The Key to Healthy Faith: Spiritual Supplements

Let me just say…I love to workout!  Especially when I am in the habit of it and schedule it into my daily routine.  I feel more energetic, healthier and I notice that I actually have some semblance of muscles down deep in the recesses of my skin.  However, there is much pain and suffering for those first couple of weeks after taking a substantial amount of time off from my workout regimen.  I know, the key is…DON’T TAKE TIME OFF!  With working out comes nutrition.  With proper nutrition comes the supplement conundrum…what do I need?

I have a friend named John.  John owns his own supplement shop called Max Muscle.  John knows his stuff and is more than happy to answer all of my simple nutrition questions to more difficult ones that are more tailored to my specific situation.  He has a passion for nutrition, physical fitness, personal training and educating people in all of these areas.  John has taught me so much about nutrition and proper diet than he knows.  What is even more amazing is that he has educated thousands of people with the same passion he helped me.

In the same whey…er…way (sorry John), those followers of Jesus Christ should have the same passion like my friend has about sharing a healthy physical lifestyle with people in sharing their faith.  But in order to do that, we need some spiritual supplements.  The Apostle Peter tells us that God gives us everything we need when we accept Christ as our Savior.  Look at what Scripture says in 2 Peter 1:5-9

5 In view of all this, make every effort to respond to God’s promises. Supplement your faith with a generous provision of moral excellence, and moral excellence with knowledge, 6 and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with patient endurance, and patient endurance with godliness, 7 and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love for everyone.  8 The more you grow like this, the more productive and useful you will be in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 But those who fail to develop in this way are shortsighted or blind, forgetting that they have been cleansed from their old sins.

Peter had just finished speaking about being saved by grace and the promises that God has given to us that would spur us on in our faith and dedication to Him.  Peter fully expects the people he is writing to grow in their faith.  Growth is a process.  Just like growth in the physical body can be painful, so can growth in faith.  Here, Peter begins to show the process of a growing faith.

He first gives us the “why” we should grow in faith.  It is clear that Peter believes that it should be done out of a response to God’s promises.  He gives a list of supplemental ingredients that will promote health growth in one’s faith.  Those supplements are:

• moral excellence
• knowledge
• self-control
• patient endurance
• godliness
• brotherly affection
• love for everyone

Peter goes on to give the reasons and results of both the positive and negative results of an individual’s decided actions.  The one who chooses to grow in faith becomes more productive and useful in their knowledge of the Lord while the one who fails to develop lack vision and forget that they have been freed from their old sin.

Just as the physical body needs nutrients for proper nutrition and health, the spiritual body needs supplements for proper growth and development.  When one comes to know Christ, He gives to them everything they need to live a godly life.  Part of an individual’s responsibility for spiritual fitness & development, like that of physical fitness & development, is to supplement their growth with proper nutrition, supplements & workouts.

When a person wants to workout their physical body, they go to the gym.  When they want nutrition, they eat.  When they want supplementation, they go to the vitamin shop.  In the same line of thinking, when a person wants to develop their spiritual man and build or work out their faith, they have to put it to action.  Putting feet to our faith involves more than witnessing to someone, it involves developing our faith throughout our body, soul and spirit.

To grow in our faith you need to develop the following:

• moral excellence – developed through habits of making decisions that are just, noble, brave, honorable, fruits of the spirit, etc.
• knowledge – growing in knowledge comes from learning what God has spoken to us through study of HIs Holy Word. Know what He says!
• self-control – develop the ability to control your actions, emotions, behaviors and desires.
• patient endurance – (This one is tough!)  develop your faithfulness.  Faithfulness requires time!  It requires commitment!  Even when you don’t want to and don’t think you can go any further…press on and keep going!  It is a long race you are taking part in, a marathon, keep putting one foot in front of the other.
• godliness – loving, fearing and honoring God.  Being devoted to God and putting that devotion into action (Hebrews 11)
• brotherly affection – love your brother and sisters in Christ.  Discriminate against none of them.  They are your family.  Defend, protect and serve them.
• love for everyone – when your faith is growing, you want everyone to experience what it is that you have found in Christ.  Love people as God loves people!

