Empty Vessel Thoughts

Constants You Can Count On #3

2009-01-02T17:03:00.000-08:00

I started this series in the early part of last year and never got around to fininshing the list. Its a new year, but our God remains faithful and unchanging, so these constants being grounded in the faith and in God remain unchanging as well.

3. The Holy Spirit will still move.

2 Peter 1:21
New King James Version (NKJV)for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit.2 Peter 1:20-21 (in Context) 2 Peter 1 (Whole Chapter)
New Living Translation (NLT) or from human initiative. No, those prophets were moved by the Holy Spirit, and they spoke from God.2 Peter 1:20-21 (in Context) 2 Peter 1 (Whole Chapter)

These verses talk about prophecy and it being spoken as the prophets are being moved by the Holy Spirit and in all cases this is very true. I think all prophecy should be given as directed by the Holy Spirit. But in I don’t believe the Holy Spirit is just going to move in the instances of prophecy. I think the Holy Spirit moves us and in us in various ways. Sometimes it is obvious as is the case of prophecy and wonders like healing, other times it is more subtle like a quiet tugging at the heart to give when we have the ability to, or to help out a friend who needs help, sometimes it is simply just stepping out in faith when we don’t feel like it. The Holy Spirit is constantly moving around us and He will move in us and through us if we will let Him. It is not always in a big and extraordinary way. Sometimes it is the still small whisper we hear compelling us to do something. But in either case big or small we can be assured that the Holy Spirit is still indeed moving.

Committed to...

2009-01-01T15:25:00.000-08:00

There is so much in life that we are committed to: our families, our friends, our jobs, our churches, and probably so much more. I think if we took some time to look at where we are spending our time as individuals and at the people we are spending time with that we could truly see the way the world sees us. Do we look any different from the world we live in? Do the people we spend our time with help to edify and exhort us and the people we come in contact with? Do we help anyone other than ourselves when we are out in the world? Do we make the world a better a place as we go through it day to day or do we simply get through the day without affecting it at all? I think we all need to take some time to look at ourselves through the eyes of people we do not associate with to see how we truly look to the world. I think what we do speaks a lot louder for us that anything we could ever say. These questions have bee beating loud in my heart over the last few days and I figured I would share them with anyone who still reads this. Here is to 2009 and looking exactly the way we want to and having our words match our actions.

Be Blessed,
Mike

Prayer Will Still Work

2008-03-21T14:10:00.001-07:00

2. Prayer will still work.

James 5:16 (NKJV) 16…The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.
James 5:16 (NLT) 16…The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and wonderful results.
James 5:16 (TMNT) 16…The prayer of a person living right with God is something powerful to be reckoned with.

I look at the NKJV translation of this verse and there are four words that automatically pop out of the page and grab my attention—effective, fervent, righteous and avails. The fourth word appears to be conditional of the first three. In other words you don't gets the "avails much" until you are righteous and are praying effectively and fervently.

How is it that a person prays effectively? I love to pray and sometimes I get lost in my communication with God that people say I should pray next time and not preach. There are times that prayer actually becomes more like worship. In moments like those I think it is better to call that time worship instead of prayer. Our friend Webster defines prayer as 1) an address (as a petition) to God and 2) an earnest request or wish. Neither of those definitions mention praise, worship or flowery language. Nor do they mention tone or length of the prayer. To be effective in prayer you have to know what you are requesting and the basis on which you are requesting it.

James makes a reference to Elijah when he said the heavens were to be sealed up because of Ahab's rebellion. He knew what the word said about worshipping false idols and turning your back on God. It was also that Elijah by the same token was able to call fire down from heaven to consume his offering to God after Ahab and his prophets realized there was no power in Baal. After the prophets had been trying to call down fire from Baal all day, dancing and cutting up there bodies they had no response. Elijah who prayed a prayer to God that was less than 10 seconds in length got an immediate response because he knew he was praying God's word and was praying from a solid foundation.

God tells us to bring Him in remembrance of His word—not that He has forgotten but that we know the basis on which we are asking things of Him. Jesus said "The world is full of so-called prayer warriors who are prayer-ignorant. They're full of formulas and programs and advice, peddling techniques for getting what you want from God. Don't fall for that nonsense. This is your Father you are dealing with, and he knows better than you what you need. With a God like this loving you, you can pray very simply." Matthew 6:7-9 (TMNT) Praying effectively is praying God's word back to him as the basis for your requests. Praying effectively is praying God's will fulfilled in your life and in the lives of others—whether that be healing, prosperity, favor with the people you deal with—if it has a foundation in the word of God then it is fair ground for requesting it from Him.

Fervent prayer is not so difficult to understand either. When Elijah said that the heavens would open up and pour out rain it did not happen immediately. He had just called down fire from heaven and it took less that 10 seconds for him to utter that prayer. He asked for rain and the heavens did not open up right away. He sent his servant and asked him to look for clouds and the servant returned saying the sky was clear. So Elijah put his head between his knees again and prayed a second time. Still the servant reported clear skies. He did this 5 more times until the servant reported that a small cloud was surfacing on the horizon.

It is important to note that even though Elijah was used to prayers that received quick response from God, he did not give up when he did not receive and immediate answer this time. He knew the word of God and he knew the will of God for his people, now that they were reconciled back to Him. It is also important to note the posture that Elijah took when praying—he put his face between his knees. In ancient times this is posture that women used to take when they were giving birth to their babies. It wasn't that God needed Elijah to pray over and over again. It wasn't that He was testing Elijah, God trusted him as His mouthpiece. God was asking Elijah to form a deeper relationship with Him—asking Him to enter into His presence a second, third, fifth and seventh time. When there is no immediate response from God sometimes we need to pray the fervent prayer. We know w to pray effectively, fervently is entering into the presence of God over and over again coming before the almighty and trusting Him. The more we trust Him the more we realize that He has our best interest at heart and the issues we bring before Him fade and the relationship we have with Him becomes the source of everything that we need. We don't pray fervently to get Gods attention, we pray fervently to birth a deeper relationship with him.

Righteousness is another word that cane seem intimidating to someone who reads that praying fervently and effectively is not enough to avail much, but that effective and fervent prayer needs to come from a righteous man. The intimidation that the word righteous brings is simply a misunderstanding of its meaning. People understand righteousness to be a behavior. That is not the case. The righteousness of a man comes from his beliefs. For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. 2 Corinthians 5:21 (NKJV) If we believe that you have become a new creation like Paul says you have in 2 Corinthians 5:17, then you are a righteous individual. I know that seems way too easy. Let me offer one more example from the bible to confirm my theory. "For the Scriptures tell us, "Abraham believed God, so God declared him to be righteous." When people work, their wages are not a gift. Workers earn what they receive. But people are declared righteous because of their faith, not because of their work." Romans 4:3-5 (NLT) Abraham did nothing except believe that God was who He said He was and would do what He said He would do. That is what made him a righteous man. It is not a person's behavior that makes him a righteous person it is his belief.

Knowing the meaning of these three words should help remove the intimidation of praying fervently and effectually, especially in the light of the fact that righteousness is determined by our beliefs and not our behavior. Our prayers can be something that is powerful and that brings about wonderful results—our prayers can be a force to be reckoned with. (James 5:16, NLT, TMNT)

Be Blessed and Be a Blessing!
Mike

The Bible Will Still Have All the Answers

2008-03-18T13:30:00.001-07:00

1. The Bible will still have all the answers.

2 Timothy 3:16 - 17 (NLT) 16All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It straightens us out and teaches us to do what is right. 17It is Godâ™s way of preparing us in every way, fully equipped for every good thing God wants us to do.

2 Timothy 3:16 - 17 (TMNT) 16Every part of Scripture is God-breathed and useful one way or anotherâ"showing us truth, exposing our rebellion, correcting our mistakes, training us to live Godâ™s way. 17Through the Word we are put together and shaped up for the tasks God has for us.

When I am truly searching for the answer to a question I am facing in life the best place I turn for the final answer is the Bible. When we try each and every situation to the standards that are detailed in Godâ™s word we find that we are either in line with His plan for our lives or we have overstepped the boundaries of His will for us. If we allow it the Word of God will do exactly what 2 Timothy 3:16 saysâ"show us truth, expose our rebellion correct our mistakes and train us to live the way God intended us to live. God uses His word to speak to each of us differently. He uses it to prepare each of us as individuals so that we will be fully equipped for the work he has purposed for our lives.

Constants You Can Count On

2008-02-24T19:19:00.001-08:00

I have heard it time and time again that the only thing that remains constant in life is change. When there is so much that is changing around you, sometimes you get lost in the whirlwind of it all. I need more sometimes. I need that place of constancy. I need to know that there are things that I can turn to that are going to be the sameâ"the same in every wayâ"no matter what situation or circumstance I am facing in my life. I can handle change, but I need to be able to rely on a rock of constancy somewhere in my life.

Considering this I was browsing through some of the messages in my email box that I had marked as read without really reading them (the number of unread messages became so daunting one day I almost couldnâ™t catch my breath) knowing that I would eventually get a moment to read them. I came across an email from a friend with the title âœThe Top Ten Predictions For 2008.â Being the middle of February, I decided it would be interesting to see if any of them were true. Sitting there reading this email message which was supposed to be a rare entertaining moment for me (which as of late come few and far between) actually became an answer to my search for constancy. In a matter of moments I had ten truths, foundations, I could cling to when I needed them because none of these would change. They are the same today as they were yesterday, last week or even last millennium. They would remain the same tomorrow, next week and until the very day that Jesus comes back for His people.

These ten items moved me when I needed to be moved and they spoke some peace into my spirit when I couldnâ™t have needed it more. If we really take some time to meditate on the truths that God has provided for us in His word, the world becomes a much more bearable place to exist. In studying and understanding His word our lives take on purpose and meaning. It is my hope that this Top Ten List will provide something that you can hold on to when you are grasping for something to steady your walk in life when the whirlwind of change comes roaring by.

Be Blessed and Be A Blessing!!
Mike

Hiatus Is Over

2008-02-24T14:16:00.000-08:00

It has been a long time since I last wrote about anything here on my little space on the web. It is not to say that my life has been become that boring or monotonous that there has been absolutely nothing blog worthy. It is to say though that the whirlwind known as life has caught me up and sucked away my time and my energy at times that the thought of being able to blog was, if anything, inconceivable. There has been so much going on in my mind and life lately that I had to write to get some of it out. I can sum it all up in three words: GOD IS MOVING. I feel the tug in my spirit that HE is about to move in a big wayIn my life and in my family's lives for sure. It is my hope and prayer that He moves in huge ways in the church and the fresh spirit of revival falls on all of His people. BE on the lookoutit's coming!

Be Blessed and Be A Blessing!

Mike

Holy Is The Lamb

2007-11-17T08:52:00.001-08:00

I love worship music that moves me. It moves me when it says what I am feeling and helps me to say what I am feeling even better. I love it when I find that song I can play over and over and over and over and I just feel like I am sitting in the throne room of God. This is that song for me right now. It's from a guy named Coffey. Truly gifted and I know his career is gonna take off.

Holy Is The Lamb.m...

Be Blessed and Be a Blessing!
Mike

Better Off Dead

2007-11-03T07:19:00.000-07:00

"Better off dead." That is a morbid statement when you really stop to think about it. But for those of us who know Christ and have asked Him in to lead our lives, it isn't morbid anymore when you think about what that entails for us. Now this is not a cry to go out and find a way to take your life or anything, these are just some of my thoughts after reading in Philippians. In the first chapter, verses 20-23, Paul says it would be a hard choice to make if he was forced to make the choice. Some days here in the world are so tough we can hardly wait to get to heaven to be with God--there will be no more of the things that make this life hard to bother us. Spending time doing things like worshipping God--things that we have a hard time finding time to do--will be what we do all day. Yet when we have those good days here in the world, the days where everything is going right, we are pumped about the progress our lives are making and we want to stay here until our work is done. That is the hard part about being able to make the kind of choice Paul was talking about in these verses. The point that was made is that wherever we are called to live, here on earth or called home to heaven, our lives should be lived to bring honor and glory to God. Whether we are trudging through the trenches here or walking on streets of gold there we need to walk in a way that is pleasing to God. Paul starts off this passage of verses by saying "I live in eager expectation and hope that I will never do anything that causes me shame....and that my life will always honor God." That should resonate in all our spirits and that should be our prayer as we go through our day. We might not be home yet, but we don't want to get lost on the way.

What Really Matters

2007-10-25T07:33:00.000-07:00

Philippians 1:9,10 NLT: 9 I pray that your love will overflow more and more, and that you will keep on growing in knowledge and understanding. 10 For I want you to understand what really matters, so that you may live pure and blameless lives until the day of Christ’s return.

Isn't that what we are all looking for in every situation that we face in our lives? We want to know what really matters and how we can best serve that fact. Here Paul mentions three things that are intertwined and that I believe must be lived through together for them to be completely effective: love, knowledge and understanding. If we have those three things together working in our lives then we will truly understand what really matters. First is love because it is the greatest commandment that Jesus ever gave to us. The love we have for people needs to be tempered with the knowledge we have about people, our nature and our world that we all live in. That knowledge in turn needs to be tempered with understanding of how those things exist and affect the way that we live. The Message version of this passage says that Paul's prayer is this: "that your love will flourish and that you will not only love much but well. Learn to love appropriately. You need to use your head and test your feelings so that your love is sincere and intelligent, not sentimental gush."

I think that is an awesome statement: "use your head and test your feelings so that your love is sincere and intelligent, not just sentimental gush." I think oftentimes when we are told to love our neighbor the first thing that comes to our minds is the sentimental gush that Paul is talking about. Loving someone as ourselves needs to be understood before it can truly be lived. It is a hard undertaking to complete if you really think about it. By the shear definition of our innate survival intuition we are not capable of loving anymore than ourselves; once we begin thinking about the people that mean the most in our lives (spouse, children, parents, etc.) the propensity to talk about the love that we feel for them seemingly becomes mired with the sentimental gush we are talking about. If that is the case with the people we love how is it then that we can believed when we say we feel that way about our neighbors and those we do not even know?

I think that as our discipleship walk deepens with Jesus, we begin to see the people in our world like He does. We begin to feel for their souls and for their basic need to be led and to be genuinely loved unconditionally. Therein lies the key to the knowledge of our love. We begin to know why we love the way we do, because it is how we are taught to love. As the knowledge of our love grows our understanding of the people and their situations needs to increase as well. Simply knowing why we love (or why we should love) isn't enough to love, we need to understand the conditions of the people around require love regardless of their position or situation. Understanding the conditions of people doesn't equate to condoning sin or actions, it makes the sin or action understandable and thus highlights the need for an unconditional love. Jesus never passed judgement on someone who was sinful but rather He had compassion on them and ministered to their basic need for love.

It is my prayer today for me as well as for you, "that (our) love will flourish and that (we) will not only love much but well. (That we) learn to love appropriately. (That we) use (our) head(s) and test (our) feelings so that (our) love is sincere and intelligent, not sentimental gush."

My Friends In Philippi

2007-10-22T15:36:00.000-07:00

I am reading through the book of Philippians tonight. I have read through this book times before, but tonight there is just so much that is jumping out at. I love how faithful God is. It always seems that I am in a spot in my life where I am crying out for a good word of comfort or direction and He always takes me to His word and gives it to me. I mean I can have read the passage over and over and over again a hundred times before and then read it when He leads me and it is like I am reading it for the first time thinking "I didn't know this is what it said!" He really is faithful to meet me right where I am at.

One of my favorite verses is in the first chapter of Philippians. 1:6 (NLT) "And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns." I like it in The Message version as well: "There has never been the slightest doubt in my mind that the God who started this great work in you would keep at it and bring it to a flourishing finish on the very day Christ Jesus appears. "

I like the verse in the NLT because it uses the word "finally." The word finally, to me, represents the fact there was a process involved in the undertaking of some task that had to be completed. To me it gives justice to the fact that most processes involve work that sometimes includes struggle. I know that the work that Jesus has begun in me has been a struggle at times, especially when it involved me changing. Change is not an easy thing for me, especially when I had to learn to redo things in my life after I had been decades doing them the wrong way. I had to learn to trust my destiny and life to someone else that I couldn't see. If that doesn't involve struggle then I am not sure what would.

I like the verse in The Message because it has a more celebratory feel to it. It tells of a "flourishing finish" to the work that Jesus has begun in us. When we have accomplished all that we have been called to accomplish, or we have been found faithfully working to accomplish what we have been called to accomplish when Jesus returns we will be greeted with a "flourishing finish" to our work--a celebration for a life time of work that has been successfully completed. I also like this version because it is more definitive in the words it uses to describe the author's certainty of the fact of Jesus' faithfulness to watch over His work in us. "There has never been the slightest doubt in my mind..." sounds more secure in the knowledge of a fact than simply "I am certain..." To me the first method of explaining certainty is more emphatic than the second.

Beyond the wording of the verse in the two different versions, it is one of my favorite verses simply for what it says. It says that Jesus has made an investment in our lives, and just like any good investor, He is going to diligently watch the investment to make sure it accomplishes what it is supposed to. His investment is going to achieve the purpose He had planned for it. It is exciting to me to think that Jesus believes in me that much and that He cares about my success in His kingdom enough to personally watch over what I have been called to do. When I stumble He doesn't sell all the shares He has invested in me, but rather He redirects them to get me back on track to make me profitable again.

