“Brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things.” –Philippians 4:8
I spent the better part of my afternoon this day clearing the flower beds around my house. As I surveyed the work ahead of me, I wondered to myself why were dandelions and thistle ever created. I despise these two weeds with a passion I have yet to find the perfect way to rid my flower beds of these two nuisances. Both of these weeds have incredibly deep roots and it takes great effort to fully extract them. As I continued to pull these weeds and curse their very existence, I began to see a lesson in my labor.
Paul, in his letter to the Philippians, spells it out clearly. It is the desire of God that our thought life is to be that which would glorify God. That which we allow our eyes to gaze upon must be that which would glorify God. That which we do with our hands and feet must be that which would glorify God. However, we often times lead our lives in such a way that we allow the garbage of this world into our life. God has provided us with clear boundary markers but we think that we can move those boundary markers with no consequence. When we continue to allow those markers to be moved, we are only allowing ourselves to move closer to that area which God knows is will destroy. We as a people have allowed ourselves buy into the lie of this world that it really does not matter.
Finally, we wake up one day and begin to realize the mess that we have made of our lives by not being diligent in our walk with Christ. We did not get lost in our journey in an instant but rather we kept being enticed by the broad path that took us in many different directions rather then the straight and narrow path that Christ has called us to tread upon.
If I had spent diligent time in my flower beds, those weeds would not have taken root. If we all spend diligent time in making certain that our journey is upon the straight and narrow path, our faith will take deep root and will produce great fruit.
Thursday, April 29, 2010
Friday, April 23, 2010
Stand Fast
“Be still and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations. I will be exalted in the earth.” –Psalm 46:10
To me, this is perhaps the most powerful verse in the Bible. We spend so much of our time being busy in the ways of the world that we forget the need to slow down and listen to that still voice that is calling to us. I have found a place near my home that I like to call my God Spot. It is at a local park that sits atop a ravine. I just cherish the time that I spend at that spot taking in the beauty of God’s creation. Yesterday, God gave me a true display of His creation that spoke to me.
Near this spot is a bald eagles nest. I got as close as I was able to this nest and just spent some time observing. Perched on the edge of the nest was the female eagle tending her young hatchlings and the male was above the nest at the top of the tree line keeping watch. As I observed this, another eagle approached from the south and began to circle the nest. The male responded and flew towards this third eagle and began to protect his nest. A small skirmish between the two ensued with the 3rd eagle finally being chased away. The 3rd eagle return twice more with these small skirmishes continuing until it finally left for good.
The message was clear to me. As a man, I am called to stand guard and hold fast to the truth of the Word of God. God has blessed me with a lovely wife and wonderful children. I am to stand guard for those things that are not of God that want to circle my home looking for the opportune time to infiltrate. I must always be prepared to keep watch and when I see those things, I must jump into action and do everything within my power to chase them off as many times as I need in order to protect that which God has chosen to bless me with.
We truly live in a time in which things are happening at a rapid pace. Now, more then ever, is the time to stand fast and not allow that which is not of God to be that which I will follow.
To me, this is perhaps the most powerful verse in the Bible. We spend so much of our time being busy in the ways of the world that we forget the need to slow down and listen to that still voice that is calling to us. I have found a place near my home that I like to call my God Spot. It is at a local park that sits atop a ravine. I just cherish the time that I spend at that spot taking in the beauty of God’s creation. Yesterday, God gave me a true display of His creation that spoke to me.
Near this spot is a bald eagles nest. I got as close as I was able to this nest and just spent some time observing. Perched on the edge of the nest was the female eagle tending her young hatchlings and the male was above the nest at the top of the tree line keeping watch. As I observed this, another eagle approached from the south and began to circle the nest. The male responded and flew towards this third eagle and began to protect his nest. A small skirmish between the two ensued with the 3rd eagle finally being chased away. The 3rd eagle return twice more with these small skirmishes continuing until it finally left for good.
The message was clear to me. As a man, I am called to stand guard and hold fast to the truth of the Word of God. God has blessed me with a lovely wife and wonderful children. I am to stand guard for those things that are not of God that want to circle my home looking for the opportune time to infiltrate. I must always be prepared to keep watch and when I see those things, I must jump into action and do everything within my power to chase them off as many times as I need in order to protect that which God has chosen to bless me with.
We truly live in a time in which things are happening at a rapid pace. Now, more then ever, is the time to stand fast and not allow that which is not of God to be that which I will follow.
