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Courage and the Call

29 Jul

Are you brave enough??  REALLY??

Too many people fear the call of God.  Truth is, God has a calling for EVERY ONE OF US.  Some embrace it in all it’s fulness.  Some run from it.  Some use the 95% method, holding on to the 5% of their choosing and never fully surrendering to Him.  And some never answer His call.

Where are you on that spectrum?

The fear of surrendering to His call is actually the fear of losing control.  The fear of allowing God to call the shots is found, for many, in the lack of control over our own destiny.  AS IF.  As if we had ANY CONTROL whatsoever.

I am not a fan of rollercoasters.  I have been known to ride them, on occasion.  But if I had to choose between a rollercoaster and a ride like Soarin at Disney, I would choose Soarin every time!  And the reason I do not like rollercoasters is the loss of control!!  I know it!

Here is the thing:  We might THINK we have control over this life, but we don’t.  We are not nearly as omnipotent, omniscient, or omnipresent as we might think we are.  BUT GOD IS.  And, the truth is, it really does take courage to give Him control.  But it really is the BEST DECISION anyone can ever make!!!

Do YOU trust Christ as your Savior??  Then make His joy complete by trusting the Holy Spirit to enable you and empower you to do what GOD has planned for you TODAY.  And EVERY DAY!!!

Two-Hundred

26 Jul

(Today’s funny from Mikey.  www.mikeysfunnies.com)

The pastor said to Mr. Smith, one of his long-time parishioners, “Thank you, Mr. Smith, for attending out church.  I wish I had twenty parishioners like you.”

“Gosh, it’s nice to hear that, Pastor, but I’m kind of surprised,” admitted Smith.  “You know that I complain about every sermon and hardly ever give money.”

The pastor said, “I’d still like twenty parishioners like you. The problem is, I have two hundred.”

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Okay, only a pastor would laugh at that … And I’ll be honest, in a 1300-member church, I really DON’T believe there are 200.  But there are some …  Are YOU one of the 200?

It never ceases to amaze me that some people thrive and survive on conflict.  You know the type … they are not happy unless they are UNhappy.  So they make it their business to find fault with everything and everyone.  And here is a little secret:  NOTHING and NO ONE but God is perfect.  So if you look closely enough, you WILL FIND imperfections and problems EVERYWHERE YOU LOOK.

So, are you looking??  Do you focus on the negative, or on the positive??  Focussing on the positive is the best way to survive!  Seriously, none of us are perfect.  Why focus on the negative in others when there is so much positive out there??

Don’t get me wrong … this does not give us licenses to bring less than our best to God.  As individuals and as a church, we need to bring our best and give our best every time when come to His altar.  And if we would each focus on OURSELVES and what IS our best, we would all be much better off.

Are you looking for the good or the bad in things?????

What good is love is we don’t do it?

7 Jun

Yesterday I shared something God put on my heart.  Mostly from I John 4.  LOVE.  Loving with God’s kind of love is the key to abundant life.  If we say we love God but do not love our brother, we really don’t love God.  If we live in His love others will see what His love is all about.

Jesus said people would know we are His disciples by how we LOVE ONE ANOTHER and how we LIVE HIS TEACHINGS.  That brings me to Matthew 18 this morning.  Jesus Himself said in verse 15, “If your brother sins against you, go and show him his fault, just between the two of you.”  Where I come from, that means ONE ON ONE.  Jesus said “if he will not listen, take one or two others along, so that every matter may be established by the testimony of two of three witnesses.”  WOW, did Jesus know what we needed to hear, or WHAT???

To me, this translates to “if you have a problem with someone, you go to them.  Try to settle it with them.”  I wish we did that more.  Instead, we like to spread our dirty laundry, to attempt to garner people to “our side” of the fight.  When we do this, we damage the Kingdom of God, each other, and the reputation of the local church.  And we all have a responsibility NOT TO DO THIS and NOT TO ALLOW IT TO GO ON.

Because, when we do things like this, we hurt people in ways we cannot even imagine.  What good is love if we don’t do it?

Dangerous Ground

13 May

In Shakespeare’s Hamlet, Act I, Scene 3, Polonius gives some last advise to his son, Laertes.  “This above all: to thine own self be true.”  Seems like a good, solid piece of advice and something we all should live by … RIGHT?

Actually, it can be dangerous ground for those who follow Christ.  We are called to deny ourselves, take up our crosses, and follow Christ.  So, how could we follow our own hearts, our own wills, and ignore the calling God has placed on our lives?  Don’t we believe Jeremiah 29:11, that God has a plan for EACH OF US, a plan to prosper us, and not to harm us, a plan to give us a HOPE and a FUTURE???  If we really believe that, how could we possibly convince ourselves that we, with our imperfections and worldly nature, could possibly have a better plan than GOD?????

When we decide to throw off everything that doesn’t suit us and pursue our own will instead of God’s, we are walking away from Him.  We are walking in rebellion.  And the world will rally around us and say “YOU DO IT!!  YOU ARE DOING THE RIGHT THING!”  And Satan wants us to believe that.

But God has a plan for YOU.  A better plan than you could ever imagine.  And, by the way:  The grass might LOOK GREENER on the other side, but walking away from God will make you more miserable, in the long run, than you can EVER IMAGINE.

And, one last thing:  My English teacher in high school, Ruth Turner, is looking down from heaven right now and smiling because I just quoted Shakespeare in my blog.  At least, I THINK she is smiling!!

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