Just like being a couch potato is a bad decision for your physical man, one doesn’t want to become a spiritual couch potato.  When you fail to develop your faith and grow, your spiritual gifts retard and your Christlike habits are left under-developed.  When you don’t use the spiritual nutrients and spiritual supplements, you are not growing as God intended for you to grown in your faith.  Use everything that God has given to you since you have come to know Him.   Become the person that God has intended you to become!  Put your devotion to Him into action!

Spiritual Clothing

Scripture:

Colossians 3:12-15

12 Since God chose you to be the holy people he loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. 13 Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others. 14 Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds us all together in perfect harmony.15 And let the peace that comes from Christ rule in your hearts. For as members of one body you are called to live in peace. And always be thankful.

Observations:

God chose us to be holy people.  He loves us.  Because of this choosing and great love, there are attributes that He wants us to clothe our lives with that will speak volumes to our life changing experience in Christ.  These articles of spiritual clothing are:

• tenderhearted mercy
• kindness
• humility
• gentleness
• patience
• allowances for faults
• forgiveness
• love
• peace
• thankfulness

These articles of spiritual clothing are governed by one main piece.  That piece of clothing is love.  Love is the binding thing that produces harmony with other people.  Harmony, in music, complements the other notes being played or sung.  Paul is encouraging the believers to compliment other people by living in harmony with one another.

Application:

When a person has become a believer, spiritual growth is a process.  One cannot be “born again” and be expected to immediately be a “mature” Christian.  Christ wants us to grow in our relationship to Him.  Paul addresses this by giving mature and new Christians alike different spiritual clothing that brings each of us into a spiritual harmony of living with each other and those who are not yet believers in Christ.  When those people who are not followers of Christ see these things, a difference is seen.  It gives testimony not only to the unbeliever, but to the brother and sister in the Lord as well.

In Paul’s list of spiritual clothing, each of the different articles of the heart are the exact replica of what God had toward us.  You are created in God’s image and He wants you to reflect Him everywhere and everyday.   When a person puts on these attributes of God, this person is reflecting the image of God to the world.

What is it that I am reflecting?

What article of clothing am I lacking?

Do I have a wardrobe malfunction?

How do I show love for fellow man?

Prayer:

God, I thank you for this day.  I pray that you would be reflected in my life daily.  I pray that you would help me to clothe myself in the things you want me to reflect of you.  Help govern my life with love for others and remember that when I do govern by love, it produces harmony.  Help me to produce harmony with others.  Bless my family and help me to be a positive influence on the people around me and those who come into my life.  Amen.

So Goes the Captain…so goes the crew!

 

Believe it or not…this is the transcript of an actual radio conversation between a US naval ship and Canadian authorities off the coast of Newfoundland in October 1995. The Radio conversation was released by the Chief of Naval Operations on Oct. 10, 1995.

US Ship: Please divert your course 0.5 degrees to the south to avoid a collision.

CND reply: Recommend you divert your course 15 degrees to the South to avoid a collision.

US Ship: This is the Captain of a US Navy Ship. I say again, divert your course.

CND reply: No. I say again, you divert YOUR course!

US Ship: THIS IS THE AIRCRAFT CARRIER USS CORAL SEA*, WE ARE A LARGE WARSHIP OF THE US NAVY. DIVERT YOUR COURSE NOW!!

CND reply: This is a lighthouse. Your call.

