Do They Say There Is No God Because Of You?

Being religious in our thinking is no help to anyone. For a Christian, to be religious in our mind is when the head becomes more important than the heart; when our intellect is more important than our compassion; when rules become more important than mercy. It is easy to become religious but not so easy to be like Jesus. We can fault the Muslims and the Jews for being trapped in a law that they cannot fulfill but the Church is falling into that same trap.

Paul the apostle pointed out that there was no one like a good Jew and pointed out their attitude:

Indeed you are called a Jew, and rest on the law, and make your boast in God, and know His will, and approve the things that are excellent, being instructed out of the law, and are confident that you yourself are a guide to the blind, a light to those who are in darkness, an instructor of the foolish, a teacher of babes, having the form of knowledge and truth in the law. (Romans 2:17-20)

When we fail to remember what Jesus has saved us from we can fall into this place of self-imposed instructor. We think it is our role to demonstrate righteousness to a world struggling under its own filth. But Paul asks another question of these "teachers":

You, therefore, who teach another, do you not teach yourself? You who preach that a man should not steal, do you steal? You who say, “Do not commit adultery,” do you commit adultery? You who abhor idols, do you rob temples? You who make your boast in the law, do you dishonor God through breaking the law? (v. 21-23)

You who preach against the sins of this world, do you also sin? Can any of us afford to cast that first stone? Do you not remember your past? Do you not remember what you were? And who made the difference? Did you save yourself, or was it Jesus who saved you even though you were his enemy? Now here is the punch:

For “the name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you,” as it is written. (v. 24)

Is our judgmental attitude and our failure to walk what we talk causing people to blaspheme, to say there is no God, to consider that the Church is a joke? Would attitudes be different if we truly had the desire to be like Jesus, to be compassionate, merciful, forgiving, where relationship becomes more important than rules. We need to ask ourselves if we are here to be law enforcement or representatives of the greatest Advocate we could ever know. Are we trying to hold the failing world to a greater standard than what we are able to live?

Don't Forget Who We Worship

I know Jesus is our friend and we are privileged to have such an intimate relationship with him, but at the same time we can't afford to lose our reverence for Yahweh. There are times I think we have gone too far in trying to portray Jesus as "user friendly", bosom pal and life long friend. There is almost an irreverence about his name and our relationship with him. Sure, we worship but sometimes even our attitude toward that is carefree, almost flaky, as if Yahweh will accept whatever we have to offer. We need to remember who it is we worship.

Have you noticed that every time someone encountered an angel in the Old Testament they had the same reaction? Consider Joshua when he encountered the angel before his battle at Jericho:

And Joshua went to Him and said to Him, “Are You for us or for our adversaries?”

So He said, “No, but as Commander of the army of the Lord I have now come.”

And Joshua fell on his face to the earth and worshiped, and said to Him, “What does my Lord say to His servant?”

Then the Commander of the Lord’s army said to Joshua, “Take your sandal off your foot, for the place where you stand is holy.” And Joshua did so. (Joshua 5:13-15)

Everyone always ends up on their face. It is a normal, natural, automatic reaction when encountering the glory of Yahweh. And when Joshua did not show enough reverence, forgetting to remove his sandals, he was instructed to do so. In our effort to modernize we seem to be losing this reverence in favour of the "Santa Claus" mentality.

How we approach our God depends on how you see yourself in the relationship and in life. Joshua knew he was appointed to his position by Yahweh. He know that he was the leader of Yahweh's people. He knew he was a man under orders. He knew that none of this was for his pleasure but for the glory of his God and the prosperity of the people. In short, Joshua understood he was a servant under the command of Yahweh. As such, it was natural for him to hold his reason for living in great reverence because of all he represented to Joshua.

We may think we see ourselves this way but take a good look at your life. Why do you do the things you do? Are you living for Jesus, with everything in your life coming from that motivation? Is everything you do directed by the Spirit for the glory of the Father? Is your purpose to bring him glory by serving other people? Or is Jesus more a part-time thing, something you fit in when you have time in your busy day? Are your goals your goals and are they about you?