Childish

2007-10-19T19:37:00.000-07:00

I have been accused of being childish on more than one occasion. It was probably well deserved as I have often wished I had some of my childhood and childlike instincts back. It was good to be a kid. I didn't have to deal with all this yucky adult stuff that I am facing right now. Paying bills, finding the faith to hold on to the dreams and calling God has given. Finding the faith to believe that what seems impossible is indeed possible. At least when I was a kid I knew what I was going to be when I grew up. I find myself now at 31 asking myself what I am going to do with the rest of my life. Rather I find myself asking God what He is going to do with the rest of my life. When He speaks is usually when I need that childlike faith to believe that it will all come to pass. Being a kid was great. I knew I was going to eat but didn't have to worry about where the groceries were going to come from. I knew I had a place to sleep but didn't have to worry about the mortgage that had to be paid to make sure I could have that place to sleep. I flipped on the light switch and the lights came on, I didn't think about the light bill being paid. I had new clothes to wear but didn't have to wonder what was going to be sacrificed in the budget that month to be able to have the money to buy the clothes. I want that kind of faith and trust again. In a way this is a testament to my mother, the single woman that raised three kids alone in a middle class neighborhood and kept us in the lifestyle we were always accustomed to. We knew money was tight at times but I don't think we ever really knew just how tight it was or the sacrifices she made for us to have what we had. I want to be a child again. I need that faith. I know it will all be OK because it always is. But this time I want to feel it.

"Jesus said, "Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of Heaven."
Matthew 18:3

How To Start a Conversation

2007-10-18T07:53:00.000-07:00

I am reading through some of Paul's letters in the bible lately. It just finally hit me today as I began reading Colossians that he starts every letter by saying who he is in Christ and by saying that he is thankful for the people he is writing to. He also says that he is praying for them and for the work they have been called to do. I think that is awesome. I am not one that needs constant affirmation, but wouldn't it be great to know that someone is thankful for you and constantly prays for you and the work that you have been called to complete. I have learned from being a manager responsible for hundreds of people that encouragement is one of the best tools someone can use to get something accomplished. In a way Paul was like a manager to some of these brand new churches. He was reaffirming the good that they had accomplished and that they were continuing to do. He also let them know he was constantly supporting them with prayer. Amazing! Some of the best business principles and interpersonal relations techniques can be seen in the bible.

Just a random thought.
Mike

Ignored and Overlooked

2007-10-16T15:22:00.000-07:00

Ignored and overlooked. As a kid on the playground none of us wanted to be the last kid picked for the team. None of us wanted to be passed over or passed by. We wanted to be a part of the action that was going on around us. We wanted to be a part of the group--to have something to belong to. We had a need for association. As we have grown up, has this need changed or diminished? Maybe to a degree it has, as we are more selective of the groups that we look to associate ourselves with. Thinking in terms of society, I still can't imagine one of us that wants to belong to a group that either of those two labels applies to. Overlooked for a promotion because of our gender. No that's not good. Ignored in political realms because we don't have a high voter turnout percentage. That's not a good feeling either. How about ignored because we are in prison for committing crime or worse yet crimes. What if I was in prison because I committed the same crime over and over and over and got caught each time--should I be ignored or overlooked? I don't have a job right now because I am sick. What if my life was reduced to holding a sign on the corner because I have exhausted all my other means of support? Would you ignore me because it was my fault? Ignore me because you have your own problems? Overlook me because I am overweight so I must be eating somewhere? One of the things I have heard most from people who have AIDS is that the thing they miss most is being touched. Would you let someone who is sick with AIDS die without being hugged simply because their disease carries a stigma just as big as its death sentence? Overlook them because of what they did to contract the disease? Pretty tough questions. These are roaring through my mind right now. Especially now. I don't have a job. I am not made of nor was I born into money. Yet I have so much more than I need. I have the luxury of deciding what, when and where I will eat. I hear God calling again. I know He is going to move again in my life soon. I feel it.

Matthew 25:37-40 (The Message)
"Then those 'sheep' are going to say, 'Master, what are you talking about? When did we ever see you hungry and feed you, thirsty and give you a drink? And when did we ever see you sick or in prison and come to you?' Then the King will say, 'I'm telling the solemn truth: Whenever you did one of these things to someone overlooked or ignored, that was me—you did it to me.'

Brokenness

2007-10-09T15:53:00.000-07:00

I was going through my files to see if I had a picture to help me describe brokenness. I did. It is a picture of me. I am learning more and more about myself lately. I am learning all the masks I had to wear and chose to wear. I am learning to take them off. I am learning that underneath it all I am broken. What I am learning even faster is that it is ok to be broken; in fact we are called to be broken in our discipleship walk with Christ. Like the fish and the loaves. Blessed. Broken. Given. That is my quest, my highest goal each day.

Be Blessed. Be Broken. Then be Given.

Mike

The Gift That Keeps on Giving

2007-10-04T07:35:00.001-07:00

1Corinthians 12:7
NKJV
7But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all

NLT
7A spiritual gift is given to each of us as a means of helping the entire church.

MSG
7Each person is given something to do that shows who God is: Everyone gets in on it, everyone benefits. All kinds of things are handed out by the Spirit, and to all kinds of people!

--------------------------------------------
I think that God is trying to say something to me! This is the verse that popped out on the page today in my study time. Yesterday I read that it was okay to explore to see who I was and what I was called for. Today it is reaffirmed that we all have a calling; that God has given each of us a gift that would not only benefit us but that would also benefit His entire church. Each translation says it a little different and makes it a little more clear and easier to understand. I love the Message version where it says "each person is given something to do that shows who God is." That is great! When we move in the gift that we have been called to operate in we are given the opportunity to show the world who God is. That also means though it could be something that we are not that comfortable doing; it might be something that requires us to step out of our comfort zone and trust God to move in the gift through us. I say this because if we are demonstrating who God is then we have
to be at our weakest so that He can be at His strongest. We will have had to resign our lives to His control to move the way He wants us to move to benefit His church the most. That's a lot to take in!

The Spiritual Indiana Jones

2007-10-03T07:00:00.001-07:00

Galatians 6:4-5 MSG
4Make a careful exploration of who you are and the work you have been given, and then sink yourself into that. Donâ™t be impressed with yourself. Donâ™t compare yourself with others. 5Each of you must take responsibility for doing the creative best you can with your own life.
****************************

I read this verse this morning in my study time. It hit me so hard that I had to read it a few times. This verse is telling us to make a careful exploration of who I am. Just this first part of the verse speaks volumes and answers a question I know some people struggle with constantly--you know the big question, "Who am I?" Well it may not be that dramatic, it is something some people wonder. What this verse says to me is that it is okay to not know who we are deep down, it is okay to not know what we have been called to. That is the purpose of the exploration--to find the answers to those questions. In the search for who we are along the way we will encounter what we are here for. We have all been called each according to our gifts it says in the bible. But its okay not to just naturally know what those gifts are straight away. When we were growing up we were asked what we wanted to be when we grew up. We most likely had an answer depending on whatever we were currently
infatuated with. When we were in high school we were told it was okay to not know what career path we wanted to pursue when we graduated because that was what the first two years of college were for--to find out what what we were good at and had an affinity for. We were sent out to college in essence to find ourselves.

I know just the first part of this verse could do so much good for a lot of people who struggle to find their place in the kingdom of God and His body. It is okay to not know where and in what capacity you should be serving. It is okay to explore and to see where you fit best, where you can do and be your best. We are told that once we find that place we are to sink ourself in to that work. It will be easy to do so because it will feel like we are at home.

What it is not okay to do is to do nothing. We can't just sit idly by and wait for the big banner in the sky to tell us what we were created for and what our purpose in the world is. That doesn't take any exploration at all.

If you haven't already go make a careful exploration of yourself and what work you have been called to.

Be Blessed and Be a Blessing

If I am Me...?

2007-10-02T16:15:00.001-07:00

Rick Burgess and Bill "Bubba" Bussey host the wildly popular Rick and Bubba Show, a drive-time radio broadcast that originates in Birmingham, Alabama. Animators once made a cartoon out of their two characters and invited Rick and Bubba to provide the voices. Rick was the voice of Rick, and Bubba, the voice of Bubba. Bubba, however, couldn't seem to please his producer. He suggested that Bubba change inflections, volume, and other details. Bubba grew understandably impatient. After all, he was voicing himself. He turned to the producer and objected, "If I am me, how can I mess me up?"--as told in The Cure for the Common Life, by Max Lucado

Take away point:

Be yourself. So many times we are faced with people and circumstances that try and fit us into the molds they want us to be shaped like. We have been called to be who God wants us to be. No one knows us better than us, except for God. As long as we are walking in His direction and following His voice we will be all we ever need to be.

Be Blessed and Be a Blessing!

Mike

Free....To Be a Slave

2007-09-27T07:17:00.000-07:00

This morning I was wandering through the book of Galatians, just wondering what the Lord would say to me through His word. Usually He is faithful to bring it up pretty early with me as I am reading because I think I am developing a touch of ADD when reading :) But that was not the case--it wasn't until t he 5th chapter that the words popped out at me.

Galatians 5:13-14
13For you have been called to live in freedom—not freedom to satisfy your sinful nature, but freedom to serve one another in love. 14For the whole law can be summed up in this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.”

We have been called to freedom--not freedom to do as we please or live our lives the way that we want to, taking pleasure in all the pleasurable things of this world; rather we have been called to be free to serve each other in and through love for one another. Paul is addressing the Galatians here and he is specifically talking to those who are falling back into the bondage of the law. They were craving the law and to be a follower of it--so he met their need and summed it all up into one statement for them--Love your neighbor as yourself.

That is a powerful statement. I know there are people out there who suffer from depression and self esteem issues, but I don't fall into the category very often. I happen to love myself. I love myself almost too much sometimes. I have had to battle with selfishness since my high school age when I discovered myself. I have been selfish with my time, my energy and even my words. So to tell me that I need to love everyone else as much as I love myself is quite a big statement. Can you imagine the possibilities of loving someone as much as yourself? Or if there is difficulty in that area of self love and appreciation for you, then can you imagine loving someone else the way that you want to be loved? That is an awesome thought.

Today was a particularly good word for me. For two days God has been speaking to me about changing the course of my ministry and has laid some big ideas on my mind. This is the second day in a row that He has taken me to a place in His word that deals with what He is talking to me about. I'm listening God!

Love someone today in a way that you want to be loved!

Be Blessed and Be a Blessing!
Mike

Attitude Adjustment

2007-09-25T06:49:00.001-07:00

1 Peter 4:1 "1So then, since Christ suffered physical pain, you must arm yourselves with the same attitude he had, and be ready to suffer, too. For if you are willing to suffer for Christ, you have decided to stop sinning. "

I have thought about sacrifice and discipleship together ever since I was touched with the desire to take a discipleship walk with Christ and become a student of His teachings. It only seems logical that sacrifice would become a big part of the discipleship walk because you are undertaking someone else's plans for your life as opposed to your own. Naturally in this situation there are going to be things that you would want to be or do that do not fit in with the lifestyle you have decided to undertake and you will need to sacrifice these things for the sake of remaining true to your decision to become a disciple. When I read this verse this morning something else came alive in me.

I have always known in the back of my mind that discipleship would also entail some sort of suffering. My idea of discipleship has always been of the idea that the decision to become a disciple is self imposed; therefore all the parts of my life that I would need to lay to the side or sacrifice for the sake of remaining faithful to my decision would be my choice as well. I saw that line of thought this morning in a new not so positive light. When I make it my decision to sacrifice something in my life I am in essence still retaining control of my life and not completely resigning that control and decision making ability to the One that I am following. It was almost as if I decided how I was going to suffer on this walk. Christ did not have that attitude when He came to earth to walk among men. He came and did what He was called to do.

We need to have the same attitude that Christ had when He came to suffer for us. His suffering was selfless and love oriented. Peter says that when we take on this attitude we are in essence making two decisions--we are deciding to follow Christ and be led to accomplish what He has called us to do, and secondly we are deciding to stop sinning. Discipleship to Christ is the complete resignation of control of your will for your life so that you can become as Christ-like as possible and move in the direction He has called you to move in to accomplish what He has called you to accomplish. Being willing to suffer along this walk with Christ is adjusting our attitude from being selfish (no longer chasing after the desires of the flesh) to being selfless (being anxious to fulfill the will of God, and not your own, for your life).

Idle Hands...

2007-09-24T18:38:00.000-07:00

We have all heard it before..."idle hands are the devil's playground!" When we have nothing to do, or rather when we are doing nothing, then we are more susceptible to doing just anything. What I am trying to say is that we need to be focused on something. If we are not focused then we run the risk of doing anything to keep ourselves busy. When we are not grounded in the word of God or in finding His purpose for our lives then we are in danger in doing something that is not in His will for our lives. We need to strive to do the work that He has called us to and to live the lives that we are ordained by Him to live; otherwise we are just keeping busy and not accomplishing what we we are purposed for. The other way I read that old saying is this: "The devil loves idle hands." he loves them because if they are idle then they are not working against him. They are not furthering God's kingdom and therefore are not working against the kingdom of darkness.

2 Thessalonians 3:6
6And now, dear brothers and sisters, we give you this command with the authority of our Lord Jesus Christ: Stay away from any Christian who lives in idleness and does not follow the tradition of hard work we gave you. 7For you know that you ought to follow our example. We were never lazy when we were with you.

Paul tells this church to stay away from the Christians who have become idle and don't follow the tradition of work that they were taught. Being a christian should not be easy--in fact it should be the hardest thing that we have ever done in our lives. It requires us to make the hugest sacrifice we could ever make in our lives; we have been called to lay down our very lives in the advancement of the kingdom of God. Being a disciple of Christ is not something that can be done part time. It is not something that can be done passively or in a group. Being a disciple of Christ is not something that you are sucked into or a title that is automatically given. It is a very personal decision that we have to make on our own. Each of our discipleship walks with Christ is different as we are all called to accomplish different things for the kingdom of God.

The people who sit idle in the pews of the church today are a problem. The lack of activity they demonstrate is a hindrance to what the church has been called to do. Their lack of participation in the kingdom calling is more that the brothers and sisters on the front lines doing the work of God have to pick up. It only makes me wonder if they cannot hear Jesus calling "follow me!" or if they are simply ignoring it. Idleness is contagious. We can catch it by surrounding ourselves by infected people until we simply just become one of them. We can also catch it by working ourselves into weariness and burnout if we focus on those around us who are inflicted with idleness. Paul has it right when he instructs the church, those who are actively pursuing the calling that God has placed on their lives, to just steer clear of the idle.

The Purpose

2007-09-22T06:51:00.000-07:00

I am reading through 1 Timothy today. I have a lot of questions that have been going through my mind lately and it seems that God is answering them one by one. This morning these words popped of the page at me:

"The purpose of my instruction is that all the Christians there would be filled with a love that comes from a pure heart, a clear conscience, and a sincere faith." (1Timothy 1:5 NLT)

This spoke volumes to my spirit. It confirmed in me a need to preach and teach discipleship. My heart hurts for the people that are saved and then allowed to fall by the wayside and fend for themselves in terms of spiritual development. I know that each person that comes to meet my savior is called to a specific purpose in His kingdom and they need some guidance and help find out exactly what that is. Sometimes people get so concerned with increasing the number on the souls-saved-board, that they allow these new converts to get lost in the new life they have just taken on. Our goal should be to help these new brothers and sisters in Christ "be filled with a love that comes from a pure heart, a clear conscience, and a sincere faith."

Father let me help advance Your kingdom with a pure heart, a clear conscience and a sincere faith in you.

Be Blessed and Be a Blessing!
Mike

A Whoopin' Biblical Style

2007-09-20T20:49:00.000-07:00

17You have wearied the LORD with your words.
“Wearied him?” you ask. “How have we wearied him?”
You have wearied him by suggesting that the LORD favors evildoers since he does not punish them. You have wearied him by asking, “Where is the God of justice?”

I know we all have done it. We see the horrible things happening in the world around us and we wonder where God is. We wonder why He hasn't stopped those bad things from happening to the innocent people--the good people. I know I do. I often wonder where the justice is when I see people get away with horrible crimes and actions. That bothers me. Well actually it frustrates me. It seems sometimes like the evil in the world prospers more than the good does. I was thinking about this hard the other day and this was the verse that God led me to. It would seem that I am not the only one who gets frustrated and tired of seeing what I see, but God also gets tired of people questioning His ability to be sovereign and to the only Judge. Reading that the first time put me in my place. reading it the second time made me officially whooped and repentant. God is God and God alone. He is sovereign over all things to do with them as He wills when He wills. 'Nuff said!

Move

2007-09-17T15:28:00.001-07:00

It has been kind of rough for me lately emotionally and physically both. If I let it, I think depression could have gotten the best of me these past few days. It is hard sometimes to know you are following God's will for your life and sometimes not see the rewards for the work you are doing. It is hard sometimes to not be as active as you want to be and to feel like you are always in the holding pattern waiting to take off. As I was venting this morning to God, He reminded me of the first sermon that I ever preached.

Gen 13:14-18
"14After Lot was gone, the LORD said to Abram, “Look as far as you can see in every direction. 15I am going to give all this land to you and your offspring as a permanent possession. 16And I am going to give you so many descendants that, like dust, they cannot be counted! 17Take a walk in every direction and explore the new possessions I am giving you.” 18Then Abram moved..."

God has given me promises for my life. He has told me specifically what I will be doing. And turn by turn I have followed His directions. Sometimes though when things don't quite seem to be happening fast enough for me, I start to get stagnate and the waiting gets the best of me. I imagine the promises that He gave to Abraham were a little hard to believe at first as well. But God told Abraham to look as far as he could see in every direction and what he saw would be His. In one version Abraham is told to walk the length and breadth of his land. He is basically told to inspect it, to get to know it, to claim it. Abraham could have just waited till all of this was accomplished before he did anything about it. He could have waited to see if would come to pass before he put any effort into it. But he didn't do any of these things. the first part of verse 18 says that "Abram Moved..." He received his direction from God and he took action to receive the gift God had laid in front of him.

I think so many of us sit and hold on to promises God has given us when we should be out there moving. We should be inspecting, claiming and owning the gifts that He has placed in us. We need to walk the length and width of the promise God has given to us and claim ownership of the talents that He desires to use for His kingdom. When it is so easy to sit and wait, wondering where God is and when He is going to use us or move through us, I think we should consider the possibility that He is waiting for us to move. He is waiting for us to take ownership of what He has given to us.

There is a lot of opportunity in the kingdom of God to move. If you don't know your gift or calling or purpose in the Kingdom of God, still move. Move in prayer. Move in encouragement. Move in helps. Move in sharing the word of God. Move. Move. Move!

