Monday, November 28, 2011

Excuses Are For Losers

[Advisory: even if you don't like sports this blog contains life nutrients.]
The Green Bay Packers will win the Super Bowl. As they sit undefeated, that sounds like a no-brainer, a band-wagon pick or whatever. However, I am going back to last year, when their team had a host of injuries. They shouldn't have even made it to the playoffs and they virtually have the same team this year. They played through the injuries to win last year. They kept their eye on the prize. They didn't make excuses. ---Think about it. When do we make excuses? We make excuses after we lose. Excuses are for losers. "I was sick. We were missing some key players." It doesn't even have to apply to football or sports. The winning team has a whole different view. They point to the team, the other players, and the hard work during the off season as keys to victory. Their commitment to win is such that they will not accept excuses themselves. The truth is (with minor exceptions) every team prepares, practices and has players that work hard in the off season. Every team plays to win. Yet only one wins the prize. Practice, prepare and run to win in life. Don't allow for excuses.
Speaking of the goal-line (winning), the Apostle Paul said (Phil.3:13,14) I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.
God has a purpose for YOU in this life. If you're not serving Him in that purpose, then you are losing. We will all stand before God in the end. Don't come packing excuses. Live for Him, while it is still called today, and Win! Perhaps you are reading this and you have never accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior. If that be the case, you are on the wrong team...unless of course you want to be on the losing team. There is no good excuse to be on that team, because the Bible is very clear on how things end. If you want to win, contact me. We need more players. :)
*For a good dose of excuses: listen to Adam and Eve respond to God (Genesis 3) after they had lost (sinned) in the Garden.

Wednesday, November 23, 2011

Name is important

God changed Abram's name to Abraham. Abraham meant "father of many nations or multitudes." So what is in a name? Your name is what people call you by. If you get called something over and over again you are going to believe that is you. Before God changed Isaac's name, it was Jacob which meant "trickster or deceiver." He lived up to that name, but God let him know that He had a different plan for him. ---As a child of God (that is assuming you have been born again), you are now known as a son or daughter of God. That is what you are. You are in God's eyes holy, blameless, more than a conqueror, etc. ---Instead of living like the old you: perhaps thief, liar, alcoholic, or whatever, isn't it time you started living up to the new name "child of God?" Put that old nature away. Put it to death. Your identity has changed. If you keep calling yourself addict, liar, lazy or whatever you once were, then you will live down to that. Use this Thanksgiving to truly thank God and start over.

Wednesday, November 16, 2011

Depression, Out-of-it, and the Funk

When you're in it, you can't see it; but often everyone else can. That is another reason we all need other people. We are told in Scriptures to bear with one another, meaning to literally "help another person just stand up." There is a reason that Paul wrote that to the solid Christians in Colosse. They, like us, would eventually need to hear that. ---Way too often when people fall into depression or into the funk, they will not call their friends for help. In fact, they will do the opposite. They will shut themselves behind walls where their friends cannot even get to them. On the rare occasion that they will call out on the life-line, they don't understand why all of a sudden they are depressed, out-of-it, or in the funk. "What happened? How did I get here?" Pastorally speaking, it is usually an easy call from my vantage point. When folks get out of touch with Christ (stop spending quality time with God daily), get away from the relationships that were empowering them spiritually and emotionally (out of church and small groups that guide and encourage), miss out on teachings from the Scripture (preaching does help sustain us) then we have opened up opportunity for rulers, authorities, powers of darkness, and spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realm to attack us. Oh, it is so subtle we don't realize what happened. We feel like it happened all of a sudden, but it didn't. We missed or skipped these opportunities that pour into us; and wake up one day mad at the world or in the funk. Our only prayer if we dare is "Help!" But even this won't help if we don't listen for the answer. Sadly, many stay depressed and never get out. ---It happens to good sane people. We get too busy. Something in life distracts us from the habits of discipline that aid and abet our spiritual growth, and Bam! We get blindsided and begin to blame everyone, but us. ---I can't tell you how many times someone has told me of a friend that was in a rut, and it was so easy to trace things back to when they stopped coming to church for whatever the reason(hearing God's Word and being around the folks that could pick them up.). Your church, our church meets at the same place every week. Come and listen. Be blessed. Be rejuvenated. Come out of it! Listen, if you stand alone the spiritual forces of evil will certainly lie to you. They will draw you into the funk. Get out now, while you still can. Run to the light. Christ and His church love you, but you can't be helped while you willfully stay away.
See Col. 3:13; Eph.6:12