It may seem like an oversimplified thing but from my experience, when Jesus is your reason for breathing there is a natural reverence in the relationship but when you are your reason for living there is a lack of reverence. I have had many conversations with Jesus during my life and I noticed something about them. Any conversation where I remained standing or sitting I tended to walk away and do what I wanted to do. Any conversation where I ended up on my face I walked away to do my Master's will. The difference was my attitude in approaching the conversation. Is Jesus truly everything to you? You should be able to tell by the reverence you give to him.

Serving Jesus As He Wants

All Christians are in love with the idea of serving Jesus. He has done so much for us, how could we not want to do so much for him? The problem happens when he takes us at our word. It is like when someone tells me that they want to help but then they tell me what they are not willing to do. A real offer to help is to help with what I need to have done, not what they perceive I need done.

When we tell Jesus we want to serve him it is never to be according to what we are willing to do but what Jesus needs us to do. To serve is our choice but what gets assigned to us is the Lord's choice. This is what causes the conflict, when the Lord's needs do not match our expectations. That is when we begin to resist Jesus. We see an example of what we do almost daily in an incident with Peter.

Jesus was demonstrating a potent lesson in the type of leaders he had trained them to be, but Peter did not understand:

He came to Simon Peter, who asked Him, “Lord, are You going to wash my feet?” (John 13:6)

Peter's idea of leadership did not match up with what Jesus was demonstrating. He had a fixed idea of what power looked like and how a king should behave, yet here was their king washing their feet?

Jesus answered him, “What I’m doing you don’t understand now, but afterward you will know.” (v. 7)

I am sure this is how Jesus responds to us most of the time. Many lessons we face cannot be understood in the moment because we have not yet gained a mature perspective. This is why we trust Jesus. We may not understand today but a day will come when we will understand the purpose. It is enough to trust that he loves us and desires the best for us. Yet, we react like Peter:

“You will never wash my feet—ever!” Peter said. (v. 8)

There are so many things that we refuse to do, so many directions we refuse to take, so many words we refuse to speak because we do not understand. We want to do what we are comfortable with, what we are familiar with, what we understand. But our service to Jesus has many purposes. He uses our service to bring blessings to others. He takes great joy out of fellowship with us in our service. And, he grows us, maturing us in the process of our service. For this reason he calls us to serve where we can't rely on our own strength and have to draw closer to him to receive his strength.

If your desire is to grow into the full measure of Jesus, stop resisting him. Stop saying never. Stop the wrestling. Trust is the cornerstone of our relationship with Jesus and without it we cannot serve him. So let's put away the pretty sentiment and get down to work. He has called you to something beyond your ability. Trust him and step into it. Serve him well.

The A, B, C's Of Decision Making

Have you ever sung the hymn "What A Friend We Have In Jesus"? Have you ever listened to the words you have sung? Have you ever been convicted by them?

What a Friend we have in Jesus, all our sins and griefs to bear!
What a privilege to carry everything to God in prayer!
O what peace we often forfeit, O what needless pain we bear,
All because we do not carry everything to God in prayer.

It's crazy, you know, just how accurate these words are. We do throw away the peace Jesus has so freely given to us because we mishandle our challenges in life. How do you handle tough decisions? You probably turn the options over in your head again and again and again. If they are big enough decisions you probably lose sleep over it while turning the options over again and again and again. Perhaps you have people that you trust who you talk it over with. If you have several friends they probably give you different advice so you end up measuring what they say over again and again and again. Whether it is a decision, trouble or hardships, if we don't know how to handle it properly we can end up doing a lot of damage to ourselves physically, emotionally, and spiritually.

It is an easy thing to say "take it to the Lord in prayer" but if we have not cultivated the habit of prayer we can find the task daunting. How do you pray? For how long? In what position? What do you say? How do you word it? Many of us usually simply say a quick prayer and then rush off to find our own solutions. But prayer is equally more complicated and simpler than that.

Prayer isn't as much about the petition we have to bring as it is about the relationship. This is the point most of us miss. We rush into the presence of Yahweh and right back out again but what Father wants is our time and attention. He wants us to hang out with him, just to enjoy his presence, to love and worship him. We spend 5 minutes, if we are generous maybe 15 minutes, in prayer. After all, there is only so much one can say in a one sided conversation. But it isn't one sided and it isn't all about talking.