Habakkuk Is Still Speaking

2007-09-10T18:05:00.000-07:00

This past week I have been reading through the minor prophets. I have gone back through some of my notes and one thing that is sticking out is in the book of Habakkuk.

Habakkuk 2:2 "Then the Lord said to me, 'write my answer in large, clear letters on a tablet, so that a runner can read it and tell everyone else.'"

I try to write things down if I think I am going to have the tendency to forget them. When I am going through some rough times I am not going to be sharp enough to remember all the good things that God has promised me. The first things that come into my head are not going to be all the reasons why these hard times will not last forever. I am sorry to admit that, but it is true. That is why I am sure that God had Habakkuk write down what He was going to say. When God promises restoration or judgement we need to remember that something has to be gone through to have the need to be restored. There is always an outcome or an end to a situation and for those of us who believe in the grace and goodness of God, we know it will always be for our betterment, He always has our best interest in His interest. I am going to start a promise book. Where I fill it with the promises of God, spoken through the bible or from those who speak encouragement into my life. When the rough times comes, it will help me focus and have faith in the outcome and maybe make it a little easier to walk through, knowing the ending.

Be Blessed and Be a Blessing!
Mike

A Reminder to Love

2007-09-06T16:29:00.001-07:00

This email was sent to me by a friend. It is absolutely a prayer that reminds us to think more like God and see situations and people through His eyes and with His love. I truly believe we come across people and situations in our lives solely for the purpose of adding them to our prayer list or at the very least to pray for them at that moment. I pray that as you read through this, you will be able to identify with it and it will touch you as it did me.

Heavenly Father, Help us remember that the jerk who cut us off in traffic last night is a single mother who worked nine hours that day and is rushing home to cook dinner, help withhomework, do the laundry and spend a few precious moments with her children.

Help us to remember that the pierced, tattooed, disinterested young man who can't make change correctly is a worried 19-year-old college student, balancing his apprehension over final exams with his fear of not getting his student loans for next semester.

Remind us, Lord, that the scary looking bum, begging for money in the same spot every day (who really ought to get a job!) is a slave to addictions that we can only imagine in our worst nightmares.Help us to remember that the old couple walking annoyingly slow through the store aisles and blocking our shopping progress are savoring this moment, knowing that, based on the biopsy report she got back last week, this will be the last year that they go shopping together

Heavenly Father, remind us each day that, of all the gifts you give us, the greatest gift is love. It is not enough to share that love with just those we hold dear. Open our hearts not to just those who are close to us, but to all humanity. Let us be slow to judge and quick to forgive, show patience, empathy and love.

Amen.

I am not big on "pass it on" letters, but in this case how can we afford not to remind people to love everyone, not just those we want to?

If you send this to 5 people, then you have a chance totouch 5 people. Working for God on earth doesn't pay much......butHis retirement plan is out of this world

Be blessed and Be a blessing!!
Mike Aguilar
Empty Vessel Ministries

“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled.” (Matthew 5:6)

Word Marinating

2007-08-30T06:56:00.000-07:00

I came across this scripture last night as I was cleaning out some of my saved links. Right now it is speaking volumes to my heart. I will just let it marinate until it is done.

1 Samuel 14:7.

NIV "Do all that you have in mind," his armor-bearer said. "Go ahead; I am with you heart and soul."

MSG His armor bearer said, "Go ahead. Do what you think best. I'm with you all the way."

NLT “Do what you think is best,” the armor bearer replied. “I’m with you completely, whatever you decide.”

NKJV So his armorbearer said to him, “Do all that is in your heart. Go then; here I am with you, according to your heart.”

Stupid Smart

2007-08-09T07:44:00.000-07:00

Prov 12:1 (NKJV)
1 Whoever loves instruction loves knowledge,
But he who hates correction is stupid.

Prov 12:1 (NLT)
1To learn, you must love discipline; it is stupid to hate correction.

When I first started work in the retail industry, I decided right off that I would not be a sales clerk for long. To me the sales clerks seemed to be the drones of the industry. I wanted a position, a title. I wanted be needed to be useful and not seemingly expendable. In my first job, even at sixteen, I managed to do this. I had wiggled my way into a position where there were only two of us. What I didn’t learn was that once achieved, you need to continue to learn to maintain your position. And because of this I was laid off. When I took my second job while I was in college, I vowed to learn from my mistakes I had made in my first job. I learned everything I could about the position as a supervisor I wanted. I did most of it on my own time, and I volunteered to help out whenever I could. When I was promoted, I was promoted to a level above the one I was hoping for. I was unstoppable and I acted like it. When my manager tried to reign me in, or to help me hone my skills, I brushed him off. I knew how to do my job better than he did. I was convinced there was nothing he could teach me or correct me on. I was book smart, he was people smart. He had that to teach me, but I refused.

I came across this verse and it really hit home with me. We all love to succeed, we love to achieve, we love knowledge when it helps us become better. Once we have achieved what we wanted and have worked for, we take it as ours as if it was due us; we forget that we are new to our positions and need to be honed to fit it and to administer it well. The people that are truly successful in life are those who accept that extra knowledge and correction; the ones that fail or grow stagnate are the ones that refuse to be corrected. How often do we do this with God and what He has given us? I know in my life I have done it way to often.

Father let me always be open to correction and to knowledge to help me pursue the things You want for my life.

God All The Time

2007-08-05T21:46:00.000-07:00

Ecclesiastes 7:14 (NLT)
Enjoy prosperity while you can. But when hard times strike, realize that both come from God. That way you will realize that nothing is certain in this life.

Good times in life are great. No worries, no cares, just sailing through enjoying times as it passes by. Good times are the easiest ones to have faith in. That is when we can hear “my God shall supply all my needs…” and be able to respond with a big “AMEN!” Good times are great because as we walk through our day and people ask us how we are doing we get to say “BLESSED!” Good times also provide us with the opportunities to tell people whose walk isn’t as easy as ours “that things will get better” or “just give it to God, He knows what’s going on.” The best part about saying those kinds of things in the good times in our lives is that we can actually believe them. We see the good things in our lives and they are easy to attribute to the goodness of God. But times in our lives aren’t always good.

Rough times in our lives are bound to occur at some point or another in our walk with Christ. These are the times when our faith is challenged and what we have been taught and what we claim to believe in is put to the test. It is hard enough for us to say things will get better, let alone believe that they actually will. When people ask us how we are doing it is barely all we can to do to mutter something without telling them that we have been beat up, battered, bruised and we don’t know how we are hanging on. When we walk through these hard times it is hard to look at them and not wonder where God is in all of this. Where are all of His promises and His provision? It is hard for us to see it, but the truth is that his promises and His provision are just as present in our lives in the hard times as they are in the good times.

In the Book of Daniel God uses an evil king to accomplish His plan for His people. He did not love His children any less when they were in captivity than when they were free. He wasn’t any less of God than He was when he wasn’t using Nebuchadnezzar in His plan. In all of the trials that Daniel and his people went through in captivity it would have been easy to question God and his motives; Daniel knew however that to do so would be foolish. He had accepted that God was sovereign all the time—even in the rough times. That is a lesson that we all need to learn—God is God all the time. When we are walking out the hard times in life, we need to cling to our faith and not abandon it; we need to not ask “why I am going through this mess” but rather we should ask “what is God trying to do through this time in my life?” We need to know and accept that God is good when He gives us the good times and when He allows us to walk the rough times.

Goose Bumps, Tears and Sensations

2007-05-31T18:12:00.000-07:00

Coming down the mountain was always the hardest part of going to church camp. It was so hard that the speakers and directors starting preparing us for the shock from the very beginning of the services. It was easy to be a Christian and be a young adult at the same time at camp. There was nothing but people similar to you, who shared your beliefs all immersed in the presence of God for the duration of the time at camp. You felt God all around you, especially in the services and study times. When you went down the mountain back to your normal life, you managed to keep that feeling for a little while, maybe even a few days, but it started to diminish quickly and it was hard to maintain. Didn't God exist at the bottom of the mountain? Or did the higher elevation keep me closer to Him and therefore His presence stronger all around me? Or the real question--was I chasing a feeling or longing for the same experience I had at camp. I wasn't looking for God, I was looking for how I thought God made me feel. I was chasing the experience I thought was God in my life.

It is funny, not really funny but peculiar how some will say that everything is fine when they are in church, that they fell like they are sitting in the presence of God then when they leave the sanctuary they don't feel that way anymore. We sing a few songs, maybe even raise our hands, listen to a preacher challenge our lives with the word of God and then we are done. We think we have met God because we went to church. We feel like we met God because we got some goose bumps as we were singing. We met God because we started crying during worship or it seemed like the pastor wrote that sermon for my life. If that is the case we are not going to church because we want to meet God, we are going to church so we can have an experience. If we are basing the presence of God on goose bumps or tears then we have seriously missed the mark. If we go to church and leave saying that we just didn't "feel it" today and use that to gauge the presence of God, then we are in more dire straits than we can ever imagine.

Only when we get to know God, know Him intimately, desire to know what is on His heart, can we begin to understand that feelings, sensation and experiences have nothing to do with His presence. It is about our willingness to not only seek the power of His hand, but to desire to know what is on His heart and what He has to say to us. When we quiet down and stop murmuring our requests and issues to Him long enough to hear what He has to say then we will know what the presence of God feels like. When we get out of our own way or take the God out of the box we have put Him in then we will know what the presence of God is all about. It is then we will see Him move the way He wants to move to accomplish what He has purposed to accomplish. He might even see fit to use us, if we will only listen long enough to let Him.

Be Blessed and Be a Blessing!
Mike

Special Because Why?

2007-05-31T18:10:00.001-07:00

There is so much in the book of Daniel that is just screaming to be learned. The messages of the Old Testament are just as relevant today as they were when they were happening. The next lesson comes from the third chapter. The king has received his dream and the interpretation of it from God through Daniel. He has been told that his kingdom is the greatest then and among all the kingdoms to follow his in time. He is more impressed with Daniel and his ability to hear God than he was with the message. He did not reverence God and follow Him as most would. Instead He focused on the dream. It was almost as if he believed that he was something special to God because He singled him out to help fulfill His purpose. I have been guilty of this. I began to minister in the church when I was 12 years old. I was spouting off prophecy and words of wisdom that I knew nothing about. I was such an anomaly that the preachers and pastors would treat me differently. I definitely felt like I was something special because not everyone was doing what I was doing. Just like Nebuchadnezzar I was a tool that was being used—no better than the next tool, just suited for the job. I am extremely careful now to understand that without Christ I am nothing; able to do nothing of my own accord in His kingdom. As a church, as a people we need to quit looking for the title with the status and just start doing the job.

God I thank You for the work You have called me to do. I know Lord that with Your anointing and blessing I could do nothing on my own, I worship You with my Life. Amen

Robbing God

2007-05-30T17:35:00.000-07:00

It is a tremendously awesome feeling to be used of God. It is so exhilarating to feel God’s power at work though you as you are preaching or praying for someone. When you see the person you are praying for starting manifest their healing or you see that someone is the audience is being moved by the mere words you are speaking you can’t help but say “WOW!” As the people of God whom He chooses to use, we have to be very careful abut taking what belongs to God. By that I mean to say that we need to be very conscious of the fact that we are just the vessel of the power and not the power itself.
It would be very silly of us to revere the plug of an item as the power source of all of our electrical toys. After all it is the thing we see working. We know that when we plug it into the wall socket our toys work. The plug is merely the conduit for the electricity that gives our toys power and functionality. When we are working for God we are merely the plug, He is the power source we plug into. Just as we need to make sure we recognize His ability in us and give Him His due praise, we need to make sure that those who see the same miracles and power of God at work in us give Him His praise.
Growing up we used to see a lot of power charismatic preachers come through our church. It was easy to be awestruck by all the wonderful things happening and to ascribe them to the man or woman doing those things. The really good ones would always give the praise to God before, during and after their ministry. The not so good ones would run the stage and make their exits like they were rock stars.
These thoughts are inspired by my next lesson from Daniel. After Daniel had ministered to the king his dream and the meaning of the dream, the king fell down before Daniel and worshipped him. He ordered an offering and burnt incense be made to Daniel. Daniel was quick to say that he could not have done it without God and that it was God who had chosen the king as a recipient and Daniel as the messenger. Daniel was quick to say this several times. He wanted nothing of what belonged to God.
We shouldn’t want any of what belongs to God either. We were made to praise Him, not take His praise.

Father, let me always be used by You that You might always be glorified in all that I do and those around me might see Your power and love. Amen

Taking a Stand

2007-05-20T17:35:00.000-07:00

Faith is a hard thing to have sometimes. We are asked to believe in God in every situation without question, yet we do not know how the situations are going to turn out. We are taking blind steps towards the unknown. We can be assured that the outcome will be God’s will, but we can never be certain that it will be desirable or favorable to us. God has asked us to take a stand for what we believe and that sometimes means taking a stand when it is not the cool thing to do. That stand while adding to our reward in heaven can have disastrous effects here on earth. It could cost us friends, family, relationships, jobs, and a host of other things. Daniel chapter 3 12, 16-18 show us just how dangerous that stand we take can be.

They were instructed to bow before the golden statue of Nebuchadnezzar and they refused. They had first made the choice to not defile their bodies with the food of the king and now this. They were not in danger of losing their lives before in the diet situation but now they were. They had made their decision based on the fact that they would not compromise what they believed in. Any deviance from those beliefs would water down their testimony they had established. If they bowed before the statue it would all but erase their devotion to the power of God they had demonstrated in their new homeland; but to not bow before the statue would mean certain and immediate death. There had to be a thousand reasons that they could have generated amongst themselves to make bowing before the statue seem alright. There was one reason not to bow before the statue that kept all the other reasons to bow at bay. That reason was that if indeed they did bow they would be turning their backs on the God that they believed in and defile their own undefiled faith.

If God calls you to do something for Him that would involve taking a stand that could cost you a lot, if not everything, could you? It is hard to think of something so severe in our liberal and accepting melting pot of society that would indeed cost us that much. What if you were a missionary in a foreign land where being a Christian could cost you your life, would you risk it to reach the people? If you work for a church, would you risk standing up to your pastor if you felt he/she was compromising your faith? Would you risk losing your job for your beliefs? Or would you water down your faith to keep status quo? All food for thought.

Father I thank you that I have You to have Faith in. I pray that I will always take a stand when You call me to. Amen.

Giving God What Is His

2007-05-18T20:17:00.000-07:00

"It is said that Alexander the Great was standing and
watching Diogenes and after awhile asked Diogenes
what he was doing. When asked, the older man
answered, 'I am searching for the bones of your father,
but I cannot determine the dust of your father from the
dust of the slaves.'" (ref?)

As I am focusing on the 2nd chapter of Daniel this really painted the picture of the last point I found. In the end when we are done with our life here on earth and we go to be with the Father, I want to hear "well done..." I dont want to hear that I robbed God of some of His glory here on earth because I was the vessel He chose to use and I did not give Him the Glory. I never want to rob anything from God. I remember a time when God used me to give a message to one of my pastors. I had to tell her that it was not about her and that she was robbing God of His glory. That was one of the hardest word I ever had to speak. When I am invited to preach I always tell people that it is not me. I make it known that I never would have chosen to be a preacher. but God called me. Any good that comes from it needs to be directly attributed to Him and not to me. I NEVER WANT TO TAKE WHAT IS GOD'S!!!! Just the thought of having to answer for that gives me chills.

Daniel makes sure to give God the glory for interpreting the king's dream. He does this several times. He, too, wants to make sure that God gets what is His.

Father I thank you for all that you are using me for. I give You all the glory for it all now and forever. Amen.

Undefiled and Infectious

2007-05-16T16:20:00.000-07:00

I have been thinking a lot about the kind of ministry I would like to have. I have seen so much divisiveness in the church and the people it ministers to. There seems to be the group that wants to barricade themselves in their sanctuary and let only those in who make it past the front doors. Then they are wary of those people because of the backgrounds they come from. Some of them forget that they too at one point in their lives had a background that wouldn’t let them into their church. They talk about saving the sinners and once they introduce them to Christ they never let them forget the fact that they were sinners. Then there is the group that wants so much to reach the world and show it that Christians can be like them to. They want them to see that becoming a Christian doesn’t mean changing your style and likes. Some in this group go too far in trying to do this and you can’t see where they stop and the world begins. They offer a watered down version of salvation in that the title on the badge changes but the lifestyle doesn’t. They just become worldly Christians. Is there a happy medium that is happy without being compromising? Is there a less formal more outreaching Christianity that we can look to as an example in our modern times?

As modern as we would like to think that we have become, the bible remains true in that it says “there is nothing new under the sun.” We only have to look in it to find examples of men who have remained true to their convictions and callings in the world without being defiled. We can look at Daniel who in chapter 2 of his book saved the lives of all the wise men in the King’s Court. They were all in the order of execution issued by the king for being frauds and not being able to fulfill his request of detailing his dream. When Daniel says that he can do as the king wishes and comes through, he does not say that the other wise men were frauds. He does not tell the king that he and his friends are the only ones who should be spared since the magicians, sorcerers and other religious men could not perform what the king ordered. Instead he steps in on all their behalf and saves their lives because he can. Does he push his beliefs on others in the group after this saying that his is the only way to believe? No. In doing what he did simply it is how he believed, I am sure he opened the door to conversations about his beliefs with the others who were in the court. He was in the world, not affected by it and not changed by it.

Jesus was in the world. He was not affected by in it other than to have compassion on those around Him. He was not changed by it and it did not defile him. He walked with sinners; He ate and drank with them. Where the religious leaders of that time would say that He was defiled by allowing some of them to touch Him or be with Him, He was just showing them that they mattered in the eyes of God and to Him. He had compassion on them. As members of the church we need to not be abrasive and “in your face” with our beliefs. We need to move as the Spirit guides us and let our lives be our key to open the doors of lives that haven’t been touched yet. I can love a person who is living in sin but not love the sin they are living in. When you turn away a soul because of their sin you turn away the soul who needs to be reached. You confirm the stereotypes of Christians being the hateful, un-accepting hypocrites that many have made us out to be. When you reach out to someone who is living in sin and love them for being a person, but never confusing that compassion with acceptance of their lifestyle, and the person can see it is genuine, the opportunities to introduce them to the saving grace we know will come.

