Category: Faith

Posted on

Living Life

I have been reading the Message version of the Bible. Today I read Colossians. Chapter three is one of my favorite parts of the Bible. There is such good instruction on living life and how to handle our relationships and our work. Reading this really challenged me today and I hope it will challenge you as well. Take some time and read this several times. Ask God to speak to you about your life.

Colossians Chapter 3:

“So if you’re serious about living this new resurrection life with Christ, act like it. Pursue the things over which Christ presides. Don’t shuffle along, eyes to the ground, absorbed with the things right in front of you. Look up, and be alert to what is going on around Christ—that’s where the action is. See things from his perspective.

3-4Your old life is dead. Your new life, which is your real life—even though invisible to spectators—is with Christ in God. He is your life. When Christ (your real life, remember) shows up again on this earth, you’ll show up, too—the real you, the glorious you. Meanwhile, be content with obscurity, like Christ.

5-8And that means killing off everything connected with that way of death: sexual promiscuity, impurity, lust, doing whatever you feel like whenever you feel like it, and grabbing whatever attracts your fancy. That’s a life shaped by things and feelings instead of by God. It’s because of this kind of thing that God is about to explode in anger. It wasn’t long ago that you were doing all that stuff and not knowing any better. But you know better now, so make sure it’s all gone for good: bad temper, irritability, meanness, profanity, dirty talk.

9-11Don’t lie to one another. You’re done with that old life. It’s like a filthy set of ill-fitting clothes you’ve stripped off and put in the fire. Now you’re dressed in a new wardrobe. Every item of your new way of life is custom-made by the Creator, with his label on it. All the old fashions are now obsolete. Words like Jewish and non-Jewish, religious and irreligious, insider and outsider, uncivilized and uncouth, slave and free, mean nothing. From now on everyone is defined by Christ, everyone is included in Christ.

12-14So, chosen by God for this new life of love, dress in the wardrobe God picked out for you: compassion, kindness, humility, quiet strength, discipline. Be even-tempered, content with second place, quick to forgive an offense. Forgive as quickly and completely as the Master forgave you. And regardless of what else you put on, wear love. It’s your basic, all-purpose garment. Never be without it.

15-17Let the peace of Christ keep you in tune with each other, in step with each other. None of this going off and doing your own thing. And cultivate thankfulness. Let the Word of Christ—the Message—have the run of the house. Give it plenty of room in your lives. Instruct and direct one another using good common sense. And sing, sing your hearts out to God! Let every detail in your lives—words, actions, whatever—be done in the name of the Master, Jesus, thanking God the Father every step of the way.

18Wives, understand and support your husbands by submitting to them in ways that honor the Master.

19Husbands, go all out in love for your wives. Don’t take advantage of them.

20Children, do what your parents tell you. This delights the Master no end.

21Parents, don’t come down too hard on your children or you’ll crush their spirits.

22-25Servants, do what you’re told by your earthly masters. And don’t just do the minimum that will get you by. Do your best. Work from the heart for your real Master, for God, confident that you’ll get paid in full when you come into your inheritance. Keep in mind always that the ultimate Master you’re serving is Christ. The sullen servant who does shoddy work will be held responsible. Being a follower of Jesus doesn’t cover up bad work.”

Posted on

Tribute to Jim Mason

This past week my friend and mentor Jim Mason turned 88 years old. I have gotten to know Jim over the past 10 years. I have had the privilege of serving with Jim in the Pastoral Care ministry at NewPointe Community Church. Jim is a retired pastor having served many Free Methodist churches over the past 40 plus years. Jim also served his country in WWII. He has shared some incredible stories with me about the war, pastoring a church, loving his family and his wife.

Jim is one of the most godly men I know. He is also the most humble man I know. I have had the honor of seeing him serve his family in times of crisis. I have gone to the hospital with him to call on sick people. I was amazed at his compassion and how he interacted with the nurses and staff. They loved him and many of them knew him.

He has been through some real hardships in his life, but through everything, he has kept a strong faith and trust in Jesus Christ.

He lost his wife last year and once again I was amazed at his level of compassion and faith. He served her through those hard days and never blamed God. He recently shared with me the final moments he had with her before she passed away. He has been an inspiration to me and has challenged me to be a better man, pastor, husband and child of God.

At 88 years old Jim continues to serve at church. He is in our prayer room every Sunday for all three services. He prays for every prayer request that comes in over the weekend. He writes letters and calls people that are struggling and hurting. He goes and visits people as much as possible. He stops in my office once or twice a week and always encourages me. He also encourages most of the other staff members as well. We pray together and talk about how we can help more people through the prayer/care ministry.