Okay, so that is really an old Navy joke and never really happened.  However, it really is useful as we are starting a new school year here in Texas.  I began to think about this story as I had recently heard it and how to apply it to my life.  I have heard this story many times and wondered why it kept coming back up.  Well, I was in church yesterday and was challenged with a commitment to get into the Word of God on a daily basis.  The challenge was made to not just do it for yourself, but for your family.  As a Husband and a Father, it is my responsibility to be the Priest of my home.  I am responsible for setting the tone for my family, spiritually.  I have to admit, I have done well at this on the personal level.  But in all honesty, I have been very spotty to virtually non-existent in leading my family spiritually, well.  They deserve better.  So, with that moment of transparency and a ‘new’ school year starting, I am making efforts to captaining my family spiritually on the path we need to go.

When I don’t fulfill my role as Priest of my family, there are dangers that can arise that leads to dangerous outcomes.  So goes the captain, so goes the crew…Look at how 2 Chronicles 36:14-16 says it…

2 Chronicles 36:14-16

14 Likewise, all the leaders of the priests and the people became more and more unfaithful. They followed all the pagan practices of the surrounding nations, desecrating the Temple of the Lord that had been consecrated in Jerusalem. 15 The Lord, the God of their ancestors, repeatedly sent his prophets to warn them, for he had compassion on his people and his Temple. 16 But the people mocked these messengers of God and despised their words. They scoffed at the prophets until the Lord’s anger could no longer be restrained and nothing could be done.

In this passage, we have the leaders of God’s temple and spiritual leadership becoming more unfaithful to the things of the Lord that they are supposed to be leading in.  Instead of doing the things of God that were prescribed in the Law, they began to turn to pagan religions that other surrounding nations followed.  The spiritual leaders desecrated the Temple that had been previously consecrated to the things of God.  The Lord loved his people and offered them prophets that would come to warn them of the path that they were going down.  He did this out of compassion for His people.  However, the people only mocked these messengers and hated the words that God sent to his people through them.  This resulted in the Lord becoming angry and His anger could no longer be restrained and nothing could be done.

As the spiritual leadership of a family, nation, team or church goes, so goes that family, nation, team or church.  When the spiritual leadership turns away from following the things set forth by God in His Holy Word, it sets into action a path that is not a desirable path.  While God loves his people, He also grieves when they turn from His ways.  This grief turns to anger and eventually God will turn those and its spiritual leadership over to their sinful, prideful ways.  Adoption of pagan spiritual practices that originate from people and leadership that do not follow the things of God, leads to a desecrated Temple.  Today, this is played out more frequently in the form of idolatry.  This idolatry is found in tolerance of pagan religions, relaxed morals, justifications for actions and so on.  These are just excuses for behaviors that are contrary to God’s Word.  This applies to you as an individual because you are the Temple of the Holy Spirit.  You have been set apart by God for His service and His plan.  When you turn away from following Him and choose to follow those outside influences of other religions, then you are desecrating what God has set apart.  This turning away and following outside religions in today’s society is called “toleration”.  When you tolerate the practice of other religions, then you have compromised your belief system and ultimately desecrated the Temple of God.  What you tolerate spiritually today, becomes status quo tomorrow.  As followers of Christ we are called to stand out, not blend in.

What is your plan for leading your family spiritually?

What steps can you take personally to prepare to lead?

How can I help you lead?

1063 Degrees Farhenheit

I have been pleasantly surprised here in Texas this Summer.  We actually have had what I call a milder summer.  By this time of year, we are usually in a countdown to breaking the record of days over 100 degrees. However, this year, we are constantly in the 90s and even had a cold front come through that dropped us into the 80s.  It has been great!  However, the 100s are predicted to make a comeback tour in North Texas.

I love to watch the weather.  I love to see how people respond to weather in different parts of the country.  I saw just a few weeks ago how the Upper East Coast of the US were experiencing a heat wave…they had temps in the 90s!  We call that Summer down here in Texas and to be even more specific, we call that a cold front.  Now, don’t think I am just spouting off about how we can handle the heat.  On the other hand, when snow and ice come our way in the Winter, we shut down…yes, for 2 inches of snow/ice.  The entire area shuts down, schools are closed and if you want to see crazy drivers…come to North Texas in an ice storm.  I don’t even want to talk about how people can’t drive in the snow.