This is a long way to say that the fact that Daniel saved all of the wise men with his faithfulness to god and to his beliefs impressed me. He did not seek the credit with the king but was quick to ascribe all the glory to God. He worked as a whole with the other people of different faiths but never allowed them to defile his beliefs, but I am sure he infected theirs.

Father let me open to those who need you regardless of what they look like, like Daniel let my love for you be infectious. Amen.

Straight to the Source

2007-05-15T17:35:00.000-07:00

In Daniel 2:2 King Nebuchadnezzar has had enough of his insomnia and his dream. He called on the people who were supposed to provide him insight into the spiritual realm. He called on his wise men, his advisors—sorcerers, magicians, conjurers, and the Chaldeans. These people were the learned among his advisors. These are the people he relied on when he needed information from the spiritual realm and guidance for his actions. He must have been let down by them several times because this time he did not reveal to them the dream he had; but rather he tested the abilities by requiring that they first describe to him the dream and then interpret it.

So often when we are faced with situations where we are in need of advice we call our wise men to help us—they are our friends, our mentors, professionals, whoever we can think can offer insight into what we are going through. What we need to remember though is that these labels they wear are ones that we have assigned them. They have no more insight into what we are going through than we do. They cannot predict the outcome or future circumstance with any more certainty than you or I can. We look to professionals to help us with our problems because we figure they are intelligent and studied up on what is facing us. That is partially true, they are professionals because they have completed a series of courses that merited them a degree. That degree does make them anymore intelligent that you or I. It does qualify them to be able to predict our future or tell us how we should proceed in any situation.

The king saw the wise men before him for what they were—perpetrators. They claimed to have insight into the spiritual realm and into the meanings of dreams. Yet without the knowledge of the dream they could not interpret it. Much like the modern day shrinks of today cannot tell you what a dream means until they know the content of it. Who is to say that the substance of your dream has the same symbolism as the substance of my dream? When the king saw the uselessness of the wise men in his court he ordered them all killed. What use were they to him? My point is this—we all run to the people we have deemed to be the wise men in our lives when we need a fresh word or a sense of direction. Why do we run to the people who are in the same boat we are. We need to run to the run to whom all of our dreams and visions should be held captive to. We need to go to the source of all inspiration and the one who in infinite in the amount of wisdom He holds. It wasn’t until Daniel intervened and went before God that the truths of the king’s dream were revealed. Daniel went to the source, sought out God’s wisdom and God was faithful to meet Daniel with what he was looking for.

Father let me always come straight to You for what I need. Amen.

Refuse to be Defiled

2007-05-15T16:13:00.000-07:00

I am studying in the book of Daniel and I am stuck on something that I cannot get past. Daniel made the choice to not be defiled. He chose to remain pure and true to what he believed. How awesome is that. We are faced with so many things in a day that challenge what we believe as individuals. We are faced with decisions constantly that beg us to compromise what we stand for. Many times we find ourselves not avoiding the risks involved but weighing them and managing them. It has become increasingly harder to draw a line in the sand and say we will not cross. We are looking for our own ways to cross the line without changing the labels that we wear and subjecting ourselves with the changes that come as a result to the crossed line. Daniel made the choice to not defile himself. We could say that times were different back then. The choices they were faced with weren't as gray as ours are today. Things were much more black or white and right or wrong. To a degree I would agree with that. We live in a generation and a society that has all but erased the lines between right and wrong. We have added degrees to the principles of right and wrong. We have blended the white and black into varying shades of gray. But still they were faced with things that appealed to the basest human need--food. They had been stolen from their homeland and seemingly abandoned by the God they believed in; they were presented with delicacies the king himself was feasting on, but it was contrary to the diet the law laid out for them. Feeling abandoned, confused and hopeless still they refused to be defiled. When Jesus started his ministry and went into the wilderness, as a man, He neglected His flesh for forty days by fasting. When the fast was over satan came to Him and tempted him with things again that appealed to the basest human desires--food and power. Being tired, weak and hungry and offered the things that could end all of that, Jesus refused to be defiled. The world has painted its morality system gray. We need to search for our white and black. Once we find the line that stands between the two, we need to choose what side we will be on, dig our heels in and refuse to be defiled.

Message to Me...

2007-05-14T20:20:00.000-07:00

There are times when I feel my faith being challenged. I find myself questioning what I actually believe. I find myself speaking what I claim to believe all the time. Sometimes I have been forced to actually reconcile my words with my actions. You have heard people tell the same fictional story so many times that they actually forget the fact that it is not true. I speak of the wonderful things of God and of all His miraculous abilities, yet when it comes down to it, do I still believe in what I say? I pray for people to be healed, yet deep down do I believe that they will be? Am I a worthy enough vessel for God to work through? Is there someone else that could have a better result, because of their character or their faith? If it were someone else who had been captured from the king of Judah’s court and not Daniel and his friends would there have been a different outcome in the story in chapter 2?

I know I believe in healing, I have seen my mother healed several times, and recover when she should have died. I have seen ways made in people’s lives where there should have been no way to be found. I do believe in His miracles and furthermore I believe we are called to do even greater miracles than He did while He walked the earth—I count on that! I believe that God uses every situation that we walk through for our benefit or for someone else’s like he did in both Philemon and Daniel. I believe in the faithfulness of a God that says He will be faithful to complete the work he began in me. While I am no where close to being the man I was when I started my discipleship walk, I am no where near the man I will be when I go see my God or when He comes to get me. I am ok with that.

A work in progress,
Mike

Favor for Faithfulness

2007-05-12T22:09:00.000-07:00

Daniel found himself in different surroundings being forced to subscribe to different beliefs and teachings. While the world tried to transform him into something that he was not, he maintained his heart and his spirit true to his fear of the Lord in which he was raised with. How easy it would have been to forget God and all that He had done for His people. Some would even say rightly so—after all He did allow them to be conquered and taken into captivity. Some would argue that Daniel would be a fool not to forget about God and acclimate himself to the ways of the Babylonians; he was in the inner circle being educated and fed like a royal himself. Daniel held strong to his beliefs and to the God who had blessed him, despite the fact that same God allowed him to be enslaved.

Could you do the same? Could you love God after He took everything away from you and allowed you to be captured by your enemy? If you asked me that question about 5 years ago the answer would have been an emphatic “NO!” Today I think it would still be hard. I know now that God has a plan for everything that happens to me in life, both good and bad. I know God enough to know that what I know about Him and His ways are not even close to a complete picture of Him. I guess it comes down to faith and just how much you have and what shape it is in. Daniel refused to be defiled and was willing to be put to death before he allowed his captors to defile him. Though he lived in the world of the Babylonians he maintained the truths of his home and didn’t allow them to be corrupted or altered in his heart.

The world tries to make us into things that we are not. It paints pictures of the perfect life and the way it should be lived. A lot of the time though that perfect life is not congruent with the way we are called to live through Jesus’ teachings in the bible. Sometimes the callings that we have on our lives are in direct conflict with the things of this perfect life and prevent us from having both. What do we choose? In my life I wanted the perfect life—the big house, nice cars, and all the money. I didn’t care what I did as long as I had the perfect lifestyle. I wanted to be a part of the “haves” instead of the “have-nots.” I discovered along the way that “having” meant compromising what I believed in, what meant so much to me. I began to become jaded and found less and less time to serve God so I could get more. I had to make a choice—to “have” or to “have not.” Having what the world says you should have to be in the perfect life isn’t all that is look like. It cost me more spiritually and in my heart than I could ever imagine. I think Daniel knew that as well.

Daniel refused to be corrupted and to defile the faith that he held so dear. Because of this God honored him and gave him favor, both in His sight and in the sight of man. It is the favor for faithfulness trade off. I have never been so happy since I have chosen the path the God wants for me. I may not be rolling in the rich life of the world, but I am storing up my treasure in heaven and having my every need met here on earth.

Father I thank you for your faithfulness and for your continued favor with all those I come in contact with that Your will might be done through me. You are my only choice. Amen.

The Choice

2007-05-11T12:51:00.000-07:00

The book of Daniel continues to prove itself a book full of life lessons even in terms of discipleship. After Judah was captured Nebuchadnezzar called his “chief of staff” and told him to get the brightest, strongest and best looking (?) men from Jehoiakim’s house and teach them to be his advisors. Daniel was among these as were 3 of his friends (Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah) who would later become to be know as Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. They were taken apart from the rest of the captives, given Babylonian names, given the Babylonian education, and they ate from the king’s table and from his cellars. Essentially what they tried to do was brainwash these young men into forgetting their culture and into becoming Babylonian. They wanted to make them into Babylonian elite. They changed their names from names that all represented a quality of God into names that celebrated the Babylonian Gods. They fed them food from the king’s table which was far from the diet and food practices that was allowed under their law they had grown up with. They tried to educate them into becoming Babylonian.

This is important because as Christians this is exactly what the world tries to do to us. The world tries to educate the belief we have in God out of us since its science cannot prove his existence. The world feeds us from its table of self gratification, immorality, lawlessness. It tries to change our name from that of being of the family of God into one that celebrates itself. While there is nothing wrong with a secular education or the learning from the secular world, there is something wrong with it when it starts to negatively impact and influence on your faithfulness to God. Daniel and his friends were faced with just that decision.

Daniel had a choice to make: would he give in to the opportunities the king was presenting him or would he remain faithful to the practices and the God he had always known. Verse 8 of chapter one said that Daniel made up his mind that he would not be defiled. That is an important point to look at. We simply cannot hide in a dark corner and hope that the world will not notice us so we will not be subject to its influence. Rather we need to stand out in the world and stand up and announce that we choose to not be defiled by the world we are surrounded by. Defilement is a choice. Its like being in a pool. You can be in the deep end of the pool and even under water. You are completely surrounded by water but it is not penetrating you. The water does not enter your body until you open your mouth or unplug your nose and let it in. The world cannot defile us or influence us until we let it inside our mind, heart or spirit.

Father I thank you for Your guidance and Your strength. I pray Lord that I would be aware constantly of the influences that surround me and always aware that I may be here now, but this world is not my home. Amen.

You Brought It On Yourself

2007-05-10T19:43:00.000-07:00

The first two verses in Daniel speak volumes to my heart already. The first verse describes the capture of Jerusalem by King Nebuchadnezzar. The second verse tells us why. This happened because God wanted it this way. This is not something that god allowed to happen or that slipped past Him without Him knowing—God caused this to happen! God gave the land of Judah, its king, its holy relics and the Jewish people (His people) over to a King that did not serve Him, in fact King Nebuchadnezzar worshipped other Gods. This was hard to understand why God would do this to His own. The thing is that His people were not acting like His people. They had been sinning against Him as individuals and as nations for a long time. He had sent the prophets to warn them and to bring them to repentance and they refused. Most (close to all) of the kings of both Israel and Judah sinned against God and led their nations in sin against God. Because of the sinfulness and refusal to repent, God judged them and disciplined the nation of Judah with captivity to Babylon for 70 years.

The first thing that popped out to me was that when we veer off the trail God has for us, He lets us know. He nudges our spirit and when that doesn’t work He brings people into our lives to help us remain accountable to the walk we have started with Him. When we continue to walk on our own, we do so at our own risk. Another prophet even said “woe to them for they bring judgment on themselves” (paraphrased of course). Some people wonder why God allows things to happen to His people. I understand it here that sometimes He does allow it to happen, but there are also times that He causes it to happen. As humans we discipline our own children, why should Father God be any different?

Along those lines it is interesting that God would use someone who was at war with His principles to judge and discipline His people. What I understand from this is that God will use whatever tools He has available to Him. In another prophet’s book in the Old Testament, King Nebuchadnezzar is called God’s servant, because though he was evil God still used him to accomplish His will for His people. God will do what it takes to get His people to return to their first love. It’s amazing that he could love us that much and be that jealous to go through such lengths to keep us close.

Father I pray that I will continue to be faithful to your calling and to your will for my life. Amen.

Who Turned On the Light?!?

2007-05-10T17:57:00.000-07:00

Today I am starting a new study on the Book of Daniel. I am so reluctant to get into the Old Testament because I often get lost with all the “so-and-so begetting you-know-who” in the “third year of the reign of what’s-his-name” and stuff like that. The only reason I am even looking at this particular book is because a prophet told me that God was going to speak to me out of it. I know God should speak through all of His word and I am sure He does. But there are honestly times when I feel like I am just reading and not studying because I just don’t get it. And since I am using words like “honestly” I might as well come clean and say that I have not even read that book since I was a kid. There are so many great stories that I used to hear in Sunday School when I was just a pup. So I opened up the Bible (well actually I pulled it up since I use like 4 different versions on my laptop) and I read the intro and chapter 1. I was a little leary because right away there is the “third year of king whose-it’s reign.” As I continued reading through the chapter, it was almost as if someone turned the light on in a dark room. That little homie nudge of the Holy Spirit was there as if to say “See I told you so!” Sure enough the principles just started popping off the page. God is awesome!! He really does have a fresh word for all of us and will meet us just where we are! As I process my thoughts I will post them—so much to digest just in the first chapter!

Faithfulness and Questions Answered

2007-05-07T17:11:00.000-07:00

Reading the book Philemon this time with some understanding and with a deeper, more committed walk with Christ really opened it up to me. When you read God’s word with the intention of learning something or seeing what the Spirit has to say to you that day, as opposed to just reading for the sake of reading, you are bound to meet God in your study time and have Him reveal the lessons you need. That is exactly what happened to me. I went into this study wondering if it was truly possible to be like Jesus and to walk this earth with God like qualities. In this book I see that the answer to both of those questions is yes. Paul was just a man like any man today. He was someone that was converted to Christianity after being one of its biggest detractors; yet he came to be one of its leading founding fathers. In the book of Philemon we see that the God in him became the God-like qualities through him. In the book there is the sinner, the savior and different facets of the grace of God. There is reconciliation and redemption. Though they all have spiritual connotations and bases, they were all brought about through the physical actions of and obedience to God by a man.

Father I thank You for showing me the principles in Your word. I pray that my life demonstrates Your principles more and more with each coming day. I praise You for Your faithfulness. Amen.

Obedience Is Key

2007-05-03T15:41:00.000-07:00

Sometimes I think that God does things in ways that are more difficult than I would do them. I know that seems crazy, but don’t we all second guess our bosses sometimes? I am never bold enough to tell Him He is wrong or that I won’t do what He is asking me to (we know where that got Jonah!). One of the reasons I don’t do that is because I have seen Him do things His way so many times that it often has a better outcome than what is expected. Take for instance the story of Philemon. In the last verses of the book Paul tells Philemon that his obedience to Paul’s request will refresh his heart and make him happy. God could have just refreshed Paul’s heart and gave him joy. Instead He took the long way around involved more people and situations. He allowed Onesimus to run into Paul after he had stolen from Philemon and ran away from his house. Philemon ends up serving the Lord and becomes a servant not only to Philemon but now also to Christ. Paul sends Onesimus back to Philemon’s house as a newly saved brother in Christ so Philemon receives not only his servant back but also a new trusted brother in the family of God. For added benefit to both Philemon and to Onesimus, Paul offers to pay Onesimus’ owed debt to Philemon personally on Onesimus’ behalf. When Philemon obeys Paul’s request to receive Onesimus back into his house then Paul’s spirit gets refreshed because he has made peace in an otherwise tempestuous household. Through this peace and Philemon’s obedience Paul’s spirit get refreshed, he is happy and all of them offer praise to God. You see there is so much better that came out of the situations when God is in charge, as opposed to just going straight to the end result. The whole result was contingent ton Philemon’s obedience to Paul’s request. Philemon could have denied the request and taken his due penance from Onesimus (his life for the theft); however Paul was confident in his forthcoming obedience.

In our own lives we need to be conscious of the fact that our actions and obedience to the gentle (and sometimes not so gentle) nudges of the Holy Spirit could make the difference between refreshing a brother or sister’s spirit and God receiving His due glory from a situation or not. It is hard sometimes to be obedient, especially when our flesh gets in the way. How hard is it to walk up to someone and apologize when we know that we were not the one who was wrong? When we do that though we become the peacemaker; we refresh the spirits of those who the situation involved and the ones who were watching it. Through our obedience to making peace God gets praised. Anytime we act in obedience to the Holy Spirit, God gets the praise and the Glory from the outcome.

Lord let me always be sensitive to what You want me to do, whether or not I know the outcome or think I can do a better job. I thank you for all the lessons I learn from You. Amen.

Inside Out

2007-05-01T20:27:00.000-07:00

Coming near to the end of the book of Philemon we see that Paul is actually a picture of Jesus Christ in the story. In verses 18 & 19 Paul continues in his letter to Philemon on behalf of Onesimus, the slave that stole from him and then ran away. In these verses Paul writes to Philemon to tell him that anything that Onesimus owes him to charge it to Paul. He writes that he will indeed pay Philemon personally and without ever having a thought of either him or Onesimus owing him anything in return. WOW! There is a whole to be said of a person that will write a letter of recommendation for another person because they are essentially putting their name on the individual and their abilities. It is something completely different when someone believes in or loves and individual so much that they assume their debts and pay them on their behalf. That is exactly what Paul did for Onesimus. He considered Onesimus family now and treated him like a son. He loved him so much that he wanted to make sure that he had a fresh start in the family so he offered to pay any debts that he owed to his master Philemon.

I said that Paul in these verses in particular looks like Jesus because that is exactly what He did for us. God loved us so much and wanted communion with us that He sent His only Son to reconcile us back to Him through Jesus’ death and resurrection. How many of us are able to say that, even in our walk with Christ now, we would do the same thing Paul has done? Paul acted like Jesus in this particular situation; he acted like God would have responded to the situation. He did this for one simple reason—he had God in him. I would venture to say that at this point in his ministry Paul had more God in him that he had himself.

