Comparison: our power struggles

Comparison: our power struggles

This weekend, at church, a truly inspiring man of God spoke. At first, it wasn’t the words that had me riveted to the moment. Sitting in the first row of seats and directly in front of this man speaking, I listened but all I saw was a big man. He had arms the size of my legs; he was tall, muscular and very commanding. If I was as big as strong and brave as him, I would be evangelical too.  

Later I realized, I was comparing the man with myself and I missed the message. I forgot, he wasn’t perfect and the things in his physical life were subject to failure too. I was focusing on the man and not the message.

This is a snare to a Christian.

2 Corinthians 10:12-18 we do not dare to classify or compare ourselves with some who commend themselves. When they measure themselves by themselves and compare themselves with themselves, they are not wise.  We, however, will not boast beyond proper limits, but will confine our boasting to the sphere of service God himself has assigned to us, a sphere that also includes you. We are not going too far in our boasting, as would be the case if we had not come to you, for we did get as far as you with the gospel of Christ. Neither do we go beyond our limits by boasting of work done by others. Our hope is that, as your faith continues to grow, our sphere of activity among you will greatly expand, so that we can preach the gospel in the regions beyond you. For we do not want to boast about work already done in someone else’s territory, but, “Let the one who boasts boast in the Lord.” For it is not the one who commends himself who is approved, but the one whom the Lord commends.

 

The trouble with some is we compare ourselves to ourselves. We measure our life based on what we know. We measure ourselves based on pride; passivity; complexity; defiance; under-achievement, and perfectionism. We also compare ourselves at work, home and church…if I could only be more like the Pastor who taught this weekend. It may sound strange but it’s true; and as a result, we feel empty!

Let’s face it, most people are hurting, carrying a lot of emotional baggage, they are looking for heroes, false mentors and other people to depend on. Who is your hero? Is it some popular athlete; maybe it’s a teacher you knew that helped guide your life; maybe it’s some wealthy person who started from nothing or maybe it’s some Pastor on the stage who you wished you could be like.

Growing up, I sang in our church choir. My choirmaster was an accomplished musician and recognized both my brother’s talent and mine. He coached and taught us to sing better. He took us to Radio City Musical were we sang solo’s onstage for a lot of people. I’m telling you this because I looked at this man as a Christian mentor. If it wasn’t for this man, I would have never realized my talent to sing. I thought he could do no wrong…but I was wrong.

He fell and he fell hard and never got back up.

In the movie, “Monsters Inc.” they powered the city by screams they collected screams but did not intend to hurt anyone. They needed the screams for power. Later on in the movie, they realized that laughter drew more power than the screams. Sometimes we are just like this, we power our lives with pain and scream because we have to work too hard or it gets difficult. Or we try to power our lives using others as the ignition and fuel for our power.  Failure wreaks havoc on this type of power. Later we realize there is another way to do things that’s easier and more powerful. What were we thinking?

Comparing our lives to others is painful and can result in a lot of screaming. Why? Because the things we compare our lives to be not perfect, our heroes make mistakes…they are only human and are capable of falling.

Jesus is perfect.

Truth be told, Jesus Christ should be your mentor, power supply and hero…it is him you should be more like!

Surrender: Just grow up

Surrender: Just Grow Up

 

Sometimes we need to ‘give up, and to grow up!”…to completely surrender! 

Our experiences can help direct our lives. They can change you, but you need to be willing to give them up. We need to let things go in order to grow. Are you willing to let some things go in your life? Do you want to grow?  

In Mark 10:17-29 there was this rich guy, he had it all. Money, power and he probably a good looking fellow to boot! He was seeking the truth though, unhappy with the political correctness, works oriented and heartless religion that surrounded him. He knew there was more to life than materialistic endeavors. He knew that one day he would die and that would be it, subconsciously he sought an eternal life.  

So he goes to Jesus, and he tells Jesus, “Hey, I am good guy!”, sound familiar? 

Jesus brings up the Law of Moses, because he was a great teacher The Law reveals our inability to please God and leads us to seek His grace. Without knowledge of God’s Law, it becomes difficult to see that we are sinners in need of help. This young man failed to see the requirements of the Law; he didn’t see himself as a lawbreaker. 

Jesus tries a different approach seeing that something is not right with this young man, so Jesus told the young man “Sell it all and give it away.” Jesus was not making poverty or philanthropy a requirement of salvation; He was exposing the young man’s heart.  

If God told you to sell everything and follow Jesus…would you? 