Sometimes the greatest solution to your problems is to worship or to sit in Father's presence in silence or to meditate on Scripture. I didn't say read but meditate. Take one of Jesus' promises and turn it over in your thoughts again and again and again. Certainly tell Father your problems, your need for a solution, but don't make it your only purpose. Don't focus on your problem but instead give your full attention to him. This can sometime take time, perhaps days. Jesus set us the example.

Jesus had the daunting task of choosing the members of his inner circle from a group of 120 disciples. These 12 he would call his apostles. This was not a simple task or one to be taken lightly. These would be the ones he would trust with the greater truths, the ones into whom he would seed the Church. So what did Jesus do to make his decision? He prayed all night:

Now it came to pass in those days that He went out to the mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God. And when it was day, He called His disciples to Himself; and from them He chose twelve whom He also named apostles. (Luke 6:12-13)

Are you greater than Jesus? I know I am not, yet there have been so many times in my 20 years of pastoral ministry that I have trusted the advice of advisers instead of resting in prayer. I have made a number of wrong decisions as a result of my lack of prayer. Over the years I have learned that sometimes it can take a month of fervent praying, of focusing on the relationship, before the solution is made clear. Much of the time is spent wrestling with my thoughts and opinions to submit them to Father's will. If you have already cultivated this prayer life it is an easier task because you have gained discipline but it may not be any less time consuming.

We should be ashamed of ourselves. We testify to the goodness of Jesus. We worship him with all of our heart. We gladly surrender all we have to him. We really do trust him,. but we allow ourselves to follow the patterns of this world instead of having our minds renewed in him. We have allowed ourselves to become too busy with diversions to spend an hour, 2 or 3 in prayer every day. We just don't get how utterly dependent we are on Jesus because if we understood we wouldn't be struggling with this stuff on our own.

Pray. Focus on Jesus. Hang out with Father. Let him be your comfort, your counselor, your guide. Take time with him and you will be amazed how clear the solutions become:

Have we trials and temptations? Is there trouble anywhere?
We should never be discouraged; take it to the Lord in prayer.
Can we find a friend so faithful who will all our sorrows share?
Jesus knows our every weakness; take it to the Lord in prayer.


 

How To Change The Attitude Of Your Day

All praise is due him! But do we live that way? All praise is due him? But is it seen in our attitude? All praise is due him! But do we acknowledge it in the rush of our day? We know a lot of stuff in theory but it does not mean we live it out in our days. Indeed, all praise is due him, but sometimes, in our quest for survival, we don't let it play out in our lives. We reserve a time of remembrance and praise but the other moments of our lives is more an "every man for himself" attitude.

Often we slip into an ungrateful attitude without realizing it, with it becoming the "norm" for us, how we feel every day. We read a little less, pray a little less, praise a little less. The colour slowly drains away and we are left with that "overcast" feeling in our life. And it becomes normal for us. But it is not normal. It is not Jesus' normal.

Throughout the Scriptures we are told time and again that thanksgiving is the key to a healthy relationship with the Lord. We are also told that it is the key to keeping the blessings fresh and flowing. Thanksgiving pleases Father because it indicates that we are very grateful for all his loving kindness. Psalm 107 is a great psalm where the psalmist took the time to describe various situations people find themselves in and how the Lord intercedes on their behalf. Most of the situations are caused when people don't turn to the Lord but when they do they are delivered from their situation:

They wandered in the wilderness in a desolate way;
They found no city to dwell in.
Hungry and thirsty,
Their soul fainted in them.

Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble,
And He delivered them out of their distresses.

And He led them forth by the right way,
That they might go to a city for a dwelling place. (Psalm 107:4-7)

The psalmist concludes every situation with the same statement:

Oh, that men would give thanks to the Lord for His goodness,
And for His wonderful works to the children of men!
For He satisfies the longing soul,
And fills the hungry soul with goodness. (vv. 8-9)

All praise is due him! When we let go of our pride and seek his face, he floods our soul with great love and kindness. He satisfies the longing of our soul, he sets us free from our imprisonment, his works are to our advantage; he loves us deeply. If we would stop our struggling, trying to find our own solutions and cry out to our Lord, we would remember why all praise is due him.