Saturday, November 12, 2011

Soul Sisters On the Move

It's a beautiful Saturday morning and the Soul Sisters are on the move. This is the chosen name of the women's ministry of Living Truth Church. They will gather for a team breakfast, and then fan out in different directions to served Jesus by loving on this community. Before they get started they've already raised money via a spaghetti dinner and talent auction to help with any costs of the organizations they help out. Some of the groups that will be targeted are: the Pregnancy Resource Center, Family Promise and the Council on Aging. The ladies will be baking, cleaning, organizing, painting, and meeting other needs of these groups that are already ministering in the community. Go girls!

Wednesday, November 9, 2011

See it Tell it

There is a popular billboard dealing with terrorism, and it states: "If you see something, tell somebody." In light of the sexual child abuse scandal at Penn State University, this statement appears more needed for the protection of children. According to a 1998 study conducted by Boston University Medical School one of six boys will be sexually abused by age 16, while one of four girls will be sexually abused by age 14. I am pretty sure those odds are greater than any act of terrorism. Did you get that? A boy has a 16% chance and a girl has a 25% chance of being sexually abused in this country.
In the Penn State case, which I'm pretty sure is going to blow up even bigger as journalist descend on Happy Valley, six adult males had the opportunity to report the case of a 58 yr old man doing something with a ten year old boy in a shower. The initial witness is a twenty-something then(2002) college student who witnessed the horrific event. Let's just say he saw enough. He recognized the man as a former coach. He told his father, who told him to tell the head-coach. The coach told another man up the food chain and evidently let it go at that. The buck was passed upward until the total (men aware of the incident)including college student and his dad came to six. Perhaps the guys at the bottom thought the guys at the top would handle matters appropriately. However, when they never heard any more about the incident, they should have by moral obligation asked questions, like "Why aren't the police involved with this?" Protecting friends, old buddies and the name of a university came over the welfare of a child. ---Now, the public outcry sounds more like a witch hunt. All of a sudden, people are pointing fingers of judgment(and rightfully so). What we need to do is recognize our society has come to this. Yes, we need to be outraged! We need to look out for the children and tell somebody, if we see something and not protect or "friends" or whoever. If someone is sexually abusing one of our kids or grandkids they are not a friend (I could think of other names, but friend isn't on the list.) Sixteen to twenty-five percent of the folks walking around us (maybe even you) have been abused. We can no longer be silent. Promote the family and things that are pure and decent. Revolt against porn and indecent television that promotes perverted and promiscuous behavior. Remember, every little sin wants to grow up and be a big sin. One form of perversion leads to another. Stop the silence. Point these things out. Connect the dots.

Monday, November 7, 2011

Getting it Right

Wife submit to your husband.
Husband love your wife like Christ loved the church (he died for it).
Children obey your parents.
Parents affectionately train up your kids.
Employee give your employer 100%.
Employer treat your employees the way you would want to be treated.
* These are the "every day" relationships with the people that really know you. Get these right and life will be smoother. The church should have the best marriages, best kids, best employees and best employers. The lives of Christians should exemplify greatness in these relationships.
The world should be attracted to our lives like we're attracted to Disney World. We go to Disney for the attractions. They do it right. Consequently, we want to spend time and money at Disney for a great experience. As the world looks at the church, they should see life being done right and in order...and all is good. Thereby attracting them to the church who genuinely leads them to Christ.
<> Indeed, it's about relationships, not rules. Get these right and watch things come together. :)
See Col.3:18-4:1

Tuesday, November 1, 2011

Ezek.1-3 Devo

God speaks to Ezekiel in a vision and in this vision he witnesses some strange sights. He sees the four heavenly beings which are nothing like on earth. He is allowed to see the glory of God, which sends him to his knees. God gives him a message to give to Israel, and God tells Ezekiel that they have such a rebellious spirit that they will not heed the message. Yet, God tells Zeke to preach it anyway. ---Today, we have the Gospel message freely given to us. Likewise, we need to freely give the Gospel away no matter the response of the people. God has a give-away program; it's not on Him if people choose to rebel. ---Like Paul said, "Preach the Word... in season and out of season."