There Are Two Kinds of People...

I posted this picture on the screen in my classroom and asked my students to put their pens to paper and write. Although this is a simple question, the responses I received were quite insightful.

Here are some of the responses:

givers & takers

judges & juries

the skeptical & the gullible

rich & poor

dependent & independent

What was interesting to me is that these answers came from kids that are no older than 21 and most come from a low income, sometimes at-risk living situation.

So when I answered the question for myself the first thing that popped in my mind was: There are two kinds of people in the world... people who are content and people who are not content.

Since Thanksgiving is tomorrow, it seems like there is no better time to look at what contentment is and what it means. To me, contentment is a feeling of peace within yourself that allows you to face the difficulties of life without allowing them to weigh you down and burden your soul. So many people walk around with heavy hearts and you can almost see the burdens that they bear. It is very difficult times that we face right now. The difficulties that we face, however, need not dominate our thoughts or weigh down our hearts.

I think that contentment is key to the message of Jesus in the New Testament. Contentment comes from knowing who you are and where your security rests. When I acknowledge the Lordship of Christ in my life and when I recognize that circumstances don't control me or change my eternal destination, then I can begin to be content with where I am and what I have. Please note that there is a difference in being content and being stagnant. Contentedness is not a fatalistic mindset that nothing will ever change so why bother trying. Rather, it is a realization that my circumstances can be used to shape me and mold me into the image of Christ and that I must be content to allow the Father to work in me through whatever ways He sees fit.

There is so much to be thankful for this Thanksgiving. I haven't enjoyed everything that I have persevered through this year and it is easy to compare what other people have and feel dejected, but if you take a few moments to look around you, you will see there is much to be thankful for and content with.

I hope that you can choose to be one of the contented instead of one of the discontented. It will not only change your life, but it will change your outlook and your relationships with others as well.

Have a Happy Thanksgiving!

Strong Heart, Weak Mind

Psalm 56:10 & 11 

In God, whose word I praise,

         in the Lord, whose word I praise---

in God I trust; I will not be afraid,

         What can man do to me?

I read Psalm 56 in my quiet time this morning.  I have been embarking on a journey through Psalms for the past month, because their earnest cries to God seemed to fit my life right now. 

These two verses jumped out at me this morning.  It struck me that David had to repeat himself three times.  He had to keep reminding himself:  I trust God, I praise God, God has me in His hands, God is watching over me…

I wonder if we would do the same?

As I read the Psalms I am reminded why God and David had special bond.  David was gut-wrenchingly honest with God.  Are we that way? 

I like this Psalm because David is not afraid of trying to not be afraid.  He reminds himself over and over that he is in God and His words are worthy of praise. 

I find myself needing to be strong all the time.  What David shows me is that I am not strong, I am weak.  However, what he also shows me is that as long as I am in the Lord, I need have no fear of circumstances in my life. 

After all, What can man do to me?

My salvation is assured, my walk is in Christ, my final destination is decided, my treasures in Heaven are being stored up, and my Savior is waiting for me!

 

Who Are The People You Meet?

How do you see people?  Do you see people?  Do you see people like Jesus did?  Seeing people in their true condition is a difficult thing to do.  We tend to look at the outward appearance or listen to the words a person says, but many times that doesn’t paint an accurate picture of what is going on in a person’s soul.  In fact, we have become masters of disguise, putting up so many walls and defenses that it is almost impossible for the casual observer to see into our heart.  It makes it extremely difficult to reach out to others at their point of need. 

To further complicate matters, most of us are just too busy to bother with really trying to see people.  It’s no wonder that God cannot use us to work miracles in the lives of those around us.  In a recent sermon I was listening to, the pastor said that in order for God to use us to do miraculous things, we must look at the condition of our heart. Matthew 9:36 says of Jesus: “Seeing the people, He felt compassion for them, because they were distressed and dispirited like sheep without a shepherd.” Note the order of the words here.  Jesus feels compassion first because he noticed that the people were distressed and dispirited.  The NIV says they were harassed and helpless.  Does this description describe the people we encounter each day?  Does it describe you? 