Praise, adoration, worship, thanksgiving are not something that is for a reserved moment in our week. No, these things are part of an attitude within which we exist. A heart of praise produces a heart of cheer. Perhaps you recognize that your attitude is not right these days. You can easily change it by changing your words from complaining to praising as you reflect on the goodness of our Lord. The psalmist concluded:

Whoever is wise will observe these things,
And they will understand the lovingkindness of the Lord. (v. 43)

Indeed, a little reflection on the "daily and eternal loving kindness" of our Lord Jesus will work a wonderful work of grace on your heart and will be seen by all in your attitude throughout your day. As you realize "his wonderful works to the children of men" (count your blessings one by one) I pray your heart will explode with gratitude and you will pour out on him all the praise that is due him.

Jesus' Instructions On God's Blessings

Our God is a God of blessings. It is his great pleasure to bless and not spoil his children. His ultimate desire is for us to join him for eternity but he also enjoys pouring out good things on those who love him. A person would have to purposefully ignore great portions of scripture and the underlying current of the Bible to miss this point. Just this one scripture alone:

Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him! (Matthew 7:9-11)

The words of Jesus. But what the world considers good is not necessarily what God considers good. Scriptures also make it clear that God's ways are not our ways and his thoughts are so much higher than our own. Can I tell you, there is more to life than money? Too many of us associate God`s blessings with money. It`s like we are possessed by the thought of it. Jesus told us to consider money to be a tool. Do you remember that odd passage?

Jesus told a parable about a shrewd manager who was being fired so he went to all his boss' business associates who owed money. He cut what they owed so that when he was fired they would remember what he had done and would show kindness to him. When his boss found out what he had done he commended him and did not fire him. An odd parable but Jesus concluded it with this:

I tell you, use worldly wealth to gain friends for yourselves, so that when it is gone, you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings. (Luke 16:9)

Money is a tool that will open many doors in this world for the purpose of relationship. Relationship is what is key. But Jesus also gave us plenty of warning not to allow money to become something that it is not. Remember the parable about the farmer who had a bountiful crop? It was so big he built extra barns to store it. Jesus said he was a fool because that night his life would be taken from him and what good would all that wealth have been.

We are all familiar with the passage concerning worry. Jesus told us not to chase after what the rest of the world chases after. We are not to be worried about what we need. We are God's instruments here and he will always make sure we have what we need for life and service. When we chase after wealth there is a change of who is our master. Jesus warned:

No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money. (Luke 16:13)

Money is a tool, perhaps a blessing that is intended to be used on others, for others but with eternal benefit. Money is not power. Money is not to be possessed, stored away, hidden for other purposes. Jesus taught that we are to be as generous as our Father is extravagant in love. The possession doesn't matter and the relationship does. Jesus also gave us this warning:

Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much. So if you have not been trustworthy in handling worldly wealth, who will trust you with true riches? And if you have not been trustworthy with someone else’s property, who will give you property of your own? (Luke 16:10-12)

You are entrusted with many blessings from our Father. He is rich beyond compare and he pours these riches into your life, but it is not to be horded away. You are to be as generous toward others as your Father has been to you. He has entrusted you with great things, to pour those great things into people around you. Understand, generosity marks the children of the Father:

Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, drive out demons. Freely you have received; freely give. (Matthew 10:8)

It's not just about money but every material and spiritual blessing we receive. Do not be possessed by money but instead possess it. Do not treat it like a commodity but instead a powerful tool. Do not see it as something to be stored away for a rainy day as that shows you do not trust God, but instead, give it out as quickly as it comes in. You are a blessed child of God, so be blessed and be a blessing.

Where Is This Attitude Coming From?

As we sit and wait to see if another madman will drag us into another world conflict, we should do a little reflection on how we are impacting the world as individuals. This crazy little man is willing to sacrifice countless lives for some hidden personal agenda. What are you willing to sacrifice to impact this world as Jesus did? There is no doubt we are in the last days so we need to do everything we can to fulfill the mandate that Jesus gave us which is to present him to everyone we can, whenever we can, wherever we are.