He also is passing on to his family a legacy that will out live him for decades. Jim I love you and appreciate your friendship, thanks for being a great example to me and others. Thanks for your obedience to Christ and your humble servant spirit. I know your rewards in heaven will be great.

Posted on

Mixed Messages

Why do we send mixed messages? I mean in our relationships, at work, in our marriages, with our children and yes even at church. Saying one thing and then doing another. Talking one way and then living or behaving another. Asking to have it one way and then you doing it the opposite. How about saying you love someone and then showing you don’t.

This is an area that has really been jumping out at me lately. People not walking the talk. I really think this is a problem in many relationships today. In our minds we know what is right and good, but somehow it doesn’t reach our heart. It is the heart that dictates our behaviors and our actions.

You see this in the church as well. We say we love all people and want everyone to come to know Jesus Christ. Then our behaviors, our words and our actions don’t line up with that. We speak a language of insiders, we expect everyone to look, dress, talk and act like we do. We put on a friendly outward appearance and then go out and do whatever we want to do. Every church struggles with this problem. The reason I know this, is because the church is made up of people. Imperfect people that send mixed messages. Outsiders see these messages and ask why they should become a part of all that. They don’t get a real good look at Jesus.

I don’t think Jesus ever sent any mixed messages. He spoke the truth and loved people. He attacked the religious people and reached out to the outsiders. He was authentic and real to everyone all the time. He did not pretend everything was great when it wasn’t. He faced temptations and overcame them every time, because of his heart. His heart was pure and full of truth.

A friend of mine told this story about a guy he has gotten to know. His friend was at a restaurant meeting with another friend. This friend was trying to share Jesus with him. He was trying to convince him that he needed Jesus in his life. When the waitress came up this guy ripped her because the last time he was in they got his eggs wrong. When he was done ripping her he turned to his friend and continued to talk about him needing Jesus. That is a mixed message and that small action turned off whatever light had begun to shine.

How about in your marriage or special relationships? Do you disrespect your husband and then expect him to show love to you? Do you demand respect from your wife and then do or say unloving things to her? Do you discipline your children for certain behaviors and then do them yourself? Do you ever catch yourself saying or thinking, “Do as I say, not as I do”?

Do your actions and behaviors line up with your words? Do you ever try to manipulate to get your own way? These are heart questions, is everything OK in your heart? Ask God to help change your heart and stop sending mixed messages.

Posted on

Faith

Faith is a mindset that expects God to act. When we can act on this expectation we can overcome our greatest fears. How is your faith these days? Are you expecting God to act in your life? When we face each day with the power and strength of Jesus our fears can’t hold us back.

When our focus and mindset is on Christ we can be bold, courageous and take risks. When our focus and mindset is on our situation, problems or even other people we become fearful, anxious and cautious. It is so easy to allow the things of this world to creep into our lives and edge God out. Small everyday things begin to consume us and take more and more of our attention. Soon we find ourselves not having spent any real quality time with God. As a result our faith has wavered and our outlook on life has shifted.

For me it is a constant struggle to stay mindful of Jesus instead of the world. Things like work, sports, television, Internet, family activities and even church activities can take over. Today I have been thinking about the things that are distracting me. Where has my focus been? Where has your focus been today? What things are distracting you from deepening your faith and believing God is going to act in your life?

Posted on

iPod in the hospital

I often meet with people that are facing difficult circumstances. Maybe they are going through a divorce, facing surgery, lost a job, struggling in a relationship, dealing with a rebellious child or facing an illness. My goal when I meet with people facing hard stuff, is to give them some hope. Listening and letting them know you care is a big part of that. Encouraging them to turn to God and draw close to him is also extremely important. After that I always try to give them some tools to use to help them work through whatever they are facing.

Often I will give them a book or a message CD or even a few Scriptures to focus on. As I think about this I may have been missing an important tool – music. I realized this when I was in the hospital last week. After everyone had left and I was in the room alone, I got my iPod out and started listening to some music and some pod casts from popular pastors. The music was soothing and helped me to relax. Listening to worship music helped me to focus on God and worship Him, even though I was uncomfortable and sore. I realized that when we worship God in the storms of life it builds our strength, our faith and our hope.

From now on I plan to incorporate worship music into the tools I give to people to help them reconnect and refocus on Jesus Christ. No matter what hardship you are facing, God knows all about it and wants to walk through it with you. It can be hard to have that perspective when you are in the midst of a struggle. To have someone listen to you, encourage you and help you worship the Almighty helps to gain a new perspective on your current reality. Are you feeling down? Are you in the midst of a hard struggle? If so get out a good worship CD or go to iTunes and download some good worship music and then crank it up.