Monday, April 19, 2010
Our Leaders
“Obey your leaders’ and submit to their authority. They keep watch over you as men who must give an account. Obey them so that their work will be a joy, not a burden, for that would be no advantage to you.” –Hebrews 13:17
My lovely wife and I have the blessing and opportunity to lead a group of middle school aged children in trying to understand and apply the Word of God to their respective lives. Yesterday, the lesson that was presented centered on loyalty. As a warm up exercise prior to digging into the lesson, several sheets of paper were attached to the walls around the room. Each sheet of paper had a name of something on it and each student was asked to place marks upon each sheet to reflect their level of loyalty to the given title. They were allowed to put from 0 to 3 marks on each paper to show their given loyalty. Some of the titles on the sheets were Parents’, School, Friends’, Sport Teams’, etc. One of the sheets was title the President.
The exercise took a few minutes as the students decided upon their given loyalty to each topic. Also added to the time was the overall distraction of asking a group of middle school aged boys and girls to do something that required some thought and their interest to goof around was on full display. Once they were done, all were seated and we reviewed the marks that were made.
The sheet marked the President was marked in such a way to reflect a negative attitude many of these students had towards the leader of this nation. To me, I used this as a perfect teaching example.
Each week, these students are told of the importance of claiming the name of Jesus Christ in your life. Each week, these students are shown the importance of what it means to sell out ones life to the being of Jesus Christ. I tried to impress upon them that although our true loyalty is to Christ, we are called as followers of Christ to lift our leaders up in prayer. I stressed that in now way are we called to agree with our leaders but rather we are indeed called to lift our leaders in a prayerful way and there is a difference between agreement and prayer.
I too, like what certainly appears to be the families of these students, share a deep concern for the direction that this nation is moving and I find myself disagreeing more and more with the direction that I see our elected leaders moving this nation. However, as I proclaim the name of Christ, I in no way will allow my walk with Him to be diminished by what I feel is an over reaching government. Jesus Christ came as a new way to show true peace. The best that I can do is to live that example of peace in all my actions while always standing firm in the Word of God.
Just like the Israelites, God has given this nation the government it deserves. The Israelites were delivered into the Promised Land yet that was not enough for them. They had a desire to be ruled by kings and God granted their request and many of their kings led the nation astray. This great nation was founded upon the Judeo Christian ideals of our founding fathers, yet we as a people have failed to understand our proper history and have allowed it to be perverted and rewritten by those whose only objective is power and control. Perhaps the time with which we now find ourselves is our time to wander in the desert. One of the reasons that God allowed the Israelites to wander for 40 years was that was the length of time that it took to raise an entirely new generation. Maybe this time where we are now at will require that type of wandering before we are able to return to our preordained destiny.
Regardless, we of faith must submit ourselves to the governing authorities. If we are unable to do that, how can we truly submit our lives to He who provides all?
“Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God.” –Romans 13:1
My lovely wife and I have the blessing and opportunity to lead a group of middle school aged children in trying to understand and apply the Word of God to their respective lives. Yesterday, the lesson that was presented centered on loyalty. As a warm up exercise prior to digging into the lesson, several sheets of paper were attached to the walls around the room. Each sheet of paper had a name of something on it and each student was asked to place marks upon each sheet to reflect their level of loyalty to the given title. They were allowed to put from 0 to 3 marks on each paper to show their given loyalty. Some of the titles on the sheets were Parents’, School, Friends’, Sport Teams’, etc. One of the sheets was title the President.
The exercise took a few minutes as the students decided upon their given loyalty to each topic. Also added to the time was the overall distraction of asking a group of middle school aged boys and girls to do something that required some thought and their interest to goof around was on full display. Once they were done, all were seated and we reviewed the marks that were made.
The sheet marked the President was marked in such a way to reflect a negative attitude many of these students had towards the leader of this nation. To me, I used this as a perfect teaching example.
Each week, these students are told of the importance of claiming the name of Jesus Christ in your life. Each week, these students are shown the importance of what it means to sell out ones life to the being of Jesus Christ. I tried to impress upon them that although our true loyalty is to Christ, we are called as followers of Christ to lift our leaders up in prayer. I stressed that in now way are we called to agree with our leaders but rather we are indeed called to lift our leaders in a prayerful way and there is a difference between agreement and prayer.