So the Rich guy says, “He could not do that and walked away.” Jesus stopped him and said, “Is that your final answer?” 

Some people think that we are all supposed to be poor.  Not true, poverty is not a sign of spirituality. Poverty is the result of the curse of sin and poverty should be resisted and taught against. God wants us to prosper. He wants to bless us but He needs to break us from being controlled by our wealth first.  

Notice, God didn’t say we shall all be millionaires? Prosper means to enjoy what you have (my definition). But the truth is many of God’s people are not prospering. They are broke, and in debt. God blessed Abraham with abundant wealth; we are told he had over 400 servants! God blessed Paul with enough money to travel the world and do mission work and to pay for it almost all by his own income. He must have made a lot of money! 

God desires that we have enough money to provide for ourselves and to do the work of the ministry. He will provide you with this money if you learn how to manage what you have. God will never give you anything that you can’t handle…including money. I hear people say all the time, “God, if you will just let me win the lottery, I can better serve you.” (Or something likes that.) Why should God give you more of something when what he has already given you has been misused? 

If you buy your child a computer and he misuses it by going to websites infested with Virus and Malware. Forgets where he leaves it then complains it’s not his fault the computer is so slow. (ok, this is experiential knowledge) Would you buy him another computer? It’s the computers fault after all, right? Of course not, why should G0od give you any more if what he has already given you is being abused?

I realize this seems pretty bad but there is another danger of prosperity and wealth… riches can grab a hold of you and begin to control you. That is what the problem was here with this rich guy. His money became his god. So when he asked Jesus what he needed to do, Jesus went right to the source of the problem. What was really holding this young man back? It was his money.

What is holding you back?  

What is keeping you from living out God’s vision and calling for your life? For everybody it is different. Maybe it is your image or the way you view yourself, good or bad. Is that holding you back? Maybe it is your wealth, or your goals and plans, or your skills and talent that are holding you back.

Whatever it is, God calls you to give it up. Not so He can take it away, but so that it won’t destroy you and hold you back. “Sometimes you have to let things go in order to grow.”  

Mark 10:29, 30 - Truly I tell you,” Jesus replied, “no one who has left home or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields for me and the gospel will fail to receive a hundred times as much in this present age: homes, brothers, sisters, mothers, children and fields—along with persecutions—and in the age to come eternal life.

In other words, no one gives up stuff that won’t get back more than they give up times many hundreds!

At the end of the war in the Pacific when Japan surrendered, Japanese general came aboard the US ship and walked up to General McArthur. He extended his hand to shake the general’s hand, but the general did not extend his hand. He stood firm and said with a clear voice, “Your sword general.”

Now if you know anything about the military you will understand what was going on here. General McArthur would not accept the Japanese general’s handshake until he completely surrendered. This would be expressed by giving the general his sword. There was a moment’s hesitation but then the general took off his sword and gave it to the general as he bowed. This was complete surrender.

There are many who would like to completely surrender to Jesus. Jesus won’t shake your hand till you give him your sword.  Until you completely surrender.

Ready?

 

 

Judging: Pigs and Planks

This morning I was reading about God’s forgiveness when I came upon a favorite verse we use in handling it. Matthew 7:3-5 "And why do you look at the speck in your brother’s eye, but do not consider the plank in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, ’Let me remove the speck out of your eye’; and look, a plank is in your own eye? Hypocrite! First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck out of your brother’s eye."

As I read this I realized the emphasis was on the “plank’ and not the ‘speck’ in relation to sin. Correctly stated, the speck and the plank represent sin, hence it’s all sin. Jesus here uses the graphic example of a plank of wood and a speck of dust. Here’s one guy with a little piece of dust in his eye. There’s somebody else with a two-by-four coming out of his forehead, and he’s trying to get that speck out. Every time he turns around, the other guy has to duck. Sounds like a Laurel and Hardy or 3 stooges bit.

Jesus used the illustration of a plank and a speck because he was a carpenter; that was familiar to him and it was familiar to the people around him.

You ever watch a die-hard football fan watch football? He’ll criticize the quarterback for not throwing well, the receivers for not catching the easy passes, and the linemen for not blocking well. Especially if his team is losing! If he’s so good at knowing what to do, then why is he sitting in a chair watching the game instead of being out there coaching or playing? I’ve seen these armchair quarterbacks play in the filed or their backyards. Talk about 3 stooges!

Jesus says, "You’ve got no room to criticize others because of your own inadequacies!"