I started thinking about these weather changes and how the temperatures affect our lives.  Sometimes, we experience temperature changes in our lives that are more internal than that of the weather outside.  Sometimes, we can actually feel the “heat” being turned up in our lives.  It may be on the job, at home, with our spouse or children, neighbors, car troubles, etc.  You name it, life seems to have a way of turning it on when we don’t really need it or expect it.  Sometimes, we can even begin to crack under the heat that has been so unwelcome in our lives.  As I was thinking about this, I came across a passage of Scripture found in Proverbs 17:3,

Proverbs 17:3

3 Fire tests the purity of silver and gold, but the Lord tests the heart.

Precious metals, when refined, are put to the test of fire.  When those metals are heated up to a specific temperature, then impurities rise to the top of the liquified metal.  It is called dross.  The purity of silver and gold are measured by the amount of time on the refining fire and the amount of dross that is pulled out of the metal.  When testing the metal, the purity is determined by the amount of dross left in the metal.  Metal’s purity it tested by physical properties alone.  God tests humans by the heart test.  He searches and reveals impurities of the heart.  God unveils impurities or sin of the heart through His refining process.  He is more concerned with a person’s heart than their physical appearance.

Gold is refined at 1063 degrees Fahrenheit.  Purity of gold is determined by the refining process.  During the refining process, the refiner keeps a constant watch upon the fire and the gold that is being refined.  Like the refiner of gold, God refines our heart.  Sometimes the heat will be turned up in our lives and it is a process of God testing our hearts.  He is refining our lives.  He is keeping careful watch over what we can handle and won’t give us more than we can handle without providing a way for us to escape.  God wants our hearts to be pure before Him.  Just remember, when the heat is turned up and the impurities of your life are rising to the top, God is keeping a careful eye on you to remove those impurities so that you can be the priceless gold He designed you to be from the beginning.  He loves you!

What area of your life is the heat being turned up in now?

What impurities are you discovering about yourself?

How can you recognize the times of heat and know that they are God testing your heart?

Triumph in the Truth

Over the past couple of weeks I have done something I never dreamed I would do.  My son and I built a backyard chicken coop.  We are chicken farmers!  I am pretty proud of the job we did and hopefully the chickens are comfortable in their new home.  Yeah, right, they don’t even know the difference…they are chickens!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We are true carpenters now!  So we got the coop built and these pictures prove it.  I know, they have nothing to do with what I am writing about, they are just shameless father/son bragging photos.  You know, we built a chicken coop and you didn’t kind of thing.

Cole and I spent all day, literally, on a Saturday working on this project.  It was hot!  We were tired!  He had never built anything before.  However, the time that I got to spend with him working on this project was more profitable than anything or any other sporting event or planned activity we have ever done.  We got to hang out and just talk.  It was during this time that I got to question him on somethings that I found out he did that he had no idea that I knew about.  They weren’t really bad things, but they were what I call marginal things that could get him in trouble depending upon how he responded to my inquisitions.  I wanted him to tell me the truth the first time I asked.  I assured him that he can tell me anything.  Now, for females, this type of conversation is more comfortable than with males.  Guys are not used to talking.  We have a harder time ‘sharing’ our thoughts or feelings…especially when confronted with a potentially awkward situation.  Cole stepped up and owned up to my questions.  I was proud but still had to deal with his answers and be the parent.  It was a great teachable moment for me and my son.  I shared with him the wisdom he showed in telling the truth and even the confirmation found in Solomon’s Proverbs where it says,

Proverbs 12:19

19 Truthful words stand the test of time, but lies are soon exposed.

Truth always stands the test of time.  Lies may be accepted as truth in the beginning, however, a lie will run its course and the truth will be exposed and told. When truth is set forth, its own integrity is what it stands on.  When someone lies to you, the message that the person telling the lie conveys to you is that you aren’t really worth the truth to them.