The world is going crazy, and not just because of dictators. Look to our own neighbourhoods and lives. We have neighbours killing neighbours, parents killing children, children killing parents, children killing themselves. We have wife abuse, child abuse, elder abuse, animal abuse. We have countless thousands of unborn children being killed on the altar of self.  It is crazy and will only get crazier. The Spirit warned us through Apostle Paul:

People will love only themselves and money. They will be proud, stuck-up, rude, and disobedient to their parents. They will also be ungrateful, godless,  heartless, and hateful. Their words will be cruel, and they will have no self-control or pity. These people will hate everything that is good. They will be sneaky, reckless, and puffed up with pride. Instead of loving God, they will love pleasure. (2 Timothy 3:2-4)

That is a lot to take in so take it one thing at a time.

The first is a great description of a lot of people I meet today : People will love only themselves and money. For sure, there are a lot of great people who have a heart for others but those numbers are falling. Many problems in our cities and neighbourhoods are because people put themselves ahead of others. If people were not in love with themselves, we wouldn't mind sacrificing for each other. The question is, are we any better? The money issue speaks for itself.

Consider the people you see every day. Would you describe any of them as being proud, stuck-up (not willing to associate with those in a perceived lower class), rude, disobedient to their parents? Obedience to parents is a big thing to God. If we don't learn obedience to our parents then disobedience will run in everything we do. We will find ways to get out of paying taxes, cheating the system, doing whatever we can to better ourselves against the system without getting caught. Disobedience is a huge problem and I am not referring to teenagers.

What better way to describe the growing attitude of our society than ungrateful, godless, heartless and hateful. It is a very angry society, hurting and being hurt. There is a lot of hate out there and it doesn't take much to touch it off. People care less about their neighbours. Maybe they mean to care but they don't. "Live and let live" because I don't want to be involved, is a great way of summing up a lot of attitudes I see these days.

Notice how Paul is describing the people of the end days because what is being described is a people who have lost love: cruel words, no self-control, no pity. They just have no heart. They don't know grace or even understand it. It's all about vengeance and justice. The love those who love them and hate those that hate them. These are the days we are living in as we see our communities and the world being transformed by an underlying hate and distrust.

So where is this evil coming from? Simple : instead of loving God, they will love pleasure. That is all we live for, what our society orbits around; pleasure. We don't want anything to interfere with it. Half the world is starving to death but we are fine as long as we have our $500 game counsel and the latest smart phone. It is incredible how the world has changed in 50 years. I really don't think it has another 50 to go.

In this mess we have been given the task of burning bright for Jesus. We recognize the times we are in. We continue to call good good and evil evil. We keep our eyes fixed on Jesus and we refuse to be polluted by the self-centered atmosphere of our society. We know we are here to serve. We are here to impact the world for Jesus. In the face of the selfishness of our society we live a selfless life, willing to give it all up for the sake of one soul. Does this describe us? It should if Jesus is our everything. It should if we understand our mission. It should if we are walking in obedience because we love him.

According to the world thermometer, it is time to wake up from the intoxication of this world and seek the holiness of our God. It is time to put on the robe of righteousness and live every moment of every day for the glory of our King. We have been distracted long enough; now let's get our mind and heart on things above.

Fitting In Prayer

Five minute prayers. That's all most of us can afford. We fit it in between the alarm clock and shower. Or perhaps it is in the shower as we try to think through our day. Maybe it's in the bus on the way to school or work. Perhaps it is while we sit in the doctor's waiting room or just before we slip into sleep. Usually a few words: "God help me", "Lord give me strength", "Jesus bless them". There is nothing wrong with this but do we really think these are relationship building or powerful moments of petition?