Yet, even though we are unqualified, we still judge. I don’t think that the plank in our eyes is necessarily a worse sin. I think he’s talking about the sin of self-righteousness, appointing us as the official speck of sawdust inspectors of the brotherhood. The only sins over which we have control our own, and those are the ones that should command our greatest attention.

So, if a brother or sister comes to you with a speck in their eye do we run away and wait till our planks are removed? Hopefully you don’t. Jesus was saying there is a place for some discernment in people’s lives. If you see brothers or sisters who have specks in their eyes, you need to help them take it out and in turn they will help you with your plank!

""Brethren, if a man is overtaken in any trespass, you who are spiritual restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness."  Galatians 6:1

Jesus says, "Don’t judge, don’t condemn." Then, in the same breath, he says, "Make certain judgments concerning people and behavior."

Did Jesus just contradict himself? Nope! In this second statement, Jesus acknowledges the need for making decisions concerning people and behavior that is detrimental to our Christian lives. The command not to judge others doesn’t mean that we can’t see the sinfulness of certain actions.

But be warned…

You can take a pig and put him in a bathtub. You wash him. You floss his teeth. You put mousse in his tail. You do whatever you want. Then you put him back outside, and you know where he’ll go…back to the mud. Jesus was saying there are people like that. These words are harsh, but his point is that we shouldn’t waste spiritual treasures on those who have no spiritual interest.

In Matthew 10, Jesus sent some disciples out and he said, "Look. When you go into a town, and they don’t have the time of day for you, shake the dust off your sandals and get out of there." Some people are spiritual pigs

We need to be careful not to become harshly judgmental, looking for faults, taking the opportunity to look down on others from our position of self-righteousness.

We need to be able to recognize sin for what it is. Any attempt to overlook or justify sin on any grounds is itself sinful.

But most of all, we must realize that God has forgiven us and we need to discern between pigs and people.

 

 



Like this…

Do you remember the song, “Oh, Lord it’s hard to be humble, when you’re perfect in every way!” That song was sung by Mac Davis. It was a catchy tune and I can still hear the song in my head today. One of the reasons this song was so popular was because it resembled a world view. It reminds us how the world places value on people.

The world’s vision of people is physical beauty, money and accomplishment. This is how many people get values of themselves. Of course, this doesn’t line up with the Word of God. There is no biblical guarantee that you will automatically receive healthy feelings about yourself when you accept Jesus as Your Savior. Some people do, but many do not.

I didn’t! You want to know a secret about me? I have low self-esteem. I love myself as a Man of God, doing what’s right and true… but at times, I don’t like myself. Matter of fact, there are times I’m so disgusted with myself, I’ll refuse to look into the mirror. Why?

It is mainly because I label good feelings about myself as pride or conceit -traits that God hates Proverbs 21:4. When I say I don’t like myself is because of my dislike of my carnal self. That unredeemed part that has wrapped itself around my human self in an attempt to control it. The carnal self can be destroyed, but not the human self. I see it as a tension between two verses - “I can do all things through Christ” and “Apart from me you can do nothing”

I have to constantly remind myself that how we view ourselves should be how God views us. God has already established our value, we just need to acknowledge and recognize it.

When I was in Italy during the Navy, I overheard others talking about the value of items you could obtain while in Italy. You could buy rugs and fabrics for pennies and return home and sell them for 200 – 300% profit. As Sailors, we were allowed to purchase and bring aboard ship only a certain amount of items. Basically, if they didn’t fit in your locker on the ship, you really couldn’t bring it aboard.

Being Italian, I realized this issue and went to find a stone called Paesina. A Rare Italian stone made into jewelry and worth a lot of money in America. I acquired 20 pounds of it with the intention of making a lot of money off it. I would have too except I failed to realize the value wasn’t really in the stone itself but the craftsmanship of the Jeweler. I did make a profit but it was nothing compared to what I would have made if it was already in the form of jewelry.

1 Corinthians 6:19, 20 or don’t you know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself, for God bought you with a high price. So you must honor God with your body.”

We are like the Italian stone when we first become saved….rare and valuable. Our real worth is when we let the craftsman mold and shape us once we become saved. This takes time and involves a lot of chipping away, sanding, smoothing and polishing. This doesn’t occur instantaneously.

There is a great video on you tube produced by “The Skit Guys” called “God’s Chisel”. I highly recommend you to see this video if you haven’t had the chance. It deals with God Chipping away at us and revealing our true selves in him.