Mercy is a hard to gift to practice if you weren’t born with it. It is not a hard gift to learn however since we all have been extended mercy when we accepted Christ. When we sit and think about it, who are we to withhold mercy from one when we have benefited from it? Doesn’t it make us hypocrites to benefit from the same thing we refuse to give to another? I am coming to see more and more the proof that our words and actions are nothing more that reflections of our hearts. We might as well be living inside out.

Father I thank you for all that you have given to me. Soften my heart and help me to see everything through Your eyes before my eyes corrupt my view. Amen.

My Credentials

2007-04-29T15:17:00.000-07:00

There have been many times in the course of my career where I had to use my name and my reputation to help another person. When I put someone who was considered to be an underdog of sorts up for a promotion and my boss disagreed with me I had to put my stamp of approval with my name attached guaranteeing their success. I have also had to call in favors sometimes. There were times when one of my associates needed a transfer to another location and that other facility was not receiving any new associates into their building. I would have to talk to the manager and use my reputation and the rapport we shared to get that associate transferred. It is amazing what a person can do based on the name or reputation of someone else. Paul uses his name and relationship with Philemon to help Onesimus out.

Philemon truly did not have to receive Onesimus back into his house, regardless of what Paul asked. Paul knew this. When communicating to Philemon, Paul uses his relationship with Philemon to appeal to his heart, “So if you consider me your partner, receive him as you would receive me.” Paul called in a favor. He sent Philemon home with his stamp of approval with his name attached to it. That is awesome considering who Paul was in the Christian community. But there is more to consider.

Jesus has done this for you and me. When we accepted Him into our lives, He put his stamp of approval on us. He gave us the power to use His name to get things accomplished in His will. When we consider the impact and power His name carries, it is truly amazing how much He loves us. I think of all the doors He has opened for me to preach and to share His message that He has placed in my heart it is truly awesome. I shouldn’t have been able to go to the places, I have been. I shouldn’t have been able to speak to the people I have had to the opportunity to minister to. The only reason I have been able to do those things is because of His name. His name and the calling He has placed on my life have become my credentials. How awesome, how blessed, how changed the world would be if we all displayed our credentials to get us to the places we need to be to do His will for our lives!

Father I thank you for the calling and the gifts you have place in me. I thank you for the opportunity to worship you with my life. Amen.

Forgiven Not Forgotten

2007-04-28T12:00:00.000-07:00

I often find myself amazed by the grace that God has shown me in my short lifetime. There is so much that He has done for me that is totally and completely unmerited on my part. It is hard to imagine that He has done all that He has indeed done for me simply because He loves me and wants to be in communion with me. Like the story of the prodigal son, I was the one that was spiritually living with the pigs and wallowing in their pen. When my heart was moved to return to my father, He didn’t lecture me on my wrongs, but He received me into His house with a celebration.

The story of Philemon and Onesimus has grace as one of its themes. If it can be seen anywhere it can be seen in verse 16, “no longer as a slave but more than a slave, as a beloved brother-especially to me, but how much more to you, both in the flesh and in the Lord.” In his letter to Philemon, Paul writes how great it is to be able to receive Onesimus back into his household. For he will not only be a trustworthy servant and someone Philemon can rely on, but he now is also a fellow brother in Christ. When we accept the grace of God in our lives we start to evidence a change in our life. We no longer are bound by the pressure of sin and death but rather we are set free through grace and life.

Grace is life lived through freedom. We celebrate and cherish this freedom because we have done nothing to deserve it. This celebration of grace turns into worship to the one who granted us this grace that we did not deserve. We realize just how powerful this grace is. The bible says that as we realize just how sinful we truly are, that the grace in our lives expands that much more to cover that sin. As we realize just how precious this grace is, how much we are loved, we realize just how much He is truly worthy of our praise and our worship.

A final thought on this verse. Philemon didn’t receive Onesimus into his household with a barrage of questions on his sin and his activities since he had been gone. Neither did the God who bestowed His grace on us challenge our worthiness of His love and mercy. In both instances the person giving the grace forgave, forgot and received the other person into the family. I imagine that the person who was being given grace was thankful for the forgiveness but never forgot what they had done before it was given. Not because they were bound by guilt but rather because they never wanted to forget just how precious the gift of grace was in their lives. When we have the opportunity to extend grace, let’s remember the forgive and forget principle shown to us by God. When we are the one who grace has been extended to, let’s remember the forgiven but never forget principle so we never forget the power of the gift given to us.

Father I thank you for the grace that you have extended to me though I did not deserve it. I pray that when I have the opportunity to extend grace I will do so, just as You did with no strings attached. Amen.

Road Blocks and Stumbling Blocks

2007-04-24T18:07:00.000-07:00

It is amazing to think sometimes that God is sovereign over all things. We hit some roadblocks in life sometimes and we wonder how we will ever get passed them. We find things that trip us up and we stumble and we wonder if we can ever get back up again. Not so much can we get up, but do we want to get up. When I go through the roadblock times, when my walk with God is harder that it usually is, I will admit that I am glad sometimes. Glad not because I am walking through them, but because I know He will deliver me from them. I’m glad that the enemy has to take time out to attack me. To me that means I am a threat to him and to his plans. When I stumble though, it is so much harder to gain the ground that I lost in the stumble. It is so much harder to return to my joy. Partly because I feel stupid for being tripped up and partly because I know I have let myself and my God down. If He is sovereign over all things, does that mean that He knew I was going to fall? Is my stumble in His plan for me?

Paul states that when Philemon receives Onesimus back into his house, it will be forever. In order for Onesimus to reach this point though he had to walk through some heavy stuff. He had to steal from Philemon, and then he had to run away. Onesimus had to meet Paul and consequently meet Jesus Christ through Paul; thereby changing his life forever. Paul lets on that all of this had to occur in order for Onesimus to meet Christ and for Philemon to be able to receive him back into his house forever. It would seem then that God had a purpose in the walk the Onesimus had to take. Even in his sin, God was still sovereign in that He used it to draw Onesimus into His kingdom.

I won’t dare say that God has sin planned for me and that’s why I stumble. I will say, however, that even in my sin God is sovereign. He uses it to teach me lessons. He uses it to show me chinks in my armor. He uses it to teach me lessons I need to learn in order to be successful in the calling He has on my life. As easy as it could be to give up, as hard as it is sometimes to get up from a fall, I know that my Daddy has a plan for me and a lesson to teach me.

Father train me to see the stumbling blocks in my path before they trip me. I pray that You help me to be more like you and more able to carry the calling you have for me with each new day. Amen.

Leadership Lesson

2007-04-23T18:52:00.000-07:00

The hardest role I have ever had to play in life is that of a leader. I have always had the qualities of a leader, but have not always wanted to be one. In my last secular job I was responsible for about 350 people in a building. The hardest thing to do was to get that many people on the same page, doing the same job, hoping to get the same results. I am by no means a small man, and I am not in the least bit shy or quiet. Quite honestly I know I can be intimidating at times. It would have been very easy for me to use my size, demeanor, voice and position to get what I wanted done. But that is not being a leader. That’s being someone with authority who has no leadership skills. I preferred to get people to do things because they wanted to do them; be it that they did them for themselves, for the company or because they respected me, I just wanted them to want to get it done. To me that is what leadership is—leading someone to the desired result not forcing them along the way. It always made me feel good when someone approached me telling me something was already done before I could request it of them. It made me feel even better when we had volunteers step up to fill the needs we had in our facility before I had to appoint people to the positions.

Paul felt the same way with Onesimus and Philemon. After he had decided to send Onesimus back to Philemon’s house, he tells Philemon that as much he wanted to keep Onesimus there to help him on Philemon’s behalf, he is sending him back because he doesn’t want Philemon to feel compelled to leave him there because it was Paul who was asking. Paul wants to give Philemon the opportunity to send Onesimus back to be of comfort and help to Paul while he is imprisoned. Paul had as great a stature in the church as any man, apart from Jesus, could ever have. He could have required it of Philemon; he could have lorded his position over him and made Philemon feel required to leave Onesimus with Paul. But he didn’t. Paul approached the situation delicately and with grace. He did not overstep his bounds and trample over Philemon’s rights or wishes.

How so many of us need to learn to tread lightly with the relationships that we are in with each other. We have come to expect things just because we expect them. Moreover we expect a person to react to our needs because it is us that has the need. We learn from Paul in the book of Philemon that we do a disservice to people when we compel them into making decisions emotionally. We do not allow them to receive their due blessing for the act because it did not originate in them and it may not be in their heart to do it. We need to be leaders and guide people to the answer. We should want to help them make the right decisions, with the right heart and not force them into doing something they don’t want to.

Father I thank You for Your lessons in leadership you provided in Your Son Jesus and through His training of the disciples. I pray that You continue to raise up the leaders we need in this generation. Amen.

Say "Yes" and Get to Work

2007-04-21T23:40:00.000-07:00

Here is something that really touched me. It has echoed a sentiment that I have since I accepted the call of God on my life. Sometimes you get asked to do something you feel your are not ready to do or would rather not do. Knowing who called you or that it is part of the representation of Christ you just trust Him and jump in head first knowing He has a purpose and He will be glorified in our obedience. This is from a blog called "Raw Christianity." Here is the portion of the post that ministered to me.

"As for me, I’ve never helped lead a funeral in any way (and wasn’t planning to for a while). Much less one for the seven-year-old handicapped daughter of a single mother I just heard about in a village in Africa with a hundred village people I’ve never met, with three hours to think about it. But none of that matters. I would’ve preferred that someone else preach — someone closer to the family, someone who’s experienced African funerals, someone who knows the culture, someone who knows the people in the village, someone who speaks Lugandan — someone besides an adopting father visiting from America. But life and ministry is not about preference and comfort. Sometimes it’s not even about preparation. It’s about call and obedience. So what do you do? You say “Yes,” you pray, and then you stand and deliver."

You can find the whole post here. http://rawchristianity.wordpress.com/2007/04/14/gospel-and-shovel-a-village-funeral/
Be Blessed and Be a Blessing!
Mike

Loving the Right Way

2007-04-21T22:55:00.000-07:00

In the book of Philemon, Paul ministers to Onesimus who is on the run after stealing from his master. Paul shows him the Grace of Christ and has adopted him spiritually, calling him his son. He has a vested interest in Onesimus’ success in his walk with Christ. He has a vested interest in the change Onesimus has made in the way he lives his life. Eventually Paul writes a letter to Philemon telling him of the changes that Onesimus has undergone and lets him know that he is sending Onesimus back to his household in hopes that Philemon will receive back in as a favor to Paul. Paul tells Philemon in verse twelve that he is sending his “very heart.” That vested interest that Paul has in Onesimus’s life isn’t merely a concern for him, but it is a true love. Much like an earthly parent would have for their child, Paul felt love for Onesimus.

True discipleship manifests itself in the form of love. A true disciple of Christ will love the people the way Christ loved them and will desire to serve them the way He did. He will love the sinner into repentance and desire to see him free of the bondage that trips him up and enter into an eternal reconciliation to God. We are called to love the sinner not just out of their sin but into a relationship with Christ. We are called to love them into their own discipleship walk. Christ never held a person’s sin over their head when He asked them to do something. He didn’t get them to serve through their guilt. He got them to serve and to walk with Him because they loved Him. He loved them in their sin and loved them out of it. Then He loved them through their development into disciples.

When we see a new convert, do we see their sin or do we see the new creatures they have become? Do we see things that God has forgotten? Or do we love like He did and still does? If we don’t we should.

Father I pray that You would help me to love the way you me. Let me see your people and the people who need You the way You do. Amen.

Useful or Useless?

2007-04-20T16:27:00.000-07:00

USELESS!!! What a horrible word. It is even more horrible when it is used as an adjective describing a person or a lifetime. How would you feel if someone called you useless? How much worse would it be if someone used that word to describe your life at your eulogy if you were to pass away? That is a horrible thought. It makes me cringe inside. No one wants to be known as being good for nothing. No one wants to be thought of as having no useful purpose here on earth. That is exactly what Paul says of Onesimus’ life before he came to know the saving grace of Christ.

Onesimus was useless to in two senses of the word. First when he stole from Philemon he was a servant in Philemon’s household and he ran away. If he was not in the house to do his job that he was assigned he was useless to Philemon because he was not performing his job. Secondly he was useless in the sense that he was not serving God. His soul had no purpose in that he was no working in the gifts and talents that he had been given spiritually.

If we were to look at either of those two contexts of the word, how many of us today would be considered useless? Are we performing the job we have been called to do for Christ? Are we running from something that we should be doing? Have we accepted a job and are just failing at accomplishing it? To Onesimus’ benefit he ran into Paul and was changed by the saving grace of God. Some of us have been saved but we are not fulfilling the calling that we have been called to walk in.

Onesimus’ name means “useful.” How appropriate considering the change he underwent when he met Paul. The good news is that we have been called useful too. We have been called a “vessel for honor, sanctified and useful for the Master, prepared for every good work.” (2Tim 2:21) We have been redeemed from ourselves and consecrated to God through His Son for the work he has ordained for us to accomplish.

Father let me always be a blessing to You and to Your kingdom, fulfilling what you have purposed for my life to accomplish. Amen.

3 Points in Philemon

2007-04-19T13:11:00.000-07:00

Today in my study of Philemon three main points stuck out in verses 8-10. It seems that when we read simply for the sake of reading that we often miss the substance of what we are reading. I can’t tell you how frustrated I used to be when someone at church would lead a bible study and go verse by verse. To me not every verse had a important point to offer. But as I have done this study and have taken time to meditate on each verse, I find that each one does have something to offer. If I meditate on it long enough and ask God to show me the function of the verse, it pops out to me—sometimes slowly and other times like a flash. Do yourself a favor—read to learn and to see the point, don’t just read to get through it.

The first point my friend Phil offers is that when we approach someone to get them to do something that should be doing we have two ways of approaching them. The first being using our authority and position to demand that they do what they need to be doing. Our position and title sometimes grants us that liberty. I know it did for me in the secular world. I had the responsibility of getting things done and my title allowed me to demand that people get their jobs done to my satisfaction. Paul tells Philemon that he has every right to demand that he take Onesimus back into his house, but he doesn’t do that. Paul asked Philemon to take Onesimus back as a favor to him, he did not demand. By doing this Paul most likely cut off Philemon’s pride before it even had the chance to show its head. He approached the situation with tenderness and grace. He gave himself the opportunity to explain to Philemon why it was the right thing to do before Philemon would have quit listening if he would have went about demanding that it be done. It is the same for us today in the discipleship process. When we find someone who isn’t living the way they should be, we have the opportunity to be overbearing and completely risk them tuning us out completely. We also have the opportunity of approaching the situation with grace and love, using our authority with wisdom to get them to see why their way of living isn’t beneficial to them.

The next point Paul shows us is that we should not be afraid to use our situations and circumstances to the benefit of the situation. Paul explains to Philemon that he should not cast off what he was asking of him simply because he was an old man or in prison. Paul uses his prisoner status to his benefit explaining that he was in prison for the sake of the gospel. Paul is using his circumstances to build a connection to Philemon to gain a heartfelt response from him. When we find that we have a connection with someone that we are trying to influence with the gospel, we should not be afraid to try and use it either; that connection that we draw from might be the difference of the person being reached or not.

The last point hat Paul makes in these verses is one of responsibility. Paul refers to Onesimus as his son. He also takes on a father son relationship with Philemon. He cares for Onesimus as a son since he helped bring him to the saving grace of Christ. This point really meant something to me because it is an issue that is close to my heart. For so long I have been concerned with what happens after a person is saved in a church or a big revival of sorts. To me too many new Christians are not properly cared for after they are born again. They are left almost to fend for themselves and are not discipled properly. We should learn from Paul and care for the people that we lead to Christ enough to see that they are properly developed in to disciples of Christ that are equipped to fend for themselves and bring more people to the saving grace of Christ. We should think of them as our children and raise them up spiritually much like we would our own children physically.

Father I ask lord that you continue to show me how to move in grace and in servanthood. Show me how to use my authority to reach people and not turn them away from the grace you have to offer them. Amen

American Idol Discipleship

2007-04-18T21:53:00.000-07:00

Tonight on American Idol--the TV auto tuned there, I wasn't watching it on purpose :) -- Martina McBride was the special guest performer. She sang a song from her new album. There were a couple of lines that really hit a chord in my heart. "Life isn't always good, and when I pray it doesn't always turn out the way I think it should, but I do it anyway." That is such a profound statement. Just because things don't turn out the way I want them to when I pray doesn't mean that I should stop praying. When we approach the Throne Room of God we need to approach Him with double fisted intentions when we bring our petitions before Him. In the first fist we need to have our prayers and our requests. We need to tell God what is on our heart and what we think we need to be successful in the situation. Telling Him what we think we need isn't overstepping our bounds, it is letting Him know what is on our hearts and what is concerning us. In the second fist we need to have only 4 words--"YOUR WILL BE DONE." We need to give God the things that are on heart but we also need to be content with the fact that He may or may not act in the way we want Him to. He knows our best interest and He sees everything far beyond our sight. How He moves is the best way to deal with all that concerns us. Having faith means trusting God to move the way He sees fit as best to accomplish His will and purpose. Just because He doesn't move the way we want Him to when we pray, doesn't mean we stop praying. Who would have thought that I would have gotten ministered to by a guest on American Idol? Way to go Martina. God IS great!! Be Blessed and Be a Blessing! Mike.

Full Time Faith

2007-04-18T07:58:00.000-07:00

Faith is alive. Or should I say that when it is alive we can see it. We can see it alive and working in those who have it. It shows through that person in their actions and their words. Most commonly when faith is working in people, just like the Word of God, it shows itself as love for other people and their lives. Paul thanks Philemon and tells him that he has blessed his heart because of how he heard Philemon was showing love for the fellow Christians. When we share that faith that is alive and well in us we are actually accomplishing two things. First we are blessing and encouraging those that we are sharing our faith with. Second and probably the best part is that we are blessing ourselves. As we share our faith we come to know the completeness of all that is available through Christ. Verse seven in the book of Philemon tells Philemon that Paul is blessed and refreshed at the news of what he is doing for the body of Christ by blessing and refreshing them with his faith. When we read that we can know that Philemon was filled with the word of God and was like a spring of living water to those that he was surrounded by.