It has been said,  

“If a person will always speak the truth, they will never have to worry about remembering what it was they said.”

Truth will stand.  However, one who tells lies will continually be employed by trying to remember what they said and hoping it will never become exposed and they, found out for who they are.  Truth is held on to, built upon and infallible.  Lies are like a house built of cards and can all come crashing down at the slightest breeze of the truth.  Sometimes, the truth hurts but a lie always injures!  Fortunately, Cole learned a lesson as did I, expectations of the truth breed truth.  Now, I have a foundation of truth with my son, happy chickens and a chicken coop to boot!

 

Is your foundation built on truth?

 

 

4 Ingredients of a Good Reputation

John Wooden, the great coach of the UCLA Bruins and greater man of character, would spend countless minutes in his practice sessions building his player’s character rather than working on basketball skills.  He would teach them and pour into the character of the individual by teaching his ‘pyramid of success’.  John Wooden felt that if he could build the man’s character, then basketball would take care of itself.  It worked…his teams won 10 National Championships in 12 years and in those 10 championships, they won 7 in a row.  He was the National Coach of the Year 6 times.

His teams always had a reputation for playing hard the entire game.  They had a reputation for winning.  Their reputation, or what others believed to be truth about them, was an outflow of the character traits that Coach Wooden spent countless hours instilling into their lives.  Coach Wooden said it best when he said,

Be more concerned with your character than your reputation, because your character is what you really are, while your reputation is merely what others think you are.

Character and reputation go hand in hand.  In fact, your reputation is forged by your character.  You can spend 20 years building your reputation and lose what you built with one misstep.  Now that may seem like a lot of pressure that one is putting on themselves to constantly live a life that lives up to their standards they have set for themselves.  I would argue that if you are the one that set your standard bar, then there is no pressure to live up to it.  I also believe that a person will try to achieve their expectations no matter how high they may set them.  In this day and age, I believe that the greatest tragedy and disservice that we can do for the younger generation is to allow their standards to be set too low.  Without lofty expectations, the results experienced are low.  It has been said that the greatest enemy of great is good.

As a parent, it is my responsibility to instill in my children the necessary character traits that will help them to succeed in life.  I don’t want them to have the necessary skills to ‘just get by’.  I want them to excel.  I want them to set their standards high.  I want to inspire them to greatness!  I want them to dream and have the character to reach for their dreams.  I also want them to have a good reputation.  Your reputation is important!  In fact, Luke the Physician wrote in the Acts of the Apostles concerning Timothy, in Acts 16:2-3,

2 Timothy was well thought of by the believers in Lystra and Iconium, 3 so Paul wanted him to join them on their journey. In deference to the Jews of the area, he arranged for Timothy to be circumcised before they left, for everyone knew that his father was a Greek.

This stemmed from his character that was handed down from his parents.  I believe that there are 4 ingredients of a Good Reputation.  This is what I hope to instill into my children and I want to share them with you today.

• Love– Love God with all your heart and your neighbor as your self.
• Truth– Always be truthful even and especially if you are wrong.  When you tell the truth, you never have to remember what you said that was a lie.
• Honor– Live a life that will honor God and make His name known.  Live a life that brings honor to God, your parents, grandparents, your family and your children.  You represent more than just yourself when you are alone or in a crowd, you represent all of the above.
• Serve– Dedicate your life to serving God and always listen to the voice of the Holy Spirit.  Serve at places like your church, community, family, neighbors and friends.  Take the initiative and serve others when you see something that needs to be done, do it without being asked.

When these ingredients are thrown into the mix of a person’s life, your character will become the strong foundation that your reputation is built upon. With this recipe, I leave you with this statement and 3 questions.  Some people change jobs, mates and friends, but never think of changing themselves.

• What are the ingredients that you are putting into the character mix of your life?  Your Family?  Your Children?
• What are your goals and dreams as an individual?  A family?  
• Are you striving for great or settling for good?