I teach GED classes two nights a week for the state of Georgia.  When I first started teaching I had the incorrect assumption that my students would be a bunch of punk kids that dropped out of school.  I expected thugs sent to school by their probation officers and kids whose parents were forcing them to be there.  I was surprised to find that only a handful of students fit this demographic.  Almost 80% of the people I teach have come from another country, learned English and are now pursuing their GED so they can go on to further education.  If I judged on outward appearance and demeanor alone, I would have never met the guy from El Salvador who drives a semi truck and has a wife and two kids.  I wouldn’t have gotten to know the young lady from Japan who married a Navy man and moved to Georgia by way of Hawaii.  I wouldn’t have gotten to know the lady from Germany who rides a unicycle, is married to a guy from Baton Rouge and wants to do a Christian game show for kids.  I haven’t performed any earth shattering miracles in front of my class, but it may be a miracle for them to see a Christian each week who lives what he believes and genuinely cares for them. 

While I have far to go to be like Jesus, I do try to see these people with compassion.  Like the people Jesus encountered in the Matthew, the people I meet are distressed and dispirited.  Life has a way of making us feel harassed and helpless.  To the people that we encounter each day, we may be the only slivers of light that they see for days at a time.  As followers of Christ, we have an obligation to see people with compassion.  We have to walk with them, talk to them, and show them the love of God through our words and deeds.  After all, Jesus did.  How can we do any less?

 

Are We Positioning Ourselves To See Miracles?

The message on Sunday dealt with the subject of miracles and whether they still exist or not.  These days the word miracle is overused and applied to things that aren't miraculous at all.  Things like a sports team winning, getting a good grade on a test, or gasoline falling back below $3 a gallon…

Miracle defined is:  a surprising or welcome event that is not explicable by natural or scientific laws and is therefore considered to be the work of the divine.  What is interesting is that in most of the stories of biblical miracles, the one performing the miracle was just a regular person.  Moses—regular guy, regular staff, incredible obedience, and his miracle is an army wide gap in the Red Sea.  Elijah—regular guy, obedient prophet of God, his miracle is an all consuming fire from heaven, defeating the prophets of Baal.  Even Jesus, who was God’s son, was still fully human.  He was a regular guy, a tradesman, and one who was obedient to the Father.  The Bible says the miracles he performed are to numerous to mention.   

So as I listened to the message Sunday morning one of the points leapt off the page to me.  When you consider whether we are positioning ourselves to see miracles, Ronnie said we have separated ourselves from society.  As Christians we tend to live pretty insulated lives.  Jesus healed those around him, because He was around them.  So if we expect to see miracles worked, we must get down in the trenches with those in the most need.  It seems that we as Americans have had a tendency to be self-fulfilled with our stuff.  Our big houses, nice cars, steady incomes and quality of life in general keeps us living in certain circles.  These circles often keep us blinded to the needs of others around us.

As I listened to the message Sunday I had a troubling thought.  In these current tough times, what if God is freeing us from our “stuff” so that we can empathize with others and get closer to God’s plan for us?  (GASP!)  What if He needs to get our attention in a drastic manner so that He can once again use His people to work miracles so that His name might be glorified and people are drawn to Him?

I admit that this isn’t always the most fun.  Moses gave up a life of luxury to follow God’s plan.  David spent many years on the run from an angry king.  Jesus had no place to lay His head and ultimately lost His life to an angry mob.  But no one can question the effects of the miracles that God worked through His servants.  They are recorded in the Word for us to dwell on and revisit.

This week as you live life, be cognizant of the fact that God wants to work through you just as He did through believers throughout history.  You may not raise the dead or move a mountain this week, but that doesn’t mean that God has lost His power or is any different.  Miracles do exist if you position yourself to see them.  Miracles come in many shapes and sizes and it may be that you are someone’s miracle this week.