As the people of God we need to be like Philemon. He was filled with the word of God and was practicing his faith. Not only was he practicing his faith but he was sharing it with those around him that needed it. For those that he was not sharing with, they could see his faith alive and well in him through his actions and his words. Our witness to people isn’t always seen, sometimes it is heard. We never know when a person is listening and what they are going to hear come from our mouths. If we find ourselves having conversations quietly or in discreet places because we don’t want some people to hear what we are saying then most likely we need to re-examine what we are saying and how it would represent Christ. If our witness is seen not directly but rather through our interaction with others, what impression would we be giving to those looking? Would Christ be well represented in our actions and in the interactions we have with others?

If we are to call ourselves Christians, then we need represent Christ well. We need to be the springs of living water that draws people to drink all the time, not just when we think people are watching or listening.

Father let me be a full time representative of what You have done for me and my life. Let be a spring of living water that draws people to you and your saving grace. Let me be a blessing and not a cursing. Amen.

A Rose By Any Other Name...

2007-04-16T08:11:00.000-07:00

We have all heard it before. Basically meaning that no matter what you call the flower it still remains the same—a rose. In Biblical times they placed a higher emphasis on names and the meanings behind them. A person’s name, in essence, defined their character. Their name did not serve as a title or as a means of communication with them, but rather their name was them, it was their definition.

We have seen several name changes in the bible. Abram to Abraham. Saul to Paul. Jacob to Israel. Simon to Peter. Each of the name changes are significant to their characters and sometimes tied to a change in their nature or their future. They are descriptors of those that bear the name.

The biggest name in the book of Philemon is Onesimus. By big I do not mean simply in size or number of characters, I mean to reference what the name means. In the Greek his names means “useful or profitable.” Looking at the story of Onesimus it is parallel with the story of any person living in the life of sin who experiences a change in their nature and now serves God. Onesimus was a servant in the house of Philemon and stole from his master. From there he went on the run to try and escape from his sin against Philemon. He therefore became useless to Philemon both in service (not being there in the house to perform his duties) and in terms of his integrity (being a thief). Onesimus met Paul along the way during the time he was running from the house of Philemon. Paul shared the Gospel and led Onesimus to repentance. After his conversion, Paul decided to send Onesimus back to Philemon to serve in his household once again. Because of his repentance and his soon return to his master’s House Onesimus became “useful” to his master once again.

Aren’t we like Onesimus? Stealing the gifts that God has blessed us with and trying to run from Him to escape? We eventually run so hard and so fast that we end up running into God himself. Instead of punishing us, He forgives us and invites us home again. He rescues us from our useless, sinful life. He changes our lives and existence into something useful again.

I find it ironic that my name means “one who is like the Lord.” It’s ironic to me because for so long that was nowhere near a good descriptor for me; it did not define my character at all. That is not to say that it is a perfect match for me now, after all I still work on changing my sinful nature into a nature that is worthy of the meaning of my name. I work towards being more like Him everyday. It is a process. A Journey.

Father I thank You for welcoming me home when I tried to run from You. I pray that my life will continue to honor You and I pray that my life looks more like the life You have called me to with each passing day. Amen.

Believing 2 Ways

2007-04-16T07:23:00.000-07:00

Starting my day today, I heard something awesome on the radio. The radio host said, "Here's something to think about, man says "show me and I will believe." God says, "Believe and I will show you." "

That is an amazing thought to me. We often look to God to give us signs to make sure we are doing the right things in our lives. We want to make sure that we really heard Him say the things He told us to do. We know what we are capable of and it's not always what He is asking us to do. He is asking us to some things that require us stepping out of our comfort zones and into our uncharted territory. We are asking Him to confirm what He has already asked us to do. When He is asking us simply to have faith in Him and His purpose for our lives.

That is what discipleship is all about. Stepping out of the boat and onto the water because He has told us to. Going where we never thought we would go and doing the things we never thought we could do, because He has told us to. Believe in Him and His purpose and His calling on your life and He will show you just how strong He can be in your weakness and vulnerability.

Promoted to Slave

2007-04-15T20:25:00.000-07:00

The mere mention of slavery now in our times brings about a flood of feelings, emotions and opinions. Slavery in our country is a blemish that we have long sought to hide or to work to clean up from our reputation. Being a prisoner is no less positive or encouraging. Having to do what you are told to, when and how you are told to. Having all privileges stripped from you and essentially having no rights of your own as an individual. Neither being a slave or a prisoner are descriptors I would have ever wanted to use for myself—until I met Paul.

Now I can’t actually say that I have met Paul (I am talking about the Paul the Apostle). But I have read a lot of what he has had to say. I believe when he wrote his letters to the beginning churches in biblical times that he was truly speaking from his heart (which was full of God and a god granted changed nature). Paul was a regular man who had a great testimony and allowed God to use him for great things. He was an apostle of Christ and did amazing things in terms of edifying, teaching, and discipling. By all accounts and purposes he had earned the right to point this out to us in the opening of his letters. But that was not his nature. In the book of Philemon you can’t get past the first six words of the book with out stopping to say “Wow!” Instead of listing his credentials to establish himself and qualify his words he opens by saying “Paul, a prisoner for Christ Jesus.” Wow! Instead of lifting himself up, he tells of his servitude to one that he knows is greater than he. He could have called himself the ambassador of the Gospel or of Christ, after all he was commissioned by Christ. But instead he refers to himself as a prisoner to Christ and to all that He has taught. Some might say that Paul was simply referring to the fact that he was in prison because he was preaching the gospel. That is true. But I believe that he was also referencing the fact that he was imprisoned to the gospel. He was only imprisoned for teaching the gospel because the gospel was in him to teach. It had become the driving force behind his existence.

In Romans 6:18 Paul says that we were freed from sin and have now become slaves to righteousness. In the 22nd verse of that chapter he again says that we were freed from sin and made slaves to God. He didn’t say that we had been given this tremendous calling and high position in the body of Christ but rather he puts us at the lowest spot possible—a slave. When a man who truly deserved all the accolades that people could have bestowed on him calls himself a prisoner and a slave to God, why is that there are so many that look for a title we haven’t earned? Why is it that we have to be placed in service where we feel comfortable and where we feel we will excel? A slave has no choice what he will do or what he will be made to accomplish. A prisoner doesn’t have the choice to order up his meals or to lounge around by the pool. Why is it then that if we are truly disciples of Christ that we feel we have the luxury to order up our gifts or tell God how we think they should be used? Being a disciple entails sacrificing who we are, who we want to be, what we have, and where we want to go in life so that we can take on the identity Christ has for us so that we may accomplish His will and purpose for our lives. His will.

We are all a lot of different things to a lot of different people in our lives. But I challenge you, if you are not a whole hearted slave to Christ and prisoner of the gospel, then make that your aim in life.

Father I place my will into your submission and my life into you will. Lord point out the things in my life that I still need to reconcile to this commitment I have made before You. Amen

My New Friend Phil

2007-04-14T15:20:00.000-07:00

I just completed a study in the book of Philemon. Wow! Who knew?! This is a tremendous book of wisdom and teaching. It is only 1 chapter long and only 25 verses. Again, who knew?! Think of discipleship teaching books. When I think of these books right away the gospels come to the front of my mind because they detail Jesus’ teachings. Others that quickly come to mind are the Acts, Ephesians, the Corinthians; but not Philemon. I think the size of the book is something that lends to it being overlooked quite a bit. I have read through it before but have never really studied on it and meditated on the words and the lessons it contains. Wow! What a disservice I had done to myself. This was an amazing study. I did the study through Setting Captives Free ministry site http://www.settingcaptivesfree. The ministry is one that helps people break the bondages from addictions and unhealthy lifestyles but they also offer bible studies in their follow-up courses resources page that aren’t necessarily tied to their freedom ministries. It was such an amazing study that I am going to go through the 13 days again to see what else I can glean from this amazing book of the Bible. I will post my thoughts on each day and portion of the study here much like I did with the beatitudes. I encourage any one who reads this to visit the site and do the study (or another one!) they are really good. Here’s to continued discipleship!

We Are What We ...

2007-04-14T15:00:00.001-07:00

Proverbs 15:4 (NKJV)
4A wholesome tongue is a tree of life, But perverseness in it breaks the spirit.

Proverbs 15:4 (NLT)
4Gentle words bring life and health; a deceitful tongue crushes the spirit.

Proverbs 15:4 (TMNT)
4Kind words heal and help; cutting words wound and maim.

We are what we eat. This is a very true principle. After all how can one expect to be any healthier than the items he is fueling his body with? If all a person ate was greasy hamburgers, soon he would find himself dealing with the consequences of filling his body with those hamburgers: elevated blood pressure, clogged arteries, weight gain, etc.

This principle is also truth about what comes out of our mouths though. There should be a another saying, “we are what we speak.” What comes out of our mouth is not only a way how people will come to know us, but it is also a manner of being able to tell where we are spiritually in our lives. The mouth speaks from the heart. What is on the inside of our heart comes out through the mouth in the form of our words. The new king james version says that a wholesome tongue is a tree of life. Not only is that person possessing the wholesome tongue able to bless others with his words but is also indicative of the righteousness of his spirit in that it can support and maintain life spiritually. A wholesome tongue speaks life because that is what is on the inside. A person possessing the wholesome tongue often is the person we seek out when we need an aptly spoken word at just the right time.

On the other hand if a person doesn’t have the kind of spirit that is conducive to life on the inside, that too will show through his words. The bible says that those kind of words break the spirit and hurt and maim it. Those are the kind of people that look for the right time to get in the next verbal jab or have a hard time seeing the positive in any kind of situation. Well not everyone is at this extreme think about your daily life and the interactions you have with people. How do you react when you get cut off on the road? Do you offer blessing or cursing with your mouth? What about when your boss gives you a heap of work and an unrealistic deadline? Are you speaking the positive or are you the first to point out the hopelessness of the situation? I would venture to say that we all have some work to do in this area of our spiritual walk. The best way to make sure that life is coming from your mouth is to make sure that you are filling yourself with life through the word of God any way you can get it. That’s important when we think about the fact that we are Christ’s ambassadors wherever we go. People look at our lives not only through the context of our actions but also through the context of what we say. After all we are what we speak.

Spiritual Dialysis

2007-04-13T21:16:00.000-07:00

There has been a lot of discussion in my house around the topic of dialysis. My mother was on dialysis during the time she was sick and in the hospital. Her body recovered from the illness she had in her body and her kidneys began functioning again to a certain extent. The idea of her having to go back on dialysis has always been a part of prognosis. Not so much because she is still sick but because the damage her kidneys sustained while she was sick was possibly too great for her kidneys to make a complete recovery (so the doctors say—but we stand in faith on what the Word of God says). The topic of dialysis is also around me because my best friend’s mother has made the choice to go on dialysis. This has been a long and embattled process. Her kidneys have not functioned well for a long time on their own; due to this failure she will need dialysis to help remove the toxins from her body. Essentially when your kidneys do not function properly the toxins that we ingest and that the body creates just accumulate in the body instead of being filtered out of the blood. Without functioning kidneys, the body simply poisons itself slowly until it can no longer function properly.

Dialysis is the process of circumventing the kidneys and artificially filtering and cleansing the blood. Through this process the blood is cleansed and returned to the body. Once the blood is cleaned and it can be returned to the body so it can function normally and wholly. This process of cleansing and the removing of impurities from the sustainer of life is not limited to the physical body—it is also a process that we must undergo on a spiritual level. This spiritual dialysis starts when we make the decision to accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior and continues as we actively become disciples of His teaching.

It would be too easy to look at the two types of dialysis (hemodialysis-blood and peritoneal-water) and compare them on a spiritual level to biblical principals of cleansing. Instead I want to look at dialysis through more of a disciple’s eye. When we decide to become disciples of Christ we decide to adopt a lifestyle that is not our own. It is a lifestyle that is dedicated to living according to the teachings of Christ and putting all things we consider to be ourselves to death as often as we need to throughout the day to be successful in that endeavor. Much like the person undergoing dialysis we, as disciples need to learn to circumvent the things in our life that haven’t been working and are slowly poisoning us. For many of us these are the things that, again as disciples, we are going to be called to leave behind on our discipleship walk. These could be the things that are nearest and dearest to our hearts (like some of the foods renal patients are required to give up for life’s sake) but that are slowly poisoning us and are keeping us from moving in the full potential that God has for our lives.

The filter that we as disciples of Christ need to use for spiritual dialysis is the Holy Spirit and the word of god. If the things in our lives aren’t congruent with the teachings of Christ or don’t support what the holy spirit is trying to do in our lives then it is time to filter it out of our lives to get spiritually healthy again. I’ve talked to several dialysis patients. None of them have said that they enjoy the process. None of them have said that it feels good. They all have said they know they need to go through it to live. We need to go through the spiritual kind to live as disciple as well.

Altar Calls and Discipleship

2007-04-11T08:31:00.000-07:00

Over and over the need for sacrifice comes up when I talk or think about sacrifice. It seems like there is so much that we need to sacrifice in order to become disciples of Christ. I can see how the thought of taking a discipleship walk could seem daunting to some when there is so much required of us. When I think of the alter calls that are given in some of the churches I have been in throughout my life, I can’t ever remember anything being said of what it costs to be a disciple. I remember the topic of change coming up and the saving Grace of God being brought up, but never anything of sacrifice. Come to think of it, I have never heard discipleship come up during an alter call. The leaders have only called the people up who wanted to give their life to Christ but have never told them what it entailed. Thinking on those altar calls it would seem that God is doing all the work and our work is finished when we walk up to the front of the church. Our actions get celebrated and we get to be a new number on the souls-saved-board and another Christian has been born. When will the church become less interested in the numbers on the souls-saved-board and more interested in the amount of productive disciples they are raising up? I was never taught that it was possible to be a Christian without being a disciple. I thought being a disciple was a quality of the life I was living in the eyes of the church and not an actual position that still needed to be filled in the kingdom of God today. I may be just ranting and raving because I see the lethargic state of the body of Christ today when there is so much work to do and it is being placed all on so few laborers. It is such a disservice to the Christians that we are converting to not allow them to experience the fullness of what Christ has to offer our lives when we decide to become disciples of His teachings and principles. Father God let your body be overcome with a fresh touch of your Spirit. Refresh those that are laboring for you and draw those who need to accept the call you have placed on their lives into service for your glory. Let a hunger and thirst for your presence and your will being done in their lives be incessant until they are sitting in your presence and moving in your will. Amen.

New Beginnings

2007-04-10T22:31:00.000-07:00

This is a year of blessing for the people of God; regardless of what place in their life they are coming from. They might be experiencing feast or famine in any area of their life, but this is still the year of blessing. The people of God are going to experience a new level of discipleship in their walk with Christ. As they begin to turn their whole lives over to Him in a show of sacrifice—as they begin to seek the face of God and not just His hand they will experience a new level of blessing, joy and anointing in their lives that they could never even imagine. As with anything though we are going to try and find a thousand reasons why this shouldn’t apply to or we shouldn’t be included in this portion of blessing. There are so many things that we have done both intentionally and unintentionally that should exclude us from this time of blessing. There are so many more worthy than us out there that actually deserve it.

Spiritually why would god take someone like me and bless me? Why would he pour out his spirit and anointing on me? When someone asks me a question like that I absolutely love it because it gives me an opportunity to show them their worth in gods own words. In a few verses in Isaiah 43 God tells us not to be burdened by our past. He says to quit going over and over the events that shame us and hold us back so they continually hold us in bondage. He reminds us that He alone is God and that he was the one that split the sea to deliver his people and made waters flow in the dry desert for His people. He tells us to be ready because he is doing something new. In that passage he asks us if we can see this new work yet? If we cant get past what we did in the past or our reasoning as to why we should not be included in this new outpouring of the spirit then chances are we cant see it. God tells us that he is doing this for his people because they are His people. A people created specially designed for his praise. A god who has forgiven me; completely written off all debt that I have had to sin and keeps no record of what he paid on my behalf. Makes ways for me where there are no ways possible and provides for me where there are no provisions attainable. A god who wants to include me in a new outpouring of his spirit because he considers me to be a part of his chosen people who is specially designed for the praise of his glory. What more could we be looking for?

The year may have not started out great for all of us. In know personally in my own family I have seen the inside of hospital more than I would have liked to. I have felt the financial crunch a lot harder than I have in quite a long time. Still I can know that this is the year of blessing. To see only the things that tell me otherwise and contradict the word of the lord is to lose my faith or allow it to be controlled by what I see and what the circumstances say. That is not the way that faith works; faith is believing in the things that you cannot see—things that appear not as though they were. If God speaks a word into the lives of his people then he is going to be faithful to bring that word into fruition. To see the circumstances that are not the way they should be for a year of blessing is not cause to be heavy hearted or to lose faith in that which god has promised me. It is a time to celebrate the faithfulness of god and his sovereignty over all things. It is a time to celebrate the season of blessing that the lord has promised regardless of what circumstances I am facing.

The year may not have started out great for all of the people of God in January. Or maybe you know someone who is just coming to Christ and the year hasn’t been that great for them either. Maybe it just wasn’t circumstances out of your control that has made the year a rough start,maybe you cause some of the roughness yourself. Each day is an opportunity for a new beginning with Christ. Each new day is a new opportunity to enter into the promises that he has for your life. What a better time to realize this than the Easter season. Just as Christ rose from the grave to give a new beginning reconciled to the father, he is doing the same thing today. You have the opportunity to rise above your circumstances to faith in the one that gives new beginnings and take part in the season of blessing he has ordained for his people.

Will You Follow or Walk Away?

