The January Challenge

Romans 8:16 (NLT)
For his Spirit joins with our spirit to affirm that we are God’s children.

Today is January 1, 2017, the beginning of a new year. We have many opportunities to start a "New Year's Resolution," but like most people, what we start out and what usually has good intentions, well, by the end of January most of us not only have stopped our resolution but even have forgotten that we started one and what it was. But I challenge you today, this 1st day of 2017, to start looking at yourself in a different way, and make a point to do this. So many Christians still see themselves as unworthy in God's eyes, but Romans 8:16 says something completely different. It says we are God's children, His child, His son, His daughter. We need to start seeing ourselves as God sees us, and a good way to start out is by seeing ourselves as a son or daughter of God. When we start seeing ourselves as such, and continue to see ourselves as such, our whole attitude, the way we carry ourselves, our behavior, our talk, our desires begin to change. 

My challenge to each of you is to make a point today, January 1, to start looking at yourself as a son or daughter of God, and make a point to do this everyday during the month of January. How do you do this? By reading this scripture each morning and speaking out loud "I am a son/daughter of God."

A Different Light

Deuteronomy 7:6 NLT
For you are a holy people, who belong to the Lord your God. Of all the people on earth, the Lord your God has chosen you to be his own special treasure.

For years I suffered from low self-esteem, insecurity, co-dependency and everything else that went along with it. When someone tried to give me accolades, I would dismiss it even though I would be craving it. I would also get religious about it too. I would say, "it's not me, it was all the Lord." But deep inside I wanted to feel important, I wanted to feel significant to someone, I wanted to be noticed! But God showed me that He sees me totally different. He sees me as someone special, someone significant. He sees me as His own special treasure! When I read Deuteronomy 7:6, at first it was tough for me to see me in this light, but the more I read it and meditated on it and spoke it out loud, the more I believed it. I can now say that God truly sees me as someone special, as someone significant, as His special treasure...and I can now say that about myself and believe it! Even if no one on this planet sees me this way, He, the creator of the universe, the creator of me, God sees me like this...and that is all that matters! 

If you suffer from low self-esteem, insecurity and co-dependency, make a decision for 2017 that you are going to start seeing yourself in a different light. Start reading Deuteronomy 7:6 every day, meditate on it every day, speak it out loud. You may not believe it about yourself the first day, or maybe even the first month, but the more you read, meditate and speak it, the more you will believe it.

Who's Assisting Who?

2 Cor 6:1a
"I am a laborer together with God,..."

The word "laborer" in the Greek is "sunergeo" which means "to put forth power together with and thereby to assist" according to Strong's Dictionary. I find it interesting that is says "assist." I find myself often doing things on my own, because I want to do them, or I think it should be done a certain way, or "by golly this is my project, my idea and its going to be done my way." I have found that in every instance that I have done this without God, the ultimate result is failure. Yeah, I may get a result I want, but it is usually temporary, and/or it is not satisfying.

When we do not include God in what we are doing, everything that we are doing is in vain. We MUST include God in EVERYTHING we do. Why? Because of what the Apostle Paul said, "I am a laborer together with God." Using a different word from Strong's Dictionary, I am assisting God.

Whatever it is you are doing or about to do, seek God first, and then assist Him. Remember YOU are assisting HIM, not the other way around. Don't seek God to get Him to help you do it your way. When you seek Him, you are surrendering your ideas and plans to Him, and by doing this you start assisting Him!

Enjoy the Now

Psalm 39:4 (NET)

“O Lord, help me understand my mortality
and the brevity of life!
Let me realize how quickly my life will pass!