Grow Up!

How mature would you say that your faith is?  Is it in its infancy, learning the first steps of the Christian walk?  Is it a bit further along, perhaps past the reading of the Gospels into the deeper books of the Bible, mining them for nuggets of truth?  Perhaps your walk is deeply spiritually mature.  Maybe you spend many minutes of the day either in the Word or in prayer.  Maybe your connection with the Father is deep and growing daily.

Chances are though; we are still like the spiritual infants that Paul speaks of in so many of his letters.   The fact is, for many years churches have been so concerned about getting people “saved” that they have neglected making disciples.  I grew up in the Baptist church and in my own walk this has often been the case.  I have often felt left to fend for myself when it comes to my growth as a believer. 

My pastor made the point that the reason he can’t deliver his sermons on a deeper level is because most of us aren’t spiritually mature enough to handle it.  This is a sad indictment on the American church.  We seem to be content to be saved but unwilling to go much further in our walk with Christ. 

So what is the answer? 

I believe that one key component is for the spiritually mature among us to step up and make an impact in the lives of other less mature believers among us.  My wife and I were examining our own lives and realize that we can count very few believers in our own lives that we see as mature enough to guide, mentor, and impact us as Jesus impacted his disciples.  This is definitely not how I wish it to be.

I believe that we have a duty as Christians to build up and edify other believers: the body of Christ.  When we neglect this aspect of our faith, we not only miss out on the blessing of building others up, but our walk stays shallow, as well. 

A few years ago, we recognized the need for a Newlyweds/engaged couples class within our church.  Although I am not an expert on the subject, I do have a strong Christian marriage and a heart for the young and in love.  So for three years, we taught this class and hopefully impacted several marriages for the better.  In the process, my wife and I were able to grow and mature in our own faith and marriage.

I would urge you to examine your walk with the Lord.  Are you where you want to be?  Are you impacting others and making disciples or is your walk stagnant and unmoving?  My challenge to each of us is to find someone that you can build up and don’t be surprised if in the process you find yourself walking a little closer to Jesus.

 

Are You Being Transformed?

“Does God want more from you than you are giving now?”

Isn’t it amazing how when the Word of God is being preached it has a way of cutting right to the point and right through you?

It is a good thing to ask yourself periodically because it can help keep you on track in your faith and your walk.  And for most of us the answer will always be yes.   

Romans 12:2 states, “Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.”

The two key words here are conformation and transformation.  Conforming means to give in, or to allow yourself to be shaped by the circumstances and situations around you.  Even the very word conform has a negative sound to it.  It conveys the feeling of giving in and not reaching your full potential.  This world continually puts pressure on us to conform to its powerful and seductive ways. 

Contrast that with transformation.  God calls us to be transformed into the image of His Son.  Each of us knows how far away we are from the perfect and holy Jesus.  But God isn’t content to leave us where we are.  Transformation involves taking something rough and raw and making it into a thing of beauty.  Think of a sparkling diamond cut with all its shimmering facets.  It is much different from the dirty rock extracted from the bottom of a mine. 

So does God want more from me than I am giving now?  Absolutely!  Everyday I am faced with enormous pressures to conform.  The world presses in on us and can be overwhelming.  Sometimes it is easier to just go along to get through the day.  But we have something happening inside us that the world cannot see unless we let it.  We have the very Spirit of God working within us.  When we embrace the transformation that is taking place, we have no choice but to shine Jesus’ light into a dark and dreary world.

It won’t always be easy.  The pressure to conform will not diminish; in fact it will be even more tangible as we see the changes Christ is making in us.  But the end result will be a determination and a drive to give God everything we’ve got in this life.   We will embrace the things that God desires for our lives.  We will shine forth with a light that illuminates the dark corners of this world and sets an example; it is an example of transformation for all to see.

 

What In The World Is Happening?

This is just a quick observation...