Let's be honest, many of us have lost the understanding of what it is to pray with purpose. Many of us do not know that these are the greatest moments of our lives, well worth getting up early or delaying going to bed. These are moments when God releases his power through us, to see great things happen in this world and in the lives of others. It is in prayer that we become the true warriors of God. Apostle Paul gave this charge:

Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful. (Colossians 4)

Being watchful so we know what to pray for in other people's lives and in this world. Being thankful that we are always praying in a right heart condition. Devoted to prayer. When you are devoted to something you give it priority or you soon lose your devotion. A husband who is not devoted to his wife, not making her the priority in his life, will soon lose her. When we are devoted to something we give ourselves to it. Does that describe our attitude or approach to prayer? Are we devoted prayer warriors?

Being devoted to prayer is not a "fitting it in" but having a plan and purpose. It is having a time when you shut out everything else and allow yourself to be overwhelmed by the presence of God, presenting the needs of others to him. It is when we join with him in battling for the souls of those we have encountered. It is praying strength for a brother or sister who is involved something where they need the strength of the Lord to make it through. It is in these moments that we are overwhelmed by the love and compassion of our God, where we often receive instruction and when we are empowered to do his will.

It is also out of these moments that we emerge as empowered prayer warriors who continue to pray without ceasing. We become so sensitive to the Spirit that we hear his prompting to pray for the hidden needs of the people we encounter. We are given words of knowledge to speak into their lives. We become his presence in their lives as he empowers us to act in their lives without needing to ask questions. It is when he reveals to them that he not only knows their situation but he cares as well. That doesn't happen when we are "fitting in" moments of prayer.

We are a people of purpose and power. We carry the Light of God to this world and it all ignites in us in prayer. We have to give it priority. We have to approach it with purpose. We have to give it time in our day. We have to realize what is happening in this time. We have to realize that after Paul told us to put our spiritual armour on every day he gave this charge:

And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints. (Ephesians 6:18)

Prayer defies description. It is a time of intimacy with our King. It is a time of power releasing and a time of empowerment. It is like a battering ram against the enemy's forces. Without it nothing will be accomplished;  with it all things are possible because of the One who strengthens us. We need to be devoted to prayer, watchful and thankful. Come on mighty warriors, let's get in the battle.

The Game Changer

Who do you work for? Why do you do the things you do? Are you a hard worker or do you do enough to get by? Do you do what is expected of you or do you go beyond expectations? When your mom asks you to wash the dishes, do you mop the floor as well? When your boss gives you a deadline, do you try to be a day or two early? How are you looking at life?

The Bible is a serious thing and apparently God has written it on our heart through the Holy Spirit. But sometimes we don't get it because we still don't realize that we are no longer citizens of this planet but of the Kingdom of Jesus. This means that all the patterns, rules, way of thinking and attitudes have changed. Our motivation for living and working has changed. The foundation of our life has changed. A few days ago we examined this scripture:

And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. (Colossians 3:17)

We discussed that "in the name of the Lord Jesus" means in his authority. We operate in the authority of Jesus Christ; in our actions and in our words. Now let's build on that with a verse we find not far from this one:

Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving. (Colossians 3:23-24)

There is the game changer. We don't work for men but for Jesus. God places us in certain places to be an influence for him. We are there representing Jesus, as a bus boy or a company manager. It doesn't matter where God has placed us and what the work of our hand is, it is all for his glory. When our mom asks us to do the dishes, as much as we love her, we do it for Jesus not for her. If we realized it was Jesus asking us to do the dishes I am sure we would only be too happy to clean the whole house.

If we realized what it is we are doing and who we are doing it for there would be no more half-measures. We would put our whole heart into the most meagre tasks and people would notice. We don't do it to get a better position or more pay. We don't do it for better recognition. We don't do it to feel good. Our reward is not in this place; we know we are receiving an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. Knowing this means we are all that much more generous with our time and energy. No, we do these things in obedience to the one we love.

It is the Lord Jesus we are serving not man, and that should make a huge difference in our attitude and work ethic. When we tell people we love Jesus it should be seen in the work of our hands. They should see it in our attitude toward others, including brothers, sisters, and grumpy bosses. Our work place should see a difference in us; they should see Jesus. And when they see how the Lord blesses and multiplies the work of our hands they will want to know more about our incredible King. A slack attitude, lack of joy and a grumpy face only robs people of seeing God's glory and perhaps their salvation. Realize God has purpose in all these things and serve him with all your heart.