Yes at times I don’t like myself very much but I know God loves me and views me much differently. Isaiah 62:5 “…as the bridegroom rejoices over the bride, so shall your God rejoice over you.”

My low self-image of myself is a reflection of how I believe other people see me. It consists of who I think other people think I am. That’s a lie straight from the Devil! It would be real cool if everyone liked me but I need to realize that it’s not necessary! Even Jesus was not liked by everyone. He had but twelve disciples, and one betrayed him and one denied him.

Proverbs 23:7 as a man thinketh in his heart so is he

Eleanor Roosevelt is credited with saying, "Nobody can make me feel inferior without my permission."

Saying adapted for Paul’s New Thinking: No one can make me feel anyway at all without my permission. My feelings are our chosen reactions to life’s events.

God wants to give us his view of life. He wants to enable us to love ourselves as he does, in order that we can love others the same way.

I am where I’m at because God loves me…what’s not to like about that?

 

 

Mistakes: Portals of Discovery

 

Mistakes: Portals of Discovery

 

I was working in my office as usual a few weeks back when something caught me by surprise. This squirrel was scratching against my office window for a good 5 minutes. Guess it didn’t realize it couldn’t get in. After he finally, or I thought finally, went away he came back again about an hour later and tried again. Matter fact, he came back about 3 or 4 times that I know of. I guess he never learned from his mistakes?

Mistakes are a part of life and when we make those mistakes we are called to learn from them. We call that experience.

When I was in Navy boot camp in Great Lakes Michigan, there was a rule that when you folded your blanket, you had to place it where the very edge of the blanket was touching the end of the bed. This was a strict rule and it being off a centimeter would have failed an inspection. Once…..just once I made this mistake and the company commander disciplined me as a result. Never happened again, I learned my lesson.

Israel made some mistakes too. God tried to lead them into the Promised Land directly after their exodus from Egypt. They showed a lack of faith and refused to enter into it out of fear, so this led to their forty years of wandering in the desert. They were spiritually immature so God sent them on a 40 year spiritual boot camp in the wilderness. He still blessed them and provided for their needs but all the while he was disciplining them.

They performed multiple acts of disobedience; they got Aaron to make them a golden calf; they griped when there was no water and they griped when there was no food. God gave them these things, as he was disciplining them.

Deuteronomy 8:5 “Know then in your heart that as a man disciplines his son, so the LORD your God disciplines you.”

It seems sometimes that we have so many opportunities to mess up in life. We do things we know we shouldn’t – and we make mistakes. We all make mistakes, When General Motors tried to introduce the Chevy Nova into South America, they neglected to notice that in Spanish “No VA” means “No go…

When Coca-Cola was introduced in China, their attempts at finding a phonetic equivalent in the Chinese language resulted in a drink called “bite the wax tadpole.”

Sometimes when we make mistakes we try to deny it. When we try to deny our mistakes that is when the trouble really begins. 1 Corinthians 10:12 says, If you think you are standing strong, be careful not to fall. We all make mistakes!

“Mistakes are the portals of discovery.”

Thankfully, God is in the restoration business. He uses our mistakes and failures to bring about His intended results. It’s often through our mistakes that He is able to teach us and to transform our character…but only if we will let Him.

Sometimes we make a mistake and we think we can never go on again. Maybe we think we could never be forgiven because we have done such terrible things, but this is just another mistake.

Jesus said to the people who believed in him, “You are truly my disciples if you remain faithful to my teachings.  And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” John 8:31-32

Jesus was taking about freedom from sin. Some of the worst mistakes we make are sinful ones.

Whatever mistakes you make in life, let them be a place of learning. Whatever error you see, replace it with truth. Whatever else you do, live by faith: Faith that you will make mistakes and faith that God will see you through it.

I don’t know what life has dealt you this past week, month, year or lifetime. But I do know with God – “ALL THINGS ARE POSSIBLE!!!”

So if life has become messy because of mistakes…cling to the promises of God! He loves you more than you can imagine. He will be there for you when everything and everyone else has abandoned you.



Band of Brothers

Lie #1: I can do it myself - I don’t like to fly! Not because I am afraid of dying or claustrophobia, but because I don’t have control. Face it; most of us want to believe that we are competent and capable. Ultimately we’d like to believe that we are in control! None of us really are in control but we sure would like to believe it.

The first lie is a control issue a challenging lie.  It says I can take on anyone, any challenge, and any time. I don’t need help. I am in control.

