gives us good things. We can make that change today. We can choose to quit withholding things from Him now. What are you going to quit withholding?

Leave a comment

Filed under Uncategorized

Tagged as , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

August 1, 2012 · 8:00 AM

Acting in Faith

Lately God has been pushing me to do more than I ever have. Sometimes the things He asks are small while other times it requires a great amount if faith to step out and do it. That first moment when you hear His voice or feel His prompting is critical. My mind starts to think different things. Do I step out and do that? Is that really God? Why would you want me to do that?

Have you experienced those thoughts when you’ve been promoted by God to act in faith? I think we all have. It’s not easy to take a step when you can’t see where you’re going. You don’t know what will happen or how you’ll look. We are all called by God to live a life of faith and surrender. What do you do when feel lead to act in faith?

Abraham was asked to take a huge leap of faith in sacrificing his only son. Here are somethings we can follow when we are asked to act in faith.

1. Act quickly

When God spoke to Abraham in Genesis 22:2 and asked him to sacrifice his son, Abraham didn’t argue with God. He knew that God had given him his son in his old age and that nothing was impossible for God. Verse 3 says that Abraham got up early the next morning, saddled his donkey, chopped wood for the sacrifice and began the trip.

I wonder how I would respond in that situation. Would I have argued with God? Would I have delayed and procrastinated? When God asks us to do something, it is usually time bound and requires our immediate action. He may want you to say something to a stranger, pay for someone’s groceries or just pray for someone. When He asks, we need to act quickly in faith.

2. Trust God

Along the way to the mountain, Isaac realized something wasn’t right. He noticed the wood and the fire, but he didn’t see a lamb. Abraham replied that God would provide. He knew that God had made a promise to him and that God would fulfill His promise. He wasn’t sure how He would do it, but he knew that God had not let any promises go unfulfilled yet.

God is faithful to His Word. He cannot go back on it. When He promises something to you, believe it with al, your heart and trust Him to fulfill it. As abraham was binding up his son and placing him on the altar, I’m sure Abraham was thinking, “Uh God, where is the lamb for this sacrifice?” He continued to act in faith even when he couldn’t see how God would provide. Blind obedience always yields God’s reward.

3. Receive His blessing

As Abraham stood there with knife in hand, the angel called out to him to stop. His faith had been tested and he had shown God that he would not withhold anything from Him including his only son. God then provided a ram to be caught in some bushes by its horns. He received that blessing and sacrificed it instead.

This is a great illustration of what God has done for us. It was our lives who were on the altar. We are the ones who were supposed to die because of our sin. At the right moment in time, God provided a lamb to be sacrificed in our place. He provided His only son, Jesus to come and die in our place so we could receive the blessing of spending eternity with Him.

If God was not willing to withhold even His own son from us, how much of what we have should we be willing to give Him? What He asks of us pales in comparison to what He gave for us. When God asks us next time to step out in faith, remember that we need to act quickly and trust Him. We have received the blessing of salvation, now it’s time to give something back to Him.

Leave a comment

Filed under Uncategorized

Tagged as , , , , , , , , , , , ,