Infecting People With A Desire For Jesus

The "American Dream" is to better the situation you find yourself in, to become successful in the world's eye. It is about going from rages to riches. Do you know that the "American Dream" has nothing to do with the Kingdom of God? Do you know that God measures success in a much different manner? Do you know God's expectation is that we will shine for him no matter our circumstances and lot in life?

I'm not saying doors of opportunity do not open  or when they do not to walk through them. If God is opening doors, he wants you to walk through, and he has reasons for it. Seldom are those reasons for us to line our own pockets but instead to advance the cause of the Kingdom. However, we are not to allow the lack of opportunities to depress our joy in the Lord for one minute. No circumstance should ever be able to dull the Lord's glory in us. Success is not measured in possessions or wealthy but instead by our obedience to our God.

Consider for a moment the attitude toward slavery. Slavery is a terrible injustice where one human being considers another to be a possession. Terrible circumstances that fly in the face of everything Jesus taught. But Apostle Paul did not run around trying to free slaves. His purpose was far more important than trying to improve people's condition in this world. He wanted everyone to possess a Kingdom perspective so the Spirit could have freedom to work through them, to infect everyone around them. Paul considered it far more important that everyone would be ambassadors for Jesus not matter their station in life:

Slaves, obey your earthly masters in everything; and do it, not only when their eye is on you and to win their favor, but with sincerity of heart and reverence for the Lord. (Colossians 3:22)

Imagine being a slave, not having a choice in anything, not able to go for a walk when you felt like it or be able to take a vacation. Imagine being treated like a possession, worth no more than the amount of money with which you were purchased. Now imagine knowing Jesus, being possessed by him and being told to shine for him in your attitude and work ethic for the one who saw you as nothing more than an animal.

Some of us feel that because we have a terrible boss or because we are in a terrible job we can slack off or speak against our boss. We think, because of our situation or circumstances, we have a right to complain or mouth off about everything. But when you are possessed by Jesus and compelled by his love you realize it isn't about your job, your position or your boss; it is about the values of the Kingdom. It is also about making the most of every opportunity God gives us to shine for the glory of Jesus.

Our old way of thinking, the old values, the old system is gone; we died to those things when we were transformed into a new creation. Now we have a new perspective, new values and we no longer chase after the things the world does. Knowing that our Heavenly Father is looking our for our needs, we concentration on the things of the Kingdom; not in some areas of our life but in every area. We make sure that our attitude reflects the glory of Jesus and we desire to shine with brilliance as we represent the King. Is there anything attractive about you that screams Jesus and cause people to enjoy being with you? That is our daily goal, to infect people with a desire for Jesus, no matter our lot in life.

Overcoming Bitterness

Life can be hard. It isn't necessarily the decisions we make that cause it to be that way, often it is because of other people's decisions. It is hard when other people's decisions have the potential to impact you, especially when you are young. I have to admit this is a hard one for me. If we mess up we can usually deal with it knowing it is our own fault, but when we have to work through other people's messes it can cause some bitterness and resentment. But bitterness and resentment have never added anything to anyone's life. We need to find a better way of dealing with it.

We really have no excuse for things like bitterness in our life. That and a lot of other negative emotions happen when we allow this world and things in it to be more important to us than they should be. These feelings are provoked in us when we consider our rights to be greater than someone else's. They overwhelm us when we are always looking at how things effect us instead of focusing on other people. They take root when we consider our way to be greater than God's way.

There really is only one attitude that we can maintain that will allow the character of Jesus to shine through us in every situation, and it is the attitude of thanksgiving. Too many of us concentrate on the negatives in live and it effects our attitude, mentality, perspective, emotions and health. I could understand it if this life was all there was and we needed to live it to the fullest because after this it is all done. Even writing such a drab thought brings me down. Imagine if this was it? But it's not. So it's crazy for us to allow anything in this world to have such an effect on us who are eternal creatures destined for a glorious home.

We can keep away from the negative side of things by simply being thankful for everything in our lives. Jesus has filled our lives with blessings and just the fact that he lives in us and us in him should be a daily encouragement. We also have the promises that God uses everything for our good, to benefit us. So whether we find something to be negative or positive in this world, for us it is all good and God turns it in our favour. But even this isn't exactly a proper attitude.

