There was once a boxer named Joe. "Sweet Joe" to be exact. Sweet Joe had trained for 5 solid months for an upcoming fight that could (if he won) make him a top contender for the heavy weight title. After 5 grueling months of training not only was Joe in the best shape of his career, he had also worked out a solid strategy to defeat his upcoming opponent. Actually it was Joe's trainer (who had been in the boxing business for 30 years) that had come up with a solid game plan to help him be victorious. His trainer had told him many times to be patient and stick with the plan. "It will work." He would say. "Just stick to the plan."
Joe's trainer was totally convinced that if Joe listened and "stuck with the plan", he would win and be next in line for a title fight.
On fight night Joe's adrenaline was pumping. He had never felt so confident and prepared for a fight like he did tonight. During the fight, Joe was controlling the tempo and was winning the after the first 5 rounds of the 12 round bout. He had stuck with the game plan and thus far, was doing rather well.
About 1 minute into the 6th round, Joe slightly dropped his hands and took a hard jab that broke his nose. Joe immediately knew his nose was broken and became furious. He fought back with a vengeance and in his fury nearly knocked his opponent down before the end of the round.
Joe won the 6th round.
In between rounds Joe's trainer evaluated the break and told Joe to settle down and stick with the game plan. Basically, the plan was to conserve his energy and not throw more than 25 punches for the first 2 1/2 minutes of each round. The idea was to conserve as much energy as possible up until the last 30 seconds of each round and then get really aggressive. The conservative game plan had worked up to this point, as it was really frustrating his opponent. Joe's opponent was stronger, had more knockout power, and did not fight well against conservative opponents.
Joe's strategy was to stay light on his feet, move around, and limit his punches. The strategy was to wear down his opponent and knock him out in the late rounds.
As the bell rang for round 7, Joe was reminded to stick to the plan. After a few exchanges Joe got caught (rather lightly) in the nose again. It didn't take much force to aggravate his already broken nose as the fresh break was swollen and extremely tender. At that moment Joe decided he had enough. He wasn't going to let his opponent continue to tear his nose up for the next 5 rounds...he was going to end this now.
As Joe hurled a flurry of punches at his opponents head, he could hear a distant voice from his trainer yelling, "Stick to the plan....stick to the plan, Joe!"
Joe blinked his eyes several times and was suddenly startled at the sight of his trainer kneeling beside him only inches away. "You okay, Joe?" The trainer asked.
It was then that Joe realized he had been knocked out. In his fury, he abandoned his strategy and got caught with an uppercut. Joe was knocked out cold before he ever realized what happened.
* * *
We all get advice. Sometimes we ask for it and sometimes we don't. Some advice is good and some...eh...not so good. Then there's advice that we just really need to listen to regardless of what/how we feel. Sweet Joe's story above ties into the Story of the Wise and Foolish Builders in the Gospel of Matthew...
"Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash."
Matthew 7:24-27
Sweet Joe trained for 5 grueling months and had a solid game plan that should have aloud him to defeat his opponent. Then in the midst of adversity (and thinking he knew better than his trainer), he abandoned the plan and paid the price. He was knocked out and lost a chance to fight for the heavyweight title.
If we are to listen, remain obedient, and put God's word into daily practice then we emulate the wise man that built his house on the rock. Meaning that when the storms of life come (temptation, impatience, selfishness, greed, etc.) we are grounded in the foundation