Lie #2: This is just the way I am - The second lie is when we realize, we don’t have control. This is a surrender lie. It is what a man says who has given up and let go of control. It’s surrender to the desires of his own heart and not God’s.

To change or overcome from these lies, independently, is hard….not impossible but really hard. It’s even harder to do it by yourself. Speaking directly to us men, we need to learn that we need each other. That’s right I said it, Men need other men!

Hey guys - You can’t make it alone and you don’t need to try!

Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their work. If one falls down, his friend can help him up. But pity the man who falls and has no one to help him. Ecclesiastes 4:9-10

Remember the series on HBO, “Band of Brothers?” I love that series for many reasons besides being a history nut. I love the series because it represents men being there for other men. No Lone Wolf McQuade’s in that bunch.

Ok so here is how we can become a Band of Brothers:

1. I’ll carry you when you’re tired and you carry me when I’m tired.
Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.
Galatians 6:2
2.  I’ll Pray for you, you pray for me
Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed...
James 5:16a
3. I’ll get in your face, you get in mine
when Peter came to Antioch, and I opposed him to his face, because he was clearly in the wrong. Galatians 2:11
4. I’ll be there for you, you be there for me
…correct, rebuke and encourage-with great patience and careful instruction.
2 Timothy 4:2

 

A “Band of Brothers” help each other to eliminate the lies, asks the hard questions, doesn’t blame others, confesses immediately and fully, helps each other do the right thing and a “Band of Brothers”…

 

 WINS Together!!!

 

Ticket Theology

Last week, driving home from somewhere, my thoughts turned to my writing; more importantly, what to write about. Usually, when I get this temporary writers block, I go back to basics Grace and salvation. In my thoughts, I came up with an analogy (something I have never been really good at).

Salvation is like waiting in line for tickets to the “Best Concert Ever!” Why are people in line? The want tickets to the show…some wait days in line so they can get the best tickets. There are those who KNOW somebody and already have the best tickets; there are some that get ticket given to them for answering the right question or doing something goofy as part of a radio promotion or raffle.

Interesting analogy to say the least but it has one humongous flaw. As humans we already have a Grace ticket. That ticket was filled out in our name when Jesus sacrificed his life for ours. Our tickets were bought and paid for at Calgary. We just need to accept the ticket! But that’s not the real flaw….

The flaw is “Ticket Theology.”

People with ticket theology think that the only thing that is important in the Christian life is salvation. They rarely think about real discipleship, they just want their ticket. They want to avoid hell and go to heaven without ever considering whether they will be happy in heaven. I might say that if you don’t like living for God here, you’re not going to get the full benefits there.

Ticket theology trivializes the Christian life. This kind of thinking reduces the Christian life down to some kind of spiritual fire insurance. It turns the Christian experience into a recipe: “Say this and you will be saved,” or “Pray this prayer and you will be forgiven.” It is very important that we are saved by grace. The Bible does say, “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith — and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God — not by works, so that no one can boast.”

Many people stop reading there and forget the next verse: “For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do” (Ephesians 2:8-10).

We cannot save ourselves by our good works, and whenever we think God owes us heaven because we have been better than most people then we are in trouble. But there is more to the Christian life than just being “saved by grace.”

What is the point of being a Christian?

1.      It is developing a relationship with God and living for him.

2.      It is the decision to no longer live for ourselves or our pleasures and interests, and to give our lives totally to God. It is falling in love with God and his ways.

3.      It is discovering life as we become closer to him and learn his will for our lives on a daily basis. It is coming alive to joy and the fullness of what we were created for.

4.      t is so much more than just having our sins forgiven.

5.      It is growing every day in our relationship with God and learning to be faithful to him as we mature as his disciples.

6.      It is developing our relationships with other Christians and becoming a part of the family of God.

Maybe you think you have your ticket, but you have never entered into the kind of life that mirrors the life of Jesus. What good is the ticket if you never walk into the concert? And what you discover as you walk into the concert hall is that you are not there to be entertained, you are supposed to take your place on the stage and become one of the performers. You are to live out on that stage what it looks like to be a person who follows Jesus so well that others want to join you and become a part of the concert themselves.

Don’t just grab a ticket and wait…hop up onto the stage and let’s show all what it’s really like to have a ticket!