When we are filled with praise and thanksgiving in every situation we stop being concerned with ourselves and we start looking at how things are effecting others. People become our focus and as gratefulness buoys our spirit and eternal hope fills our heart, we are able to serve the needs of those around us. Do you not understand what Jesus was telling us when he said:

So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. (Matthew 6:31-33)

Do we not understand that true worship is found in the overflow of a thankful heart? This is not a glass half full / half empty thing. This is "I am thankful for whatever is in that glass" thing. Be thankful for what you have and praise the Lord. But be thankful more for the spiritual blessings than the worldly blessings. The worldly is  just temporary, destined to spoil and fade away. The spiritual however is for eternity and if your life is rich with these things you are rich indeed. So be thankful, fill your life with others and allow Jesus to be seen in you regardless of the circumstances. Not another word of complaint but thank Jesus for everything in your life. It is there for your benefit.

Come On Warriors, Rise Up!

What are we suppose to do as Christians in this world? Even after 40 years of walking with Jesus some people have not grown past this question. Well there are a lot of things we need to "do" but if you really want to know, look at Jesus' example.

The big thing is to be engaged with people. We cannot fulfil our purpose if we are not engaged with people. Jesus doesn't care about the beauty of our church buildings or the size of our congregations. His focus is on the heart condition of people and that is why we must be engaged in this world and the conversation that is taking place. In other words, we are being disobedient when we hide out in our church buildings or in our homes.

You do realize what happens when God's children fail to obey the "go" command, don't you? Jesus told his disciples to "go" to the ends of the world with the good news. Instead they held up in Jerusalem and the Church began to grow in huge numbers there. So God allowed a great persecution to come on the Church forcing everyone to scatter. And where they scattered the Good News spread.

There is an attitude we are suppose to maintain as Christians to fulfil our purpose in this place, while we remain engaged and part of the conversation. I think we find a nice summary of that attitude in Colossians 4:

Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful. (Colossians 4:2)

Pray!

Pay attention!

Be Thankful!

Let's be honest, we often do the opposite. There is a great prayer deficit in the average Christian life. Most of us spend less than 15 minutes in prayer every day and much of that has no real purpose, faith or power behind it. We pray because we feel obligated to "stay in touch" with God. It certainly is not a weapon we are wielding and it is not a provocation of God's power for the sake of the Kingdom. Much of our prayers are about ourselves and not about people we are fighting for. We certainly are not devoted to prayer. We have no real sense of purpose in it.

Pay attention? Hardly. Most Christians can't tell you who their political leaders are. We don't know what is going on in our various countries. We certainly don't know what is happening around the world. We don't even know what is happening in our neighbourhood. We are a very closed people who are only concerned with those things that impact us personally. We go to work/school, come home and eat, look for entertainment, take care of the family, take care of what is ours and that is our life. This is not paying attention.

A Christian should know his neighbours, notice when something is wrong, be engaged to be there to help and most importantly to pray. We need to pay attention to know what is going on to know how to battle in prayer. We aren't in this place for ourselves. We are here to fight for others.

Have you ever met a thankful Christian? Well shake their hand and take a picture because they are a rare breed. Most Christians are complainers, grumblers and accusers. We allow so much negative things to take up residence in us and yet the Word says that a relationship with Jesus produces an attitude of thanksgiving.

Yes, watching the evil of this world can have an effect on us. Seeing how much evil is in the world can even attempt to overwhelm us but maintaining an attitude of gratitude guards our heart. When we constantly remind ourselves of the goodness, faithfulness, and love of Jesus evil is kept in its place. Remembering the power and authority of Jesus keeps everything in perspective. With a heart filled with gratitude to Jesus for everything, we will find it that much easier to be engaged with people.

This is a call for us to wake up from our stupor and self-centered attitude and get engaged with the battle we are here to be part of. We need to shake ourselves up before God does and get back to the fight. Pray! Pay Attention! Be Thankful! This is our attitude and we will do well in the battle today if we maintain it. Come on warrior called by Jesus! Rise up!