The Plan for Success

Ah yes…the ever elusive word that drives millions of people to rise from their sleep every day and try to attain goals that are somewhat out of reach at the moment, but then find themselves only moving those goals to take them to higher places than were previously desired and thought of as the pinnacle of life…that word…SUCCESS!

Let’s face it…no one wants to be labeled a failure or loser.  That is evident in our Youth Sports Programs where everyone gets a medal.  I mean, when I was a kid, I was S-L-O-W!  In fact, my coaches didn’t use a stopwatch to time me, they used a calendar!  I remember field day at school…I always seemed to come home with a 1st place ribbon for tug of war, but I hated races!  Why?  I wasn’t successful at them.  It almost seemed like our field days had one strength related event vs. 10 speed events.  Don’t feel sorry for me, for the first 10 yards I was as fast as anyone else, but it always seemed that me and at least one girl would always duke it out for…ummm…last. That was usually the one who recovered from the trampling of the speedy kids.  I get a picture in my mind like this…

So, what did I come home with?  A handful of “Thanks for participating” ribbons.  You know, the dreaded purple ribbon.

I had been force-fed a definition of success that gave value to me as a human being through a piece of nylon with a rope!  I bought in to it too!  While competition and athletics have been a part of my life since I was a kid, as I have grown, I have seen those ribbons replaced with many different things.  Titles, positions, promotions, raises, corner offices, you name it.  There are ways that people today find value in themselves through the awards they attain or credentials bestowed upon them.  They mistakenly cheapen success by defining it by getting to do what THEY want, when THEY want, how THEY want.  In fact, it sounds a lot like a bad infomercial like this…

I am sure that Tony Robbins has helped a lot of people get back on track, but I am more confident in God from whom all blessings come from.  I am not knocking those things, I am simply pointing out that what took place on field day certainly prepared us for later on in life…except…there are no more participation ribbons!  Thank you Jesus!!

One of the wisest men that ever lived was King Solomon.  He wrote a book of Wisdom for his son.  It is found as one of 66 books found in the Bible called Proverbs.  There are 31 chapters in Proverbs.  I like to use them one chapter for each day of the month.  I want to show you how one of the wisest men that ever lived viewed success.  He spelled out the plan for success for his son and ultimately each of us.  In Proverbs 16:2-3, Solomon’s plan reads like this,

“2People may be pure in their own eyes, but the Lord examines their motives.  3Commit your actions to the Lord, and your plans will succeed.”

Most of the time, people feel their motives are pure.  However, God knows the motives of our heart.  When personal plans are made committing them to God leads to a successful fulfillment of those plans.  Motives of the heart are understood by God even though we may think ourselves pure and right before Him.  The physical, mental, emotional and spiritual act of committing all we do to the Lord will determine your success or failure.

I had to come to the realization that I can do nothing apart from God.  My plans need to be committed to Him to ensure success.  Success is not for me, per se.  Although I get to experience the fruit of success and the blessings of success, my true success is for God’s glory through my plans being committed to Him.  He is the one that gets the 1st Place Ribbon…I get the blessing of being His son.  He gets the glory, I get the earthly benefit of blessings.

Who or what has 1st Place in your life?

What drives you in your pursuit of success?

How do you define success?

Have you committed your plans to God?

What are the motives of your heart?

The Will of the Cow

I know what you are thinking.  What in the world is he thinking and how is this going to apply to my life?  And now, you are thinking, what in the world am I doing reading about a Cow’s will?  Do cows even have a will?  I mean, really…they eat grass, chew cud and make huge patties that when dried make great inexpensive frisbees.  On the other hand…please use extreme caution and a stick before picking one up to throw.  Now, on to the story…