Natural States

Natural States

Mark 6:45-51a Immediately Jesus made his disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of him to Bethsaida, while he dismissed the crowd. After leaving them, he went up on a mountainside to pray. When evening came, the boat was in the middle of the lake, and he was alone on land. He saw the disciples straining at the oars, because the wind was against them. About the fourth watch of the night he went out to them, walking on the lake. He was about to pass by them, but when they saw him walking on the lake, they thought he was a ghost. They cried out, because they all saw him and were terrified. Immediately he spoke to them and said, "Take courage! It is I, don’t be afraid. “Then he climbed into the boat with them, and the wind died down.

Life is tough it can sneak up on you and get out of control very fast. There are times that it seems there is no end to it and/or how bad things can really get. It’s during these times we really speak out to the Lord but not just to end our turmoil. It’s these times we wish God would just reach his arms down and give us a big hug!

When I was in the Navy and out on the open sea, things could get out of control real quick. Some were caused by human factors and some just occurred naturally. There were 3 constant natural conditions we were always presented with. We were either; in a storm; coming out of a storm; or preparing to enter a storm. These storms can mean high wind, waves and blinding rain. These are often represented in our Christian walk. We’re not just talking about weather conditions here. Our Christian lives can, and very often do resemble these conditions.

Adverse winds will blow in our homes and cause waves to roll in and disrupt the well-being of our habitation. When the winds of jealousy, covetousness, prejudice, pride, selfishness, and greed appear. It’s a pretty common fact that the waves of broken hearts, hurt feelings, sleepless nights, broken homes, fear, unforgiveness, and confusion are sure to follow.

We can’t always predicate the pattern and direction of the winds and storms in life. They often arise suddenly, quickly, instantly, and without warning. As the winds and waves move without restriction they leave behind a path of destruction. The winds and waves of life leave behind a parade of powerless, lifeless, aimless social outcasts and relationship challenged people yearning for acceptance and love.

We need Jesus in order to deal with the winds and waves of life. We need to be able to navigate through the nautical noise. We need to be able to stay afloat and sail through our stormy seasons. Jesus is our anchor to stabilize our position in turbulent times. Jesus is guiding our rudder, mapping out our course from the island of despair to the mainland of eternity! Jesus tells us what to do when we don’t know what to do! Jesus guides us in the proper decisions of life.

James 1:6 “But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavers is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed.”

In times of trouble, we must ask in faith! There is no room for doubt. When we waver or doubt we are hesitating. We are holding back when we should be moving forward in action. Remember faith is not merely assent but application. Faith is active.

In Mark 6:54a, Jesus got into the boat AND, “the winds died down!”

I’m not saying that the reason for troubles is because we don’t have Jesus in our heart.  I am saying that as long as we have these earth suits on (we make mistakes), we will always face these 3 types of Natural conditions.  

Inconsistent

If you were to look at my truck, you’d see a cross on the tailgate, a cross hanging from the rearview mirror, a bible in the backseat and few Christian related material and media. Walk in my home you’ll see a few bibles, scripture and crosses on the wall and many Christian related material and media. Yet at times, I feel I should be arrested for impersonating a consistent Christian.

Galatians 2:14 - But when I saw that they were not acting consistently with the truth of the gospel, I said to Cephas before them all, "If you, though a Jew, live like a Gentile and not like a Jew, how can you compel the Gentiles to live like Jews?"

  In this section of Scripture and specifically, Galatians 2:1-14 the Apostle Paul was in Jerusalem. He analyzed the situation there and realized Peter and the others were not walking straightforward. They were walking in contrary to the biblical truths in the Gospel. They were being inconsistent.

For the longest time I have been trying to figure out how others see me. I shouldn’t do this because all that really matters is how God sees me…with Love and Hope. We all do this though. It can be as simple as saying how do I look today? Or do you think I can do this? I have heard a word spoken to describe me but I never really quite believed them till I had completely fallen and was struggling to get up. That word was “Inconsistent”.

That word hit me like a ton of bricks. I lost sleep; I struggled; I even tried to put it out of my mind but it just came back…consistently. The next day when I got out of bed and went through my morning rituals, I researched the word inconsistent. “Holy Adjectives, Batman…they were right!”  I am inconsistent.

Wikipedia defines Inconsistent as: (copied right from the Wiki page):

1.       in·con·sist·ent

1.       Adjective 2.       Not staying the same throughout; having self-contradictory elements. 3.       Acting at variance with one's own principles or former conduct: "parents can be inconsistent".