Yesterday my wife, my mom and myself drove home from St. Louis. It normally is about a 9 to 10 hour drive, but yesterday it took 11 hours. We ran into rush hour traffic in Atlanta which is really what ate up the time, about an hours worth. That was after we stopped in Murfreesboro, TN at Culver's for lunch. Up until Murfreesboro the trip was relatively uneventful. But when we stopped at Culver's, that's when things started turning. Already we were hungry. I got a double bacon cheddar burger. When I bit into it, it had a nasty after-taste, like it was over cooked or burned. I took it back to the counter and told that lady it wasn't tasting right. She said she would bring me another. So I sat down and in a few minutes she came with a burger...minus the fries that I had with my original burger...but now no longer have. I tasted the burger...the same, it was definitely burned. I told mom and Tammy, lets go, I just want to get home. As we passed by the counter, the lady asked how it was, and I told her it was no different, it tasted burned (mind you I was polite about it, I wasn't nasty or anything like that to her). She offered to reimburse me for the meal which was kind. But after we left, I just wanted to be home. Then when we hit Atlanta traffic...still hungry because I had no lunch and nothing to eat since we left St. Louis, I DEFINITELY just wanted to be home.

God always has a way of getting through to us, and He did this morning. When I read Psalm 39:4, I realized I wasted away 11 hours of spending and enjoying time with my mom and Tammy. God reminded me that our life on earth is too short to be upset and crabby and anxious and complaining all the time. We weren't created to be like that. I learned a valuable lesson yesterday, no matter what the circumstances you are in, enjoy the now!

Rescue or Enable

Luke 15:17

But when he came to his senses (NET)

It's difficult to see a loved one in a destructive behavior. And although we try and try to help them, they don't change. God is the only One who can change them. Notice it says when he came to his senses. He had a rock bottom experience that brought him to where he needed to be, the place where the only choice was God. If we keep rescuing our loved one thinking they will change but they continue in their behavior, we pro-long the rock bottom experience that God needs them to get to. In essence we are enabling them to continue in that behavior. As hard as it is to let go, we must so that God can bring the LASTING change.

The Wrong Question

With all the things going on around us, the terrorist attacks, the racial tensions, the political agendas, not to mention our own trials, troubles, tribulations we ourselves are going through, we may be asking "why is God letting this happen?" And we seem to never get an answer or we get an answer that just leaves more questions. Well, perhaps we are asking the wrong question. Perhaps instead of asking "why is God letting this happen" we really need to be asking "God, will you help me through this, will you help those families who have lost those in the attacks, will you help me weather my own storm, will you help me in the middle of this fight I am in?" Those are the questions really we need to be asking. By asking "Why is God letting this happen" we will never get an answer that brings peace and resolution. If you ask "God, will you help me?" you WILL get answer that brings peace and resolution. Reach out to Him in your storms, in your fights and in your battles, reach out to Him in those times where you don't understand the "why" and ask Him to help you. He will bring you peace.

I came across this song a few months ago, and it really touched my heart this morning, probably because of what happened in Nice, France. This song really should become our anthem...

Rules or Grace?

Why is it that churches filled with people who say they have been saved by grace can become such ungracious people?

Why is it if you ask someone outside the church what they associate with the word “Christian” (especially “evangelical”), they might mention a conservative political agenda or judgmentalism or self-righteousness but not grace-filled love? I think it has at least partly to do with pride.

This is a major theme in Scripture. The writers of Scripture tell us that “God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” This is because only the humble want to receive it.

Ortberg, John (2010-05-11). Love Beyond Reason (p. 140). Zondervan. Kindle Edition.

The church has become filled with "do this" "don't do that" that we have forgotten about grace and God's love for us. If church has become more of a list of requirements, then we have really separated from what God truly intended when Jesus sacrificed Himself on the cross. Church is not about rules and regulations, it is not about a list of requirements for getting in the door. Church should be a place where people from every culture, background and race can come and receive God's love and His grace. We, as the church, have not done a good job at extending grace and love, but we have done a very good job at listing rules and regulations and requirements for getting in the door. We, the church, need to get back to extending grace and God's love to EVERYONE, not just those we think "fit in" in the church.