My brother and I used to argue all the time.  We would always try to get out of doing our chores and try to get the other one to do our chores for us.  Growing up in Louisiana, neither of us liked to mow the grass during the summer.  It was HOT!  It was HUMID!  In fact, in our town, they discovered these Indian ruins that had hieroglyphics that when translated, they read, “Its hot in Louisiana in the Summer!”  Okay, I can’t back that up!  Either way, we would devise different contests to determine if we could shirk out duties on to the other one.  We would shoot baskets, we would throw baseballs for distance, we would chip golf balls from one end of the yard to the other trying to get them into a tire and the closest one would win.  If we couldn’t settle the chore duties through these games of skill, we would leave it to chance by flipping a coin…of course, 2 out of 3.  There would be statements made like, “If I make this shot, even though I lost at HORSE, you get to do the mowing.”  One shot…determined our next couple of hours and how dehydrated we would become.

 

 

A lot of times people who are followers of Christ, will leave their relationship with Him to chance just like I did with my brother in trying to decide who was going to do the yard work.  Take this account found in 1 Samuel 6:9,

9 If they cross the border of our land and go to Beth-shemesh, we will know it was the Lord who brought this great disaster upon us. If they don’t, we will know it was not his hand that caused the plague. It came simply by chance.”

This verse comes after the decision to find out if God was the one who sent the plague to the Philistines or not.  You see, the Philistines had stolen the Ark of the Covenant from Israel.  God sent a plague and they were really tired of it.  So, in verse 9, this is what they resorted to determine if God sent the plagues or if they were coincidence.  I am not a big believer in coincidence.   God does nothing by chance.  God does things according to His will, His plan.

Here, the priests of Dagon in Philistia, made that discovery that the Lord is a God of planning.  They made the comment that if two cows would cross a border carrying the Ark of the Covenant, then it would be a sign that God was the one that brought the plagues upon the Philistines.  If not, then it was just a coincidence. The cows went straight back to the land of Israel without deviating from the path.  What is flawed in the thinking of coincidence is that whatever object you use to determine what is destiny or coincidence can always be deemed coincidence by that object’s outcome.

I am not sure that I would want this…

to determine the Will of God for my life.

I believe that  God has a perfect plan for your life.  He cares for you. Even when you aren’t sure of the path He has you on, trust in Him!  Nothing happens by coincidence.  It is happening for His purpose and His plan in your life.  Remain righteous and let God order your steps.

Are you leaving your relationship with God to chance?

Are you making deals with God like I did with my brother?  If I could just make this shot God, I will…

Will you allow God to lead you where He wants you to go?

5 Things God Requires of You

I am a big believer in planning. I utilize ‘to do’ lists throughout my month, week and day. One of my mottos that I have adopted, I heard at a John Maxwell Leadership conference. It simply says,

“If you fail to plan, you plan to fail.”

 

Since then, I have become more determined to live a more planned out life with plenty of wiggle room for those things that seem to spring on me without any notice. You know…life. Now, don’t get me wrong, I don’t PLAN to “interact with kids” or “dinner with my wife”…those things take precedent over any and everything on my schedule. Appointments get bumped, moved or cancelled when it comes to my family. If I am in a meeting and my wife calls, the meeting is on hold. Why? Because I also tend to be a worrier. I immediately start playing out worst case scenarios. It is just how I am wired. I am a problem solver. That can be good or bad.

I came across a passage of Scripture that gave the Children of Israel a “checklist” of what God expected from them. Now, before you start thinking, “That was the Old Testament, we live under the New Testament.” These truths given to the Israelites were reinforced all throughout the New Testament. So…get rid of your excuses… Look at what Deuteronomy 10:12-13 says,

Scripture:

Deuteronomy 10:12-13

12“And now, Israel, what does the Lord your God require of you? He requires only that you fear the Lord your God, and live in a way that pleases him, and love him and serve him with all your heart and soul.13And you must always obey the Lord’s commands and decrees that I am giving you today for your own good.

Observations:

Here the Lord lists what He expects from His people.

• Fear the Lord
• Live to please Him
• Love Him
• Serve Him with your whole heart
• Obey His commands

Why does he require this from His people? It is for their own good.