Some of my favs on my pod include: David Crowder Band, Jeremy Camp, Plumb, RED, Decyfer Down, Steve Fee, Switchfoot, Tim Hughes, TobyMac, North Point Live, MercyMe and Casting Crowns. I am actually listening to Todd Fields from North Point “You Are” and “Everlasting God”right now.

Posted on

Judgmental

I finished a good book this morning called UnChristian by David Kinnaman. The chapter that really jumped out at me was entitled judgemental.

The definition the author gives for judgemental is “To be judgemental is to point out something that is wrong in someone else’s life, making the person feel put down, excluded and marginalized. Some part of their potential to be Christ followers is snuffed out. Being judgemental is fueled by self-righteousness, the misguided inner motivation to make our own life look better by comparing it to the lives of others.”

He says that 87 percent of young outsiders think that judgemental, accurately describes present-day Christians. They believe we are more interested in proving we are right than that God is right. This perception of Christians has kept many people away from a relationship with Jesus Christ. That attitude pushes people away from God and His purpose for their lives.

It is very easy to be judgmental if we lose our passion for outsiders. Instead of looking at them with love and compassion we judge the way they act, talk, look and dress. The Bible makes it clear that God, not humans, should judge. He calls us to love people, accept people, build relationships and friendships with people.

So how do we avoid being judgemental. It starts by listening. Listen to understand, not be understood. We often judge because we don’t understand. Don’t label people or put them in a certain box, because of how they look, act or behave. Don’t pretend to have all the answers and to know it all. That is always a turn off.

Try to put yourself in their place, empathy helps you to love instead of judge. It also helps to be real and not pretend that you have it all together. To really care about people and be their friend, even if they don’t come to church or believe like you do. Friendship should be real and based on a genuine interest in the person.

This week I met with a young lady that was new to being a Christian. She had many questions, because she was not raised in a Christian home. As I answered some of her questions she shared some of her struggles with me. She thought that becoming a Christian meant she had to be perfect. She told me later in our conversation that she was watching how I would react to her struggles. She said she did not feel like I was judging her, which helped her to draw closer to God.

I have to remind myself often that it is not my job to change or judge people. That’s God’s job. It is my job to love them and to point them to the love of Jesus. He is the one that will bring change in their lives. I know that, because that what Jesus did in my life. He changed me over time into a new person. You see, the opposite of judgementalism is love.

So how do you perceive single parents, divorced people, gays and lesbians, people with tattoos, people that smoke, your neighbors, your pastor? Philip Yancey said “the opposite of sin is not virtue; it is grace”. Are you extending grace to people the way God extended grace to you? I hope this week we can all look at people through the eyes of Jesus, and love them like He does.

Posted on

Married to Christ

I have been thinking about this idea lately. When you think about the Christian life and the life long process of change, what are the key ingredients for change and growth to happen? Once you make the commitment to make Jesus the leader of your life and the forgiver of your sins, how do you keep growing in the commitment?

Some might say doing devotions daily, Bible Study, going to church, reading good Christian books. Others would argue that being in a small group or serving at your church are keys. Others might say that taking communion, getting baptized, sharing your faith or going to confession might be keys. All of theses things are good, and helpful, but if these things could change us by themselves, Jesus would not have needed to come.

All of those activities are ways we recognize our need for Christ. It helps us realize we are dependant on Him. They are ways to connect with Christ, but they are not the keys to change and growth.

In 2 Corinthians 11:1-3, Paul is talking to the Corinthians and us about being married to Christ. He uses marriage as a metaphor to explain how our relationship with Christ should be. He speaks of Christ as the “husband” and the people as “pure virgins”. In verse 3 he talks about his concern that they/we will fall prey to “false lovers”.

If you think about your relationship with Jesus as being one of marriage, it can change your perspective. In marriage you are concerned with pleasing each other and caring for each other. You want to build a close intimate relatiosnhip, share your hopes and dreams together. A marriage will always struggle if there are other things that come before that relationship. If your job, money, friends, family, children or church become more important than your relationship with your spouse, that marriage will suffer.

It is the same way with Christ. If we put other things and relationships in front of our relationship with Christ it will suffer. We will not be very close to Him. In marriage, remaining faithful is a key to staying married. Paul was concerned that we would not remain faithful to Christ, but be distracted by these false lovers. Like any other marriage, the big issue is my commitment to fidelity. Will I remain faithful to Jesus alone, and not seek fulfillment elsewhere?

