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. 

 

 

 

 

Our Identity In Christ, Part 1

How often have you heard America referred to as “a Christian nation?”  According to a poll by The Pew Forum on Religious and Public Life, 78.4% of Americans identify themselves as Christians.  This is an interesting statistic.  If true, then it means that three out of for people you meet today should be easily identifiable by their actions and attitudes and by their walk and their talk.

So what does it mean to BE a Christian?

As Christians, first and foremost we should be identified in Christ Jesus.  In 2 Corinthians 5:17 it says,

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. (NKJV)

So the first mark of a Christian is to become a new creation.  This means that we must have had a change in us.  If I buy a new pair of jeans, the designation of new means that they are different from any other jeans I have worn before.  So it is with Christ.  Once I become a Christian, the old me has been replaced by this new identity in Christ.

In John 15:5, Jesus says to us,

I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing.

The second mark of a Christian is to be intimately connected with Christ.  The word abide here in this passage is indicative of this kind of relationship.  The picture here is of a vine and branches.  Picture a mighty oak tree.  Its branches stretch and twist to the sky and on the end of one of the uppermost limbs is a small acorn.  That acorn is connected to the little branch by a skinny stem.  That little branch works its way back to the larger branches and all the way back to the trunk itself.  The trunk sinks into the ground where a massive root system anchors that tree and provides nutrients for growth and stability.  This is the kind of connection that we must have in Christ.  If the acorn falls from the tree it is apt to be plucked up by an animal, ground underfoot by a passerby or rot back into the dirt.  Only when it is connected to the tree can it grow to fullness.

As Christians, you and I are like that tiny acorn.  When we are connected to Christ, we are fruitful, producing fruit in the form of kindness, gentleness, love, respect, etc.  This connectedness to Christ forms our identity as Christians. 

When we consider our identity, we must not overlook the importance of being connected to Jesus.  On our own we may take His name, but there will be no lasting change in us.  What’s worse, we tend to do more damage to the name of Christ when we aren’t truly connected to Him, because our sin nature kicks in and takes us places we don’t wish to go.

If you have accepted the name of Christ then remember,

It is His name we bear,

His Spirit inside of us,

His Word we study,

His will we seek and

His Cross we bear.