I’d like to add a bullet point to that though – 4. Not walking according to God’s Word. I read somewhere that there are 3 kinds of Christians: Believers, Unbelievers and Make-Believers. We all should know what a believer and an unbeliever are but the Make-Believers influence the 2 first types with their inconsistencies.  It only takes one by the way. Most of the devastating plagues of our history were started by one person bringing it to a different part of the world. Same goes with believers, one inconsistent or disloyal believer can hurt the whole church.  In 1 Corinthians 12 and in verse 26 Paul states… "...if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it; or if one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it." Have you ever broken a bone in your foot? The bones in your feet are tiny in caparison to other bones in your body. If you ever broken a toe or even a bone that sits on top of your foot…you limp, need crutches or a wheel chair – it affects the whole body!!! Ecclesiastes 9:18 states – “Wisdom is better than weapons of war, but one sinner destroys much good.” The verses that really got to me is in Romans Chapter 2 verses 18 thru 24: “…if you know his will and approve of what is superior because you are instructed by the law;   if you are convinced that you are a guide for the blind, a light for those who are in the dark,   an instructor of the foolish, a teacher of little children, because you have in the law the embodiment of knowledge and truth, then, who teach others, do you not teach yourself? You who preach against stealing, do you steal?  You who say that people should not commit adultery, do you commit adultery? You who abhor idols, do you rob temples?  You who boast in the law, do you dishonor God by breaking the law? As it is written: “God’s name is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you.” Then I looked into the why. Why am I inconsistent?  Proverbs 29:25 “The fear (pride) of man brings a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord shall be safe.” Pride…need I say more? A friend of mine owns property in the Keystone area of Tampa. His property sits on a lake but to get to it, you have to drive down a long road because other people own property that surrounds it. He doesn’t own this road but the other property owners allow him to use this bit of land so he can access his home. When we are less than 100 % Christians, the Devil is using that same type of access road to get to us. God allows us access to him as long as we stay on the right road. We get into trouble when we are inconsistent with the access roads we travel. Inconsistent when we allow the snares in our lives free travel down these access roads. The point I’m making here is we need to guard our hearts: walk consistent to his word; and walk circumspectly. This means we watch for the snares of life and not just walk blindly.  When we see or find a snare we should look for an opportunity to honor and glorify Christ.  We must be careful where we step but walk upright and honest. I am currently reading a book about life and golf called, “The Mulligan”. As I was reading the book this morning I thought back to the time where I met a very special golfer…he was blind. I had asked him how in the world could he play golf blind. He simply explained the caddy would describe distance, hazards and set him up for the shot. Then the caddy would go out in front of him and ring a bell to help with aiming. I was truly amazed at this. Then the golfer asked if I’d like to play a game of golf with him which I refused because frankly, I’d beat the pants off him. He simply stated, “We’ll play for 100 dollars if you’d like.” I was still doubtful but I agreed. The blind golfer then said, “Meet me here at 11:00……..PM!” We all walked in the dark at one time but it’s the light of Christ that should guide us. We need to consistently walk in his steps and light.    Ephesians 4:17 This I say, therefore, and testify in the Lord, that you should no longer walk as the rest of the Gentiles walk, in the futility of their mind.”

                                                                                                                                                                 

 

Who's your Buddy?

I was thinking about prayer today. I do pray every day but lately, I don’t feel very effective in prayer. I get up every morning, sit on my porch and start my prayer. My prayer usually goes like, ‘Good Morning Papa God. Another great day is starting and I want to thank you.” So I thank him; I ask for forgiveness and then I list my needs and wants. I know this sounds kind of selfish but at least I pray…but like I said, not very effectively. It just seems like I have been going through the motions…KnowhatImean?

I have been reading a book called, “The Mulligan” by Ken Blanchard and Wally Armstrong. To say it’s an inspiring book would be saying way too little. It’s an awesome book! It’s all about golf…well… and life. Wait; let me say that again, it’s about life through the disciplines of golf.

I am at the section of the book were it describes how to begin your day and your golf game. If you have ever played golf or any sport for that matter you know you have to warm up. Some stretch; some hit balls on the driving range and some do both. What’s this got to do with life? Well the same principles are involved. You have to stretch and go to the driving range to warm up.

Some of us begin our day with this warm up: Go to the bathroom; start the coffee; turn on the TV to the Local news and traffic; drink our coffee; get dressed; kiss our spouses and children (please…only if this applies to you); fix our appearance and walk out the door for work. What’s wrong with this picture? Not really anything… but don’t complain if your day doesn’t go quite the way you expect it.