Application:

If I want my best interests to be at the forefront of God’s mind, then I need to live to fulfill what He wants as my Lord and Savior. Living these 5 things out leads to a life of righteousness and ultimately reveals our devotion to God.

Make no mistake about it, living out these 5 things is much more than a checklist that you can go down and mark as completed. God wants to be more than a ‘to do’ list, He wants a relationship with YOU! In fact, these things won’t be completed until we are with Him in heaven. Checklists make my day simpler…God makes it simple for His people. Accept His grace and mercy and continue to live a righteous life in His sight.

How are you focusing on the 5 Things?
Are you living a “checklist” with God or a relationship?

 

Prayer:

God, I thank you for your love, your mercy and your grace. I pray that you would bless my work today and help me reach my goals. I pray that you would help me to be a light in a dark world. Bless my family and keep them safe throughout their day. All these things I ask according to Your Word and Your Will. Amen!

Seek the Seeds

I love American History!  This love of American History came from the passion that my 7th grade American History teacher possessed and infused in my life at Greenacres Junior High School in Bossier City, LA.  Mrs. Ray, had an unusual teaching style that ignited the passion of remembering otherwise tedious dates in history and actually making me want to know those dates and be able to put them on my tests correctly.  The last thing I wanted to do was disappoint her by forgetting or not knowing.  Mrs. Ray taught me ways to memorize all of our President’s in order by using the “Who Are Jolly Mighty Men…” memorization technique.  The first letter in every word was the first letter of the President’s last name.  Thank You…I did make a 100% on that test…thank you!  She had a remarkable style of presentation of history.  One time, she climbed her stool and with one foot atop her desk and the other on the stool, re-enacted George Washington crossing the Delaware River.  I can remember thinking, “She is crazy…she is fun…I like history…this is cool!” She always had a smile that lit up the room!  See for yourself…

I can remember that same passion when she covered the different wars, the different legislation, the things that make this country what it is today.  She is one of my favorite teachers to this very day!  Why?  Because I find myself teaching my kids some of the same things she taught me.  I can see her passion light up my kid’s eyes when I talk about the things she taught me.  They don’t even know her!  But they do know her passion for American History.

Like Mrs. Ray, Solomon was one of the wisest men in history and had a passion for passing down his wisdom to the next generation.  In fact, he wrote the Proverbs for his son to pass down the wisdom God had given him.  One of the Proverbs that he penned reminded me of Mrs. Ray’s history class.  It is found in Proverbs 8:10-11 and it reads,

Choose my instruction rather than silver and knowledge rather than pure gold.  For wisdom is more valuable than rubies.  Nothing you desire can compare with it.

Instruction, knowledge and wisdom are directly compared as more valuable than what the free market deems as valuable.  Silver, gold and rubies are monetarily valuable and typically signify great wealth.  However, Solomon says that nothing compares to having attributes in one’s character that can be passed down from generation to generation versus something that is as fleeting as wealth.

In today’s society, people have bought into the false belief that their value is attached to their pay stub.  God says that true value lies in one’s character and knowledge.  Those building blocks are what produces the monetary value that will enable you to take care of your financial obligations. In today’s world, people want the easy way out and to only have the fruit minus the labor.  All they want is the fruit…not the hassle.   It seems as though people have forgotten to seek those things that will continue to produce fruit rather than the fruit itself.  We need to seek the seeds that will produce for a lifetime. Seek the way to get fruit for a lifetime and even for your kid’s lifetime.  Long term planning should be further out than your nose is long.

The old adage lies true today…

In what ways are you seeking knowledge, instruction and wisdom?

Do you have someone who has invested in you and planted seeds that are still producing today?  If so, thank them.  Write them a letter, give them a phone call, let them know of the deposit they have put into your life.

Challenge:  Ask someone close to you to describe your character to you…evaluate their thoughts and make additions or subtractions.