2007-04-09T23:03:00.000-07:00

I love God with all my heart. I love him with all that I am and with all that I could ever hope to be. I read that now and it is amazing that I am able to be able to say that. I have always been a believer and have always loved God. I would say that the main difference between me then and now is that now I look for ways to honor him. Look for ways to worship him with my life and everything in it. I am on an active pursuit of his presence every waking moment of my day and I hope to meet him in my sleeping time. Having said all of that it is hard for me to imagine myself telling him no or walking away from the discipleship walk I have decided to take with him. Even though I have confessed my dedication to him and to his will for my life, doesn’t mean that I still don’t have the choice. I have chosen to walk the discipleship walk with Christ I was not forced to.

God is a respecter of my free will and has never intruded on that. It seems strange to think that as big and sovereign as god is that he still leaves me with my free will even when it comes to the plan that he has for my life. To understand the discipleship walk is to know that it is full of uncertainty. I never know what I will be asked to do, where I will be asked to go, or what I will be asked to say. Being a disciple is being willing though to accept that. The process involves me resigning my life as I have laid it out and adopting the plan that God has for my life as my own. Undoubtedly the discipleship walk, by its unknown nature, is going to filled with times when I think I am being asked to that is beyond my capabilities. Beyond that I can imagine that there are times when I am going to be asked to do something that is not necessarily beyond my capabilities but beyond my desires. Even at this point god doesn’t raise his mighty hand and force me into submission. He allows me the freedom of will I possess.

Loving God the way that I do, I couldn’t ever imagine turning on him and telling him that I was done walking with him as a disciple, even in the face of being asked to undertake tasks that are beyond my desires. I am not allowed the luxury of picking and choosing how I will serve him. Discipleship is an all or nothing calling. It is an all or nothing decision. Accepting the call of discipleship is actually accepting a call to death; not death in the literal sense but in a more spiritual and figurative sense. I am sacrificing all that I know as me to live life adopting the teachings of Christ. Once god has called us and we have answered that call, we can never be the same. We have had a portion of his will revealed to us for our lives. Once we have known this truth and vision for our lives it is left to us to continue living in this newly revealed purpose. To do so is to continue to accept the role we have undertaken as disciples. That is not to say that the revealed plan for our lives as disciples will be at all easy. Even some of the original disciples from the time that Jesus was on the earth couldn’t handle what was being asked of them. In john 6:66 it says that some turned from him and walked away from their commitments to be disciples because they didn’t understand all that it entailed.

God is calling his people to be disciples of his teaching and to move in the purpose he has for their lives. Once he has revealed this purpose to you or even once he has called you to discipleship, it is then that you have a choice to make. Will you be a disciple or a deserter?

Who Is At Your Table?

2007-04-06T08:26:00.000-07:00

Mark 2:15 - Mark 2:16 (NLT) 15That night Levi invited Jesus and his disciples to be his dinner guests, along with his fellow tax collectors and many other notorious sinners. (There were many people of this kind among the crowds that followed Jesus.) 16But when some of the teachers of religious law who were Pharisees saw him eating with people like that, they said to his disciples, “Why does he eat with such scum?”

When we accept Christ into our lives, we are accepted into his family. We are accepted into a royal priesthood and become joint heirs with Christ in the kingdom of God. When we do this oftentimes we look to separate ourselves from the lifestyle that we used to live before Christ. We don’t want to associate ourselves with anything that can identify us to the previous life that we were rescued from. In most instances this is the best thing to do. To be associated in a lifestyle that you want to leave after you have decided to change is asking to be tripped back up into that life. Some people though take this separation too far and see those that are not saved as unworthy of our attention or our time.
We all have salt in our kitchens. We use salt when we need to add some flavor to a bland dish or to enhance the flavor of another. Salt is salty no matter what. If it weren’t salty then it would not serve its purpose. If we add it to water which has no flavor then we notice the saltiness more because it is adding a flavor where there was none before. If we add it to a stew that has tons of different flavors it is not the main flavor but rather a compliment to the ones that are already there. If we turn on a light in the night we can see the difference it makes in the room because it illuminates the things we could not see in the dark. If we turn that same light on at noon, it is still on but we can’t see it because it is in an environment that is already bright. We are called to be the salt and the light of the earth. If we reserve our time for only those who are saved like we are and share the same beliefs in salvation that we do then we are neglecting what we have been called to do. We become the light burning in the daytime and the salt lost in an abundance of other flavors.
While Jesus walked here on the earth he did not reject or ignore those who were forsaken by the religious leaders. He chose to fellowship with the scum of society. When the pious religious leaders tried to call him on it he replied, “Healthy people don’t need a doctor—sick people do. I have come to call sinners, not those who think they are already good enough” (v.17). While our friends in church and the people around us who are already in the kingdom need our fellowship, it is the one who don’t know Christ as their savior that our light was made to shine for. With so much division in the Christian society right now over the hot topics in the news, we need to remember that we are called to live in this world but not be of it. We are called to love the sinner not the sin. We should follow in the footsteps of Jesus who wasn’t afraid to be seen with the less favorable people in society. Not because he wanted to be a part of the lifestyle they were leading but because he wanted them to share what he had. Don’t be afraid to let your light shine in the places where it is needed. If you reached out into your sphere of influence tomorrow for a guest list to a dinner party, who would be at your table?

An Amazing Thought

2007-04-03T08:32:00.000-07:00

I found this on a blog called Raw Christianity by Gunner Gundersen. Here is the link to the whole posting http://rawchristianity.wordpress.com/2006/11/02/signing-your-life-away/. I am posting the part that really ministered to me. Be Blessed! Mike.

This is a piercing illustration of the call of discipleship. Discipleship is a call to die. It is not a call to live or a call to follow or even a call to suffer. It is a call to die. And when you answer that call, you cross the point of no return. You step over the line in the sand. You forsake everything and you embrace death because you believe so fiercely and so joyfully in something greater than your life.Jesus said, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow Me” (Luke 9:23). Paul said, “I have been crucified with Christ” (Galatians 2:20). Esther said, “If I perish, I perish” (Esther 4:16).If you are a true believer in Jesus Christ and a soldier following His orders, you have already died. You have already decided that your life is no longer your own, that your interests are not only subservient but nonexistent, and that your personal ambitions are meaningless. Life is no longer about your comforts or your desires or your preferences or your methods or your insights or your dreams. Your life is not yours anymore. Remember, you’re dead. Therefore, you should not be surprised when you are called to die twenty different times a day in order to fulfill His cause and follow His calling. Death shouldn’t hurt or bother someone who’s already dead. I don’t think the signers of the Declaration of Independence would’ve been surprised if they had been captured by the British and hung together on fifty-six gallows along the streets of Boston.In the next hour you will face many moment-by-moment decisions, and what you choose to think or feel or say or do in each of those moments will reflect whether you are still living in you or whether Christ is living in you. I cannot help but think that if we truly believed that we have died with Christ and have been raised up with Christ, we wouldn’t flinch in the face of sacrifice or wallow in the swamp of self-pity or be impressed with our own battle-weariness.You already signed your life away. You already died. Now live like it.

In Good Company

2007-04-02T22:04:00.000-07:00

“Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.” (Matthew 5:10-12)

This teaching wasn’t as uplifting as the rest. The others told us how to become good followers of what He was teaching us. They told us how to work towards becoming true disciples of Christ. Though the previous teachings asked a lot of us as individuals and were by no means easy to undertake, they were not so difficult that any one person could not choose to work towards accomplishing the goal of getting our insides to match up with outward reflections.If one was to go back and look at the principles that Jesus taught on in the previous verses, one would find that they are very noble principles that lead a person to not be hypocritical but real in all facets of one’s life, especially spiritually because the focus is on a transformation that occurs on the spiritual level. Recognizing our spiritual poverty and also recognizing Christ as the only one who can eradicate that poverty. Realizing that there needs to be a sacrifice and a death to what we want and seek after what Jesus wants for our lives. Craving righteousness just as we would crave food or drink to satisfy some of our most basic needs and taking that craving using it as a driving force behind our hunt for that righteousness. Becoming merciful in such a hard hearted and merciless world and seeking to unify the people in our world in the common cause of discipleship. Most important it seems to become pure in heart and pushing aside hypocrisy and two-faced motives. These are not bad things to want for one’s self. These are all characteristics we should seek after whole heartedly. Which is why the last teaching of Jesus in the beatitudes was almost disheartening to me.This final beatitude isn’t about how to be a better disciple, it is about what will happen when you begin to make that transition and become successful in doing so. It is a statement of preparation for what will happen as the world begins to see that transformation taking place in a life that it once held captive. You no longer fit into the society that you had been a member of for so long. You become someone whose goals and desires and priorities have changed from that of the norm of society. You are no longer focused on taking care of you and what people think of you and how they respond to your existence. None of that matters to you anymore—and for that the world will hate you. The people that have loved you and embraced you into their lives will be the first to recognize your change and will be the first to persecute you. They will say horrible things about and slander your good name. It is such a horrible response to a good thing happening in your life. That is the disheartening part to me. People not recognizing the good that is in my life and them treating me differently because I am not self centered anymore but rather have chosen a different focus for my life. I guess therein lays the test.Knowing the world will not receive us for rejecting the accepted priority balance in life, knowing that all facets of our character will be ostracized, knowing that the ones closest to us may be the ones hurting us the most and still choosing to seek after Jesus and follow His teachings. At that point what we have worked for will have paid off; Jesus says our rewards will be great in heaven. The persecution is to be taken as a sign of our successful transformational process. It is to be seen as a sign that we are on a right track in the right direction. To say that I have chosen a discipleship walk with Jesus and not be persecuted is what I should be concerned with, if not outright worried about. Jesus mentions that the prophets that came before us endured the same persecution. That places us in good company.

Father I thank you for persecution, may I accept it as a badge of honor to be persecuted for my beliefs and devotion to You and Your kingdom’s work. Amen.

Making Peace

2007-04-01T22:55:00.000-07:00

“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the sons of God.” (Matthew 5:9)

I would venture to say that there is one in every circle of friends. You know the person that cannot stand for anyone in the group to not get along with each other. They are the person that wants everyone to be happy at all times in all activities. I was never that person. I always had an opinion and I did not really concern myself with the fact that it might differ with one of my closest friends. If it was on the matter of an activity, I did not have a problem leaving the group to do my own thing if they were going to be participating in something that I did not enjoy. I don’t think that Jesus was talking about that kind of peacemaker or peacekeeper in this teaching.The kind of peacemaker that Jesus was talking about here was the kind of person that would follow in His example. When we accepted Jesus into our hearts as the Lord and Savior of our lives, we also accepted the peace that He made on our behalf with the Father. Jesus died to pay the price we could never afford for our sins and iniquities so that we could be reconciled back to God. He opened the communication relationship between us and God so that we could once again be in fellowship.As recipients of this peace, we also need to be peacemakers. There is no way that we could do the same thing Jesus did, in terms of His death and resurrection, and have the same results He did, that is not what I am trying to imply. We can, however, introduce people around us to the individual who can reconcile them back to the Father and restore the fellowship that does not exist until that reconciliation has taken place. We can lead people into the knowledge that there is indeed a lacking in their lives if they do not have this fellowship with God. In doing this we then become peacemakers, as Jesus talks about in this verse. When we help people realize there is a need for fellowship with the Father, and then help lead them to the source of reconciliation we are helping to unite the Body of Christ in the same activity: pursuit of the changed life that only God can provide.

Father, I thank you for your Son who reconciled our fellowship together. Help me to see the ones who need you and need that same reconciliation to you. Use me to be the peacemaker in their life if you so will. Amen.

Discipleship Clean

2007-03-31T15:19:00.000-07:00

“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.” (Matthew 5:8)

In my opinion “cleaning” should be in the list of words your mother teaches you when you are small to never say. People should find a way to make “cleaning” and all its relatives that are verbs four letter words. Just the verbs are the ones that I have a problem with. I love the adjectives. Who doesn’t like something that is “clean?” It is the physical act of cleaning that has bothered me all my life.My previous words are not to say that I am sloppy or the epitome of all things unclean; they are to say that I am not a big fan of the necessary job of cleaning. If I had a choice to do anything I wanted to in the world, cleaning would be nowhere near the top of the list; in fact I doubt it would make the list at all. Like I said it is a necessary task that we must undertake for scores of reasons, even in our spiritual lives.As we seek to become better disciples we look to purify our lives as a whole—body, mind and spirit. We search for the components of our lives that would hinder us from becoming successful disciples. When we discover one of these hindrances in our lives it should be our goal to cleanse ourselves of it and be one step closer to having a pure heart. If we look at this verse compared to verse 7 we can see that, again, there is too much of a resemblance to not be able to say that they are connected.As disciples we are on a constant hunt for the presence of God and of all things of Him that are holy. We are hungry and thirst for His righteousness, searching for new ways to get more and more of it. As we are filled and satisfied, like Jesus promised, we begin to have our outside character match what is inside of our hearts. We do not have to keep tabs of who we are speaking with or remember what environment we are in and change our character accordingly. This is due to the fact that we have begun the transition from mere Christian whose soul has been redeemed to active disciple whose spirit longs for the relationship with Christ that comes with becoming an active practitioner of His teachings.With this transition and process of seeking after His righteousness comes the desire to live life with a purified heart. Discipleship is to live a life with no ulterior motives. There is no worrying about issues like promotion, societal status, favor, possessions, and the like because we realize those things don’t matter in the Kingdom of God. Those things have no bearing on the depth of the relationship that we have with Jesus as disciples of His teachings. All things that we need to consider as necessary in our life we realize that have been or will be given to us by God (going back to verse 5 where we inherit the earth).If we still consider those things important, then we have not fully and successfully undertaken the call to discipleship.As we seek to purify our lives of everything that hinders our discipleship walk with Christ then we will begin to see our world around us as God sees it. We will look at the people that are in our lives in any capacity (from the closest friend to the stranger that enters and exits our lives in a matter of seconds) as He would see them. Because of this we will be able to serve and love our communities as He would. Beyond that we will be able to serve and love God as He should be loved, because when our hearts are pure we will see God in everything that we affect in our lives.

Father I ask that you would direct me to anything that is in my life that is keeping me from having a pure heart. I want to see you. Amen.Father I long to be more like you with each breath I take. Help me to purify my whole self so I look and act more like you with each of those breaths. Amen.

Looking Inside Out

2007-03-31T11:28:00.000-07:00

“Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.” (Matthew 5:7)

The process of discipleship is about becoming students of Christ and practitioners of what He taught His disciples when He was here on earth. It is one thing to merely confess to be an adherent to the principles of discipleship taught in the bible and another to not only confess but also demonstrate through daily actions that you are an active believer of what you confess.Of all the parts of discipleship that I had trouble with it was mercy. I professed to believe in and ascribe to the principles of discipleship Jesus taught about. To see me in a typical day’s course of events you would have to look long and hard to see my belief in showing people mercy. If you were asked to define me by what you saw of me in that day, I would find it hard to believe that merciful would be in the top three descriptors used; in fact I doubt that it would be used in the top ten. Let’s just say I would be absolutely astounded to see it appear at all.I have struggled with mercy all my life. Where I have no problem receiving it, I did have an issue giving it. Grateful for it being given to me, I could not even understand why someone would grant it to me; even after having received mercy, in reflection had I been in their position I could not see myself acting in the same manner that they did and justify being merciful. There are times in my life that I just thought that if I showed mercy that I was preventing justice from taking place. I maintained the manner of thinking that if I showed mercy to someone I was preventing them from learning a valuable lesson in regards to consequences for their thoughts or actions. To me keeping someone from learning is to allow them to repeat the same action over and over. I took it upon myself to allow the rule and not the exception to be taught.Some people could look at this verse and say that it builds off of the principle of “do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” That if we sow mercy to those we come in contact with that need it, then when we need mercy it will be sown into our lives. I have heard one person describe mercy (and other values) as a banking account of sorts. Every time we show mercy to someone we make a deposit into our mercy account. The more merciful we are the larger our mercy account grows. When the time comes that we need to be shown mercy we are able to reach into our account and make a withdrawal. Those who do not show mercy have no reserves to draw from and therefore cannot benefit from this principle. As it could be understood that Jesus was speaking in terms of the Golden rule here I think it is deeper than that; in saying that I don’t mean to complicate the simplicity of the statement, because it really is a simple principle.I think this verse is very nicely tied to the one that precedes it, “blessed are those that hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled.” If we search for it, we will find our fill of righteousness. That being said and accepted, then if we are filled with righteousness on the inside then everything that comes from our insides will be filled with righteousness as well. Mercy is given because it is the right thing to do. We were shown tremendous amounts of mercy through the salvation walk that Jesus took for us. Being a disciple is being an active practitioner of the teachings of our teacher. If He could so lovingly and freely show us mercy then it should be our desire to imitate Him in the truest form and give the mercy that we were so amazingly given.It was in this verse that I practically saw for the first time the litmus test for a true disciple of Christ—if a person’s inside match and is identical to their outside and what is seen can be found in Christ’s teachings in the bible, then they are true disciples. I can show mercy because it is the right thing to do or it is the “Christian” thing to do; but only when I show mercy because it is what I want to do, because it is all I know how to do will I be practicing true discipleship.

Father I thank you for your mercy—so undeserved yet so freely given. I pray Father that you would help my outside and inside look more like yours everyday. Thank you for Your faithfulness. Amen.