A better example of warming up for the day could be: Getting up and finding a quiet place to have a cup of coffee, relax and pray…not necessarily in that order mind you. If you have to go to the bathroom before this no worries, don’t concentrate so much on the mechanics…the key is to relax and pray with no distractions. Later on you can read your word, check out traffic and get ready for work. This time is God and you…he deserves your attention.

Even in prayer though, we sometimes go through the motions in the morning. We know we need to pray each morning; we know we have a lot to do today so we rush through our prayer mechanically and duplicate the process of speaking to God. We pretty much say the same prayer each day just different words stuck in at convenient locations.

In the book, “The Mulligan” its simple stated, “It’s so easy to think of prayer as an event or obligation rather than as a way of life. It’s simply talking to a friend along the course of your day from the start to finish.”

That really got me thinking… when I pray in the morning to God and in privacy. I have been praying as if there is a group of people listening to the prayer. God is our Father; God loves us; God is our best friend…is that how we talk to our loved ones or our friends.

No.

So why do we get all ritualistic and traditional when we pray to the Lord? Why should we ever pray like that?

I don’t know about you…but I am going right now and talk to my buddy like I talk to you! God is our buddy….when’s the last time you just talked to him.

Matthew 6:5-8 "And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by men. I tell you the truth; they have received their reward in full but when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then you’re Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.

 

A Perfekt Parent

A Perfekt Parent

·        The chances of a peanut butter sandwich falling jelly side down is directly proportionate to the cost of the carpeting.

·        Your child always remembers to take garbage out when the Trash truck has just passed your house.

·        Sick children recover remarkably fast as the doctor walks in the room.

·        Chances of being seen by someone dramatically increase based on the unkempt state of your hair on the way to school.

 

Sound crazy; it’s all part of being a parent.  A few years ago I was demonstrating the art of the whoopee cushion with my son (does this shock you…..passing gas humor is great entertainment with a father and son). The phone rang and my son sprang up to get it. As I proudly listened to his conversation I realized, he was talking to a Pastor of our church. The Pastor must have asked if I was around and my son proudly announced, “Yes….he’s showing me how to make Whoopee!!!

 

By the way…I DO NOT claim to be a perfect parent. That being said, 1 Corinthians 13:1-3 states:

If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing. (NIV version)

(Paul’s Parental Version)  If I offer the best child rearing advice, but have not love, I am only a 2 year old banging on pots in the kitchen. If I read many, many, many books on child rising and attend parenting class but have not love, I am nothing. If I spend every cent I have to provide for my children but have not love, I lose a lot!!!

 

LOVE:

 

99.95% of most parents say they love their kids. My question for you and myself are our children seeing love in action in our homes? I find within myself an amazing capacity to be critical of my son. I see positives in him but probably could tell him more often of these positives. Positive strengthening of my son instead of always harping on his weaknesses. Doesn’t Corinthians speak of “Love building up”?

 

Let me take this one step further, shouldn’t our children see their parents love each other? That’s a little easier when you have a 2 parent home, but what if your divorced? Often the child may here either one of the divorced parents slandering, being negative about the other parent. Often divorced parents don’t show love for each other…the children see and note all of this.

 

One of the best things a child can see is there parents loving each other. Children might get grossed out when they see their parents kiss, but they are much happier when they know their parents are in love. Let me ask you this: What’s the one thing you CAN take to heaven with you?

a)      Money

b)      Your job

c)       House

d)      Children

If you answered children, you’re correct I can’t think of a greater responsibility for a parent than to do all he or she can to lead a child to Christ and train him or her to serve Him. We can usually make time for what we really want to do. Spending time with our children needs to be made a priority. We only have a limited amount of time to be a positive influence in the lives of your children.

DISCIPLINE:

I read a study online that stated: “Pediatricians and psychologists are finding today’s parents are too permissive. They are reluctant to set limits for their children. And this parental neglect is harming kids from the ages of nine months to adolescence.”

This is where I am weak…discipline of my son.  I have to keep reminding myself of this verse: “No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it” Hebrews 12:11

When I read this next verse, I went out and bought me a new fishing pole. “Do not withhold discipline from a child; if you punish him with the rod, he will not die. Punish him with the rod and save his soul from death” Pr. 23:13-14

Discipline must be exercised in such a way as to lead children to respect their parents. It must not be done in anger or frustration, inconsistent, unreasonable, excessive, etc. Are you setting proper boundaries for your children? When those boundaries are broken, are you disciplining them in love? You can give your children all sorts of nice things, but what they need most is your love and discipline.

Like I said, I’m not the perfect parent…who is.