I too, like what certainly appears to be the families of these students, share a deep concern for the direction that this nation is moving and I find myself disagreeing more and more with the direction that I see our elected leaders moving this nation. However, as I proclaim the name of Christ, I in no way will allow my walk with Him to be diminished by what I feel is an over reaching government. Jesus Christ came as a new way to show true peace. The best that I can do is to live that example of peace in all my actions while always standing firm in the Word of God.
Just like the Israelites, God has given this nation the government it deserves. The Israelites were delivered into the Promised Land yet that was not enough for them. They had a desire to be ruled by kings and God granted their request and many of their kings led the nation astray. This great nation was founded upon the Judeo Christian ideals of our founding fathers, yet we as a people have failed to understand our proper history and have allowed it to be perverted and rewritten by those whose only objective is power and control. Perhaps the time with which we now find ourselves is our time to wander in the desert. One of the reasons that God allowed the Israelites to wander for 40 years was that was the length of time that it took to raise an entirely new generation. Maybe this time where we are now at will require that type of wandering before we are able to return to our preordained destiny.
Regardless, we of faith must submit ourselves to the governing authorities. If we are unable to do that, how can we truly submit our lives to He who provides all?
“Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God.” –Romans 13:1
Thursday, April 1, 2010
Behold
During my college days, one of the classes that I took was a Political Theory class. In writing my term paper for that class, I used Aldous Huxley’s “Brave New World” and George Orwell’s “1984” to support my idea of the dangers of government run amok. Both authors paint a very dark and bleak picture of what could be when the people turn over all their rights and liberties to that which is made from man. Both Huxley and Orwell attempt to display just what life would be when men allow their God given rights and liberties to be subjugated to an all controlling government that is more concerned about the rights of the collective over the rights of men.
As far fetched as some of idea’s displayed in both of these tomes as I read them in the mid 1980’s, one thing is certain as I watch the events of the present day unfold, we are much closer to both of these novels being reality. The technology of “Big Brother” exists as described by Orwell and we certainly are a society of zombies walking around with the latest and greatest pharmaceuticals’ that divorce us from true reality just those described by Huxley who relied upon their “Soma” to make it.
I have never been interested in the type of theology that fully focuses upon the Book of Revelation. However, it cannot be argued that each day we are closed to the end of times described by John. It has struck me that one of the descriptors of the end times will be a time of super knowledge. 100 years ago, if you were to go to the store, chances were that you jumped upon your horse. The horse was the primary mode of transportation 100 years ago and has been the primary mode of transportation since before the time that Christ walked the earth. Today, transportation takes us to places that even 40 years ago were unimaginable. We are able to communicate with others on the other side of the world in a matter of split seconds.
In the Book of Revelation, Christ declares, “Behold, I am coming soon.” He is always faithful and fulfill this promise in His time. The question that I have to ask myself is just what am I doing each day in bringing someone closed to the Kingdom? Is that not what I will be judged upon? Am I striving each day to be a man of peace and to not allow the spirit of the anti-Christ to take hold?
As I prepare my heart and mind for the most meaningful day for a Christian, Resurrection Sunday, I have to ask am I living a life worthy of being called a child of the Great I Am.
As far fetched as some of idea’s displayed in both of these tomes as I read them in the mid 1980’s, one thing is certain as I watch the events of the present day unfold, we are much closer to both of these novels being reality. The technology of “Big Brother” exists as described by Orwell and we certainly are a society of zombies walking around with the latest and greatest pharmaceuticals’ that divorce us from true reality just those described by Huxley who relied upon their “Soma” to make it.
I have never been interested in the type of theology that fully focuses upon the Book of Revelation. However, it cannot be argued that each day we are closed to the end of times described by John. It has struck me that one of the descriptors of the end times will be a time of super knowledge. 100 years ago, if you were to go to the store, chances were that you jumped upon your horse. The horse was the primary mode of transportation 100 years ago and has been the primary mode of transportation since before the time that Christ walked the earth. Today, transportation takes us to places that even 40 years ago were unimaginable. We are able to communicate with others on the other side of the world in a matter of split seconds.
In the Book of Revelation, Christ declares, “Behold, I am coming soon.” He is always faithful and fulfill this promise in His time. The question that I have to ask myself is just what am I doing each day in bringing someone closed to the Kingdom? Is that not what I will be judged upon? Am I striving each day to be a man of peace and to not allow the spirit of the anti-Christ to take hold?
As I prepare my heart and mind for the most meaningful day for a Christian, Resurrection Sunday, I have to ask am I living a life worthy of being called a child of the Great I Am.
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