What I Crave

2007-03-30T16:28:00.000-07:00

“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled.” (Matthew 5:6)Air, water and food are the three subjects of the “law of 3’s” for survival—3minutes without air, 3 days without water and 3weeks without food (at least that is what I remember from CSI =) but it fits into this). Here in the Beatitude Jesus references two of our basic reactions to the lack of those essentials, hunger and thirst. When I am hungry or thirsty, neither of those two sensations are ones that I can ignore. When I have allowed myself to become hungry or thirsty, not only do I want to eat something or quench my thirst, but there is usually a craving that is associated with the desire to eat or drink to let me know that it is there. That is a key portion of this teaching—craving, longing and desire.In this teaching He is referring to righteousness. Righteousness has taken on different meanings in the Bible. I would say the most common interpretation of righteousness is the sinner’s right standing before God. I do not think that is the definition of the word righteousness He is using here. The Beatitudes are a series of one line teachings that define the character and identity of a true disciple. The word righteousness here seems to connote willingness, or desire even, to conform wholly and spiritually to the will of God for our lives. In applying 2 of our basest needs to righteousness, Jesus seems to be implying it as a need to be sought after for growth rather than as a part of our salvation. (Though I will concede that if you read the verse over in the context of righteousness referring to our right standing before God, it could be understood in that light and this argument would still remain true.)Jesus is saying in this teaching that if we will seek out righteousness we will find it. If we will crave or desire His righteousness much like we would food or drink if we were hungry or thirsty we will find it. The best part of this verse is the second part of it. Jesus doesn’t say that we will find only enough righteousness to carry us over until we find ourselves deficient again; He says we will be satisfied. We will have our fill. We will have access enough to not only tame the craving but also enough to satisfy it.Lord I thank you for not only providing for my physical needs but also for my spiritual need. I pray that my hunger and thirst for Your righteousness will never subside that I might continually seek after You. Amen.

Realizing I Already Have It All

2007-03-30T12:20:00.000-07:00

"Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the Earth." (Matthew 5:5)
This Beatitude was a little hard for me today. Meek is a hard word to define. It is one of those words that you know what it means but it is hard to find other words to describe it. At least it was for me. I looked in the Webster dictionary and the definitions there weren’t too helpful. I looked in the thesaurus and that wording helped me out quite a bit. The Webster thesaurus says meek “is not having or showing any feelings of superiority, self-assertiveness, or showiness.”It is very hard in today’s society to live a life successfully without drawing attention to yourself when you do something well. A reason that a lot of the people at work that are successful and have risen to the top rapidly is not only because they do their job well, but also because they let anyone who will listen (at least those who have influence) know that they do their job well. It is thought that those who don’t speak up are often those who get passed over for the good things like promotions. I know I have been one of those people who have been passed over. I thought I would take the high road and let my job performance and my merit speak for themselves when it came time to look for someone who would be good to take the step to the next level. It didn’t work that way. The people who were getting promoted were the ones who were in the boss' face and ear all the time speaking of how great their work was. It was irritating and definitely disheartening to see them get promoted over me since I knew my work ethic and the quality of my work was far better than theirs. I admit that I took it upon myself to be one of those people. Though I did get promoted I can honestly say that it personally hit my integrity. I didn’t feel so good when I did receive the promotion because I felt like I had to say “look at me, look what I can do” to get that promotion.“Blessed are the meek…” What does that mean? The NKJV says that these meek people will inherit the earth. The NLT calls these meek people “gentle and lowly” and it says that the whole earth will belong to them. It wasn’t until I read the Message translation that I got a glimpse as to what the verse meant. The TMNT says “You’re blessed when you are content with who you are—no more, no less. That’s the moment you find yourselves proud owners of everything that cant be bought.”Being content with who you are is the key to this principle of discipleship. This content feeling needs to encompass you as a whole entity (physical, mental and spiritual). When we want to be something that we are not we completely miss the point of this part of Jesus’ teaching. We are basically telling the Maker that we could have done a better job in creating ourselves. When we accept ourselves as ideal in all areas of our lives then we make room in our lives to accept all that Christ has planned for us. We make time to focus on learning from His teachings instead of focusing our time and energies on improving what He has created.When I say that we should see ourselves as in a spiritual ideal position, I don’t mean to say that we should rest or remain stagnant in our discipleship ignorance; but rather we should accept (and not be ashamed of) the fact that we have not arrived in terms of biblical knowledge and the discipleship walk we have been called to. Having understood and accepted our spiritual ignorance makes it easier for us to place ourselves under submission to the One who can teach us what we need to learn.If I am content with who I am and with what I have after I have shifted my focus from trying to achieve and gain earthly possessions and recognition, then I will realize that I have all that I need and I am all that I want to be. The only way this vision of myself will change is when God calls me to change it—and then I will still be content with myself. This shift of focus from the worldly perspective of myself to the spiritual perspective of being content is what will help me see that I am “the proud owner of everything that cant be bought"—my happiness, my salvation, my relationship with the Father, Jesus and the Holy Spirit. I will have inherited the earth, because everything that I have will be exactly what I need and I will be content with that.Being meek is being in a one on one, singular relationship with God. I don’t have to look to be promoted, nor do I have to look to see who is being promoted. Its just me and Him. No one else matters in this relationship and I do not have to place myself in the spectrum in comparison to anyone else in the Body of Christ or otherwise.Father help me to focus on our relationship. I want to remain content with where I am—in a position of constant learning, constant discipleship; ready to be used by you whenever and however you see fit. Amen.

Mourning Glory

2007-03-29T12:17:00.000-07:00

“Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.” (Matthew 5:4)The process of discipleship is a process of sacrifice. In this sacrifice there is a lot of us as individuals giving up things that matter to us so that we take on what matters to Christ in our lives. These things can be earthly possessions that we have accumulated over our lifetime that we have knowingly or unknowingly placed a higher value to than our relationship with Christ. These things that we are asked to sacrifice could be our hopes and dreams for our future and the outcome of our lives—plans that may not be in the plan that God has for our lives. More devastating than all these things is the possibility that we might be asked to sacrifice our relationships with people in our lives which we might have ascribed more worth to than that relationship we have with Jesus.In my discipleship walk there has been a lot of mourning. I have had to give up examples of all of these things—possessions, dreams, and people. It was a very hard action for me to undertake. It was not one of those practices that get easier with each time that I had to do it. For a period of time it was very disheartening. I would sacrifice something that God had asked for and think I was done with all I had to give up, and then he would nudge my spirit and ask for something else. It got to the point that as soon as I had sacrificed something I would turn to God and say “what do you want me to sacrifice next?” It was a hard principle for me to learn. Where is the principle, you ask?We have heard it a thousand times if we have heard it at all—our God is a jealous God. When we enter into a discipleship relationship with Jesus then we need to prepare our hearts and spirits to truly become students that are willing to learn everything that there is to be taught, not just the parts that we have room for in our lives as they are. God will ask for everything that you have placed before him, to be placed in sacrifice to Him on the altar of our hearts.When I decided to follow Christ as a disciple of His teachings I did not think that there was anything that was more important in my life that He was. I was wrong. When I was first decided to take a discipleship walk with Jesus, there were limits to what I could do. I had a more than full time job, so my time was limited. I had a very full social calendar with both friends and family so my time that I was called to serve in had to fit in there as well. When I was first called to the ministry I placed limits on what I would do for God. I absolutely hated the idea of preaching. Just could not, more like would not, do it. I loved to pray for people or give words of encouragement or and words of wisdom, but not preach. I would travel anywhere He called me to go, but I needed to come home after a short while because home was where all the people and things that made up my life were.About year after I thought I had started the disciple walk, I took some time to myself and read through the bible and how the original disciples were called and what they had to sacrifice. I looked at their lives and compared it to what I was prepared to give up. And that was when it hit me—I was prepared to give things up as a sacrifice, as if I was in a negotiation. I was willing to give some things up, not everything. Discipleship is an all or nothing calling, it is not a fast it is a sacrifice. It was this period of time that defined my decision to take the discipleship walk. I asked myself one question, “if God called me tomorrow and told me I was to move another country to minister to His people, and that would be the place where I would end my time on this earth, what are the things that would make it the hardest to go?” As I began to find the answer to that question, I began to bring those things to the altar of my heart and sacrifice them to the Lord.This was in essence the death of me as I had nurtured myself. This is where the largest part of my mourning took place. In deciding on the discipleship walk becoming a reality in my life, I had to watch my identity die as I took on the identity Christ has planned for me. I don’t write that as if I am through this process completely. This dying is a daily even minute to minute process. My mourning never stops. The good thing that comes with mourning though, is the fact that His comfort never stops either. “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.” (Matthew 5:4)Father I thank you for Holy mourning. I pray that all things th

Spiritual Poverty

2007-03-28T12:13:00.000-07:00

“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of Heaven” (Matthew 5:3) When I think of discipleship I can’t help but notice how much sacrifice is involved in it. As disciples we are asked to give up everything that is us and replace it with everything that God wants us to be. Some would say that the process of becoming a disciple is a process that is full of poverty. I don’t mean poverty in the sense of monetary value (although that is something that Jesus addresses as well). I mean to reference a spiritual poverty.“Blessed are the poor in spirit …” Here Jesus is saying that those who recognize their spiritual poverty will be blessed. On a daily basis we need to recognize and even celebrate our spiritual poverty. Not celebrate in the sense that we are ignorant of all things spiritual or fail to lead a spirit driven life, but celebrate in the fact that we do not know everything and need to sit at the feet of the teacher to learn from him. None of us, even the most educated and learned ones in the Kingdom of God, can say that we “have arrived” and know all there is to know about following Christ as a true disciple. Though we are called to live a life of perfection, not one of us have yet achieved such a life.Discovering that we have more to learn in the process of becoming a disciple of Christ is not a horrible thing. Again it is something that should be celebrated. Especially when we have decided to allow Christ’s teachings and the Holy Spirit to be the ones who teach us what we need to learn. It is only then that we will be filled with the true wisdom and knowledge that can only come from God. That is what I feel He means when he says “…for theirs is the Kingdom of God.” If we think of it in the perspective of being a child it seems a little clearer. A child who is learning about the world is ignorant of most things until they have been exposed to them. Until they can decipher the truth for themselves they will usually accept as truth what is being taught to them by the teacher. In fact Jesus said that no one could enter the Kingdom unless they become like a little child. Not children in the sense of physical maturity, but children in the sense of spiritual maturity—realizing that there is a lot to learn and believing what is being taught as truth.When we acknowledge the fact that we are poor in spirit, we are acknowledging the fact that there is one above us who can teach us. When we act on that knowledge and seek out the one who can teach us then we have yet again sacrificed who we are and yielded ourselves over to the submission of Christ.Thank you Father for the ability to learn as a child in your presence. I pray that you would fill me with the knowledge I need to live life as a disciple of Christ and the wisdom and strength I need to put that knowledge to use in my life. Thank you for the Kingdom of God. Amen.

The "How To" Manual

2007-03-27T12:11:00.000-07:00

“Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.” (Matthew 5:48) Therefore. The Webster dictionary defines the word this way: adverb. 1a: for that reason: CONSEQUENTLY b: because of that c: on that ground 2: to that end.” The word is used to make a final conclusion after a case or the supporting information for a point has been made. When you use a word like that there is no real way that you can take what follows it except as the truth. Or even as a command. Everything that has preceded the word has all led up to this final summation. Therefore! That final verse in the fifth chapter in Matthew is no different. Jesus uses the word “therefore” three times in this particular chapter. The first two uses are in the telling of parables. The final use is in the last verse. Jesus has spent the previous forty five verses teaching His disciples closest to Him that had climbed the mountainside with Him and those in the multitude that had gathered to hear him teach. It doesn’t say “shall you be perfect, just like your Father in heaven?” Jesus didn’t pose it as a question. It is not a suggestion. Nor is it something casually said in the passing conversation between friends. Jesus had spent His time teaching on the characteristics that would identify someone as one of his followers—as His disciple. He had taught them what they would need to look like to the world and be like if they were to be his true followers. Why though would He set such a lofty ideal for us to be modeled after? If He knows our human nature, why would He call us to a lifestyle that is a nature far beyond what we are capable of? Therein lays the beauty of this chapter. He has called us to work to change our nature. He has called us to be His disciples—followers of His examples, students of His teachings. He spends the time making His case about the identity we should be working towards and working on becoming, then ends with the “therefore”—we should be perfect (take on the identity He has laid out) just like our Father in heaven is perfect. In essence we are children of the King. We need to live like we are part of the family.Wouldn't it be great if there was a handbook or a user's manual for discipleship. I have looked and looked throughout the Bible and I cannot find a "how to" guide for discipleship. The closest that I have found is the perfection identity that Jesus talked about. Perfection identity? Where is that. Jesus describes the identity of a disiciple in the sermon on the mount. That is my interpretation. He starts out describing those that are blessed and ends with "therefore you shall be perfect as your Father in heaven is perfect." My next few posts will be on this identity I have found in the beatitudes.Father I pray that you will open my eyes to see what a true Disciple of your Son Jesus is. Give me the strength to fashion my life to be closer to Your image. Amen.

It Starts On the Inside

2007-03-26T12:05:00.000-07:00

Discipleship was nothing like I thought it would be. Growing up in the church I took the notion that discipleship wasn’t much more that living a good life and being a good person. Being a good person meant going to church when there was a service, not drinking, not smoking, and living a life publicly that you would not be embarrassed to have someone see. Discipleship is so much more than that. I am learning that discipleship is more that living a good life. It’s more than living a life publicly. In fact discipleship has a lot more to do with life lived privately than anything else. It is a personal relationship to the Father and with Jesus Christ that overflows into our public life. This reminds me of Luke 18:10-14NKJV. 10“Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. 11The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, ‘God, I thank You that I am not like other men—extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this tax collector. 12I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I possess.’ 13And the tax collector, standing afar off, would not so much as raise his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me a sinner!’ 14I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.” The Pharisee (a member of the religious elite) was living his life publicly and made sure that everyone had noticed all of the good things he was doing. He wanted people to know why he should be thought of as better than them. The tax collector (which was considered to be a dishonorable occupation) was exactly the opposite. He approached the temple in a humble manner. He had an inner experience. His communication with God came from his heart. He wasn’t looking to see who could see him or who could hear him. That experience was just between him and God. That is what each of our discipleship experiences need to be-just between us and God. While there are community roads that we need to walk in our discipleship journey, our own journey is specific to our individual lives. Of the two men in the temple that day, the tax collector was the one who went home justified before God. Jesus said whoever humbles himself will be exalted. That is what discipleship is: the act of humbling oneself before God; acknowledging God and His desires for the purpose of our lives. Discipleship isn’t a lifestyle that we live through-it is more of an identity that we have adopted after we have given our own sense of self identity up.Lord I thank you for showing me the areas in my life that I still need to humble before you. I want to live a life humbled before you in private and not one where I try and be a good person in public. I know as I submit myself to your will and word that private life will overflow into the way I am seen in public. May my life bring glory to your name. Amen.

Looking Through His Eyes

2007-03-25T11:57:00.000-07:00

Have you ever gone to buy a gift and as you were making the selection thought of the worthiness of the person you were buying it for? Or have you ever received a request for help and you just knew the person receiving the help wasn’t deserving of the energy. Then there is the homeless person we have all seen on the corners of streets everywhere who ask us for money, I am sure some of us have been reluctant (to say the least) to open our wallets because we just knew he was going to spend our hard earned money on alcohol or drugs.To take it to the church I am sure some of us have even wondered how some people deserve to be healed or saved when we know the kind of life they have led. We also know that they are more than likely going to stray back into that life once they have been blessed, helped, saved, or healed. And if it was up to us, they surely wouldn’t be the recipients of anything good when there are so many more in this world who are more deserving.When did it become ok for us to make judgments on a person’s worthiness or deservingness of help or charity? When were placed in charge of discerning who was worthy of something, that we are oftentimes not worthy of receiving. Who are we to withhold Jesus’ charity or demonstration of his love? Some would say that if only he knew, he would understand. I tell you he does know and he does understand.Often when Jesus was faced with the large multitudes who demanded his attention he would sit and minister to them. And in looking through the accounts of Jesus’ life, I have yet to find the place where it says that he separated the crowd into the worthy group and the unworthy group. Where we think we have the ability to profile someone and know what they will do with our charity, Jesus actually did have the ability to not only see the person in front of him, but to also know what they had done in their past and what they would do in their future (he was God after all). If humanity was still the same wicked flesh it is today, don’t you think that there were people who would take the blessings Jesus had for them for granted. Don’t you think there were people who would walk away healed who didn’t even offer as much as a thank you to the one who healed them? There had to be people who were delivered from bondage who went right back to the activities that got them bound in the first place. The hard part for some of us to understand is that Jesus knew this about people and still ministered and blessed them anyway. Jesus did it for one reason and one reason only—He loved the people.He really saw the people as the flock of sheep without a shepherd and served as that shepherd. The one that cared for each sheep, knew them each by name, and longed to protect and care for each one. He loved the people for who they were, where they came from. Each one was special to Him.It’s hard for me, even where I am today, to think of loving everyone like that. The kind of love that Jesus had for the people (good or bad) was unconditional. It was the kind of love that would eventually lead him to the cross to die for a people that were completely undeserving of the gift he gave. It means looking at the outcasts of society and asking what can I do to help as opposed to wondering what they did to get there. I can’t speak for anyone else, but I want to be more like the shepherd I follow every day. I am ready to see people like he sees them and to love them like he loves them.Father help to see people the way you see them and help me to love them with the same kind of love that you love me with. In your name Jesus I pray. Amen

The First Empty Vessel Thought

2007-03-24T11:53:00.000-07:00

I have been doing a lot of thinking and studying on the topic of discipleship. I have been reading, talking to people and gathering a lot of different views and definitions of what it means to be a disciple of Christ. I am the kind of person that absorbs as much information as I possibly can. While I absorb a lot of information I also need to let some out so I can really understand what I have taken in. One of the best ways for me to let that information out is to write it down, so I don't lose anything and I can pick the thought up whenever I need or want to. What better way to record my thoughts than to start a blog. Not only can I access my thoughts but others can too and they can leave comments to help further or expand my thought process.When I learn something new I really like to learn it for the first time. Even if I already know something about the subject, I approach the learning as if I have never heard of the subject. When I approached the subject of discipleship, I thought of it as being an empty vessel waiting to be filled up with the true meaning of discipleship. As I have gotten deeper into the subject of discipleship, I see that the life of a disciple is congruent with the metaphor of being an empty vessel. A disciple is someone who empties him/herself of everything that they want for themselves and long to be filled up with everything that God has for them. Thanks for reading and for joining me on my journey towards becoming an empty vessel disciple.