Yesterday as I was driving between jobs I had on an AM news station.  In just a 5 minute update they mentioned that the stock market had fallen 150 points, the country of Libya is in shambles as a their Dictator attempts to cling to power, oil jumped to over $100 per barrel for the first time in two years (which explains $3.15/gallon gas) and finally President Obama told the attorney general not to defend the Defense of Marriage Act (which defines marriage as the institution between a man and a woman.)  

In just a few short minutes of listening to the news updates I had the thought, 

...our once great nation is going down in flames fast...

I know that sounds like an extremely pessimistic attitude, but as I see and hear about each of these things, I can't help but wonder when Jesus is coming back.  

Furthermore, I realized that as we lose hope in everything we see around us: our government, our citizens, our very way of life--it forces us to believe in and hope in the only One that is constant and unchanging.

I know that regardless of the situation in the world, my Jesus loves me.  My Jesus is preparing a place for me right now.  Regardless of the decay of this country from within as we move further and further away from a strong moral belief system, God is still in control.  Even though it is getting increasingly difficult to stay afloat financially with limited work and depressed wages, I know that my future is secure.

I know things are incredibly difficult right now.  All you have to do is look around to see that. But know that all is not hopeless.  As our hope fades in the things that have always been constant and sustained us, remember that this world is not our home.  We are preparing for eternity.  

Jesus is still Lord. 

 You still have a home in Heaven.  

Don't lose hope.  

Keep pushing on.

____________________________________________________

PS…for what it’s worth, here is a link to a website that Mike Huckabee has set up that is urging us to sign a petition to defend marriage as a sacred union between a man and a woman.  I've done it, so should you.

http://www.huckpac.com/?Fuseaction=Newsroom.Article&ID=228

 

The Eyes of Jesus

In this past Sunday’s sermon, Pastor Ronnie outlined three things that Jesus did to reach others and tried to get the disciples to understand:   

         1.  Teach others

         2.  Reach out to others

         3.  Meet people where they are.

He alluded to a problem that almost all of us have and that is the tendency to look at the outside of a person without ever seeing the person within.  It is interesting to think about because we do it all the time.  We judge people by the clothes they wear- the brands, the fit, the style.  We judge them by the way they look- are they tan, fit, covered in tattoos & piercings?  We judge them by the job they do or if they don’t work we judge that too.  We all have notions of what someone ought to do and the way they ought to do it. 

The fact is, just like you can’t judge a book by it’s cover, you also can’t necessarily judge a person by their outward appearance.  Sometimes you have to look in a person’s eyes to really see inside them and see what they are feeling. 

I started praying that God would help me to see people as He sees them back when I was in high school.  It is difficult to do sometimes but when you look past all of the walls that people put up you can see their hurts, their needs, their vulnerabilities. 

In order to reach people for Christ, we must be willing to meet them where they are.  That means that you may have to step out of your comfort zone and get down where they live.  It means you have to let your guard down a little and become vulnerable yourself.  It means that you may have to endure a little grief from your friends and family and, (gulp!) other believers. 

To truly see others through the eyes of Christ, we have to leave the comfort of our homes, our seats in the church and our Sunday school rooms or small groups. 

The fact is that Jesus sees us all in one of two ways:  He either rejoices because we have been redeemed by His blood at the foot of the cross, or He weeps because we haven’t yet come into a relationship with Him.

Imagine the change it would make in the world if you and I looked at everyone we met in that same way. 

Father, give me your vision of our lost world.  Help me to unshackle myself from the conventions that hold me back from seeing people as you see people.  Give me the courage to show love to the unlovable and show mercy to those that don’t deserve it, just as you loved me and showed mercy to me.  Help me to go to the lost with a message of your love and salvation.   In Jesus Name, Amen.

 

 

Living For Eternity

 “A Kingdom centered life is more about how you live than what you do for a living.”