For Paul, the Christian life was more than having daily devotions, giving money or even serving in ministry. You can do all of those things without Christ at the center of your life. For Paul, the heartbeat of being a Christian was to remain faithful to Christ in a world where many would be lovers are after our attention.

When we fully understand this truth of being married to Christ, it will change the way we respond to life situations. It will change the way we look at our relationships, our jobs, our money and our time. Whether you are single or married, you need to understand that your relationship with Jesus Christ should be very personal and intimate, because we are married to Him.

Because we are married to Him we have all kinds of benefits. We have married into an incredible family, super rich, very powerful, full of love and respect. Everything we could ever need physically, emotionally or spiritually has been provided by Christ. Read Colossians 1:15-23 to see the person you are married to. What an amazing person.

The key to change and growth rest on my relatiosnhip with a person, Christ, who acts on my behalf. Having that perspective helps us grow and change.

Posted on

An Ordinary Day

You probably have heard the news about the US Airways plane that crash landed in the Hudson river. It happened on Thursday January 15th. As I heard the reports and listened to the story I was drawn in. It is rare to hear that all the passengers survive a plane crash. So many things had to happen just right for this to not be a tragedy. From what I have heard the pilot had a lot to do with this outcome. He had a lot of experience and was actually an instructor on safety and even had his glider license.

The pilot was doing his job, and very well I might add. All of the training and practice he had done prepared him for that moment. God had him in that plane, on that day for a reason.

I also had to think about all the people on board that plane. What do you suppose they were thinking about when the pilot told them to brace for a hard landing? At that moment they had to be thinking about their family, loved ones and many I am sure were praying.
Stories like these should make us pause and examine our lives. Things can change in an instant, we don’t know what tomorrow holds. A phone call could change your life forever. It also reminds us that we need to be prepared for when we are needed to make a difference. When we have the ability to make a difference in peoples lives, we need to take the initiative. What is God preparing you for? What are you doing today that will make a difference in the future.

You see I believe that today matters. The things we are doing today are setting the stage for things we don’t even know about. God has the bigger perspective. He knows what is going to happen and he usually uses people to make a difference. He places us in the right place so that we can make a difference. When you are faithful in the little every day things, it prepares you for the bigger things. It may be as simple as calling someone that comes to your mind to encourage them. That may be exactly what they needed that day.

The pilot and crew and all the rescue workers did a tremendous job. They did what they had prepared for. They worked together to make a difference. An ordinary day turned into an extraordinary day in a moment.

Are you prepared for your next God moment? Are you ready to step up when prompted to do something extraordinary?
Posted on

Why Change?

I was reading today and came across this quote. It really resonated with me and challenged me. I hope it does the same for you. This is from “How People Change” by Timothy Lane & Paul David Tripp.

“Making us holy is God’s unwavering agenda until we are taken home to be with him. He will do whatever he needs to produce holiness in us. He wants us to be a community of joy, but he is willing to compromise our temporal happiness in order to increase our Christlikeness.”

“God is not working for our comfort and ease; he is working on our growth. At the very moment we are tempted to question his faithfulness, he is fulfilling his redemptive promises to us. Change is the norm for everyone, and God is always at work to complete this process in us.”

If you are a Christ follower, you are in process. God is at work in every area of your life, pushing for holiness. He is drawing us to him, so that we can become more like him. He won’t force it on us, but his desire is for us to be holy like He is holy. Are you holy in your relationships, your work, your family, your finances, your Internet activity, your conversations, your days off, your vacations? Where is God working on you? Where are you too comfortable? How are you changing?

Posted on

God at Work

Today I had a really cool story happen right in front of my eyes. This past Sunday at church someone stopped me and said he would like to donate a car to a needy family. I told him that I did not have anyone in need of that right now, but that I would let him know if I came across anyone with that need.

Well today it happened. I got a call from a single mom on disability. She was very stressed out, because she had lost her child support, because her daughters father had lost his job. That had put her behind on all her bills. She had bought a cheap car recently, only to find out it needed a new computer. The cost was half of what she paid for the car, and she still owed money on the car.

I told her I may have another option for her. She told me she had been praying a lot lately and had been going to church and trying to do the right thing, but things only seemed to be getting worse. I called my friend and told him the situation and he said that is exactly what he was looking for. He said he would have the car ready in a week.

When I called her back with this, she was blown away. I could hear a difference in her voice. I believe it was a faith building moment for her, a defining moment. I will be working with her on some other issues as well, but I believe that God is already working in her life. My prayer for her is that her personal relationship with Jesus Christ gets more intimate through all of this. This act of compassion and kindness could be what she needed to break out of the problems she has been facing. She still has some work to do, but this helps big time. God is good.

God works through people, what story is He writing through your life?