I have had a lot of time to think about this statement over the last few years.  With a background in the construction industry I have been a victim of the economy and have found myself “under”-employed.  In the past several years I have been a building products salesman, trim carpenter, handyman, thrift-store manager, GED teacher, teacher of my kids, supporter of my wife’s job, minister and writer.  As a man, it is sometimes difficult because so much of our identity is wrapped up in what we do for a living.  Indeed, we spend most of our waking hours at hour jobs, so when you don’t have a job or have a job that is less than what you had hoped for it can leave you feeling slightly inadequate.

Then you think about the statement above:  a Kingdom centered life is more about how you live than what you do for a living. 

I firmly believe that the things I do on this earth are mere preparation for my life in eternity.  Everything I do (or don’t do) here makes ripples in the ocean of eternity.  That is why it is so important to focus on the Kingdom of God and what impact you can have on the eternal things. 

For this reason, whether I am working or not, I can impact people for Christ.  In fact, my attitude and demeanor when I am not working can speak volumes about my relationship with Him.  Doing carpentry work I am exposed to different people almost every week.  I have an opportunity to show Jesus to them through my life and then often times I never see them again.  I have to trust that the Holy Spirit will work on their hearts and some other believer somewhere will be instrumental in the Harvest of their soul.  As a teacher, every ten weeks I am exposed to a new group of people.  I have an opportunity there to live my life in such a way that they see Jesus in me.  It is not something I take lightly. 

My desire for my life is to serve God in some capacity of full time Christian ministry.  For whatever reason He has me stuck firmly where I am.  As difficult as 2010 was, my family and I were taken care of every day and our basic needs were met.

As you go through the days, weeks, months, and years ahead, focus on this one thing.  As Christ-followers, we are all placed in positions where we can do the most good for those around us.  We have to simply be obedient to the Spirit’s leading and show Jesus to those we meet. 

Father, help me to be content to labor where you have placed me.  Help me to never miss an opportunity to share the love you have shown me.  Give me peace and joy in the simple things that last for eternity and help me to thrive where you have placed me.

Our Identity In Christ, Part II

If I were to ask you who or what you are most proud of being, what would you say? Would it be a successful businessman, an accomplished pianist, a good athlete, a caring nurse, an excellent teacher or a loving daughter?  It could be any of these or something totally different.

For my example, I listed the following as what I am primarily identified as: a Christian, Husband, Father, Son, Grandson, Uncle, Brother, Brother-In-Law, Friend, Employee, Carpenter, Teacher, and Writer.  Most people know me as one or more of these things.

The particular titles on your list are not as important as the order in which they are placed… 

I am a Christian before I am anything else.  It is of utmost importance in that it defines every other aspect of my life.  My relationship with Christ shapes me daily into the kind of man that I want to be.  As I go down my list each part of my identity is made better by the fact that I have been born again, changed and made new. 

When we find our identity in Christ,

it makes every part of our life

closer to the way it should be.

After being recognized as a Christian, I am most proud of being a husband and father.  I proudly wear my wedding ring as a symbol of my love and commitment to my wife.  I can genuinely love her because of the love that I have been shown by Jesus.  I adore my kids because I know that they are a gift from God.  I can imagine just a little bit the way He loves me because of the way that I love them.

Next I am a Son.  I have great parents that have shown me how to be a good parent to my kids.  I try to honor them as the Bible says I should by being respectful and listening to them and seeking to help them out in whatever ways I can. 

I am also a brother to a younger sister and younger brother.  I am a brother in law.  I am an Uncle to four amazing nieces and nephews.  I am a friend.  In all these facets of who I am, I am able to be better because of He who is in me. 

The simple fact of the matter is, that we must have our priorities in the right order in order to be effective at our relationships with anyone else.  If we don’t put Christ at the head of our lives and our hearts, we will fail miserably in our attempts to be good husbands, wives, parents, friends and so on. 

Your identity in Christ should shape your life for everyone that you come in contact with to see.  There should be no question.  As you become more like Christ, others will see the change in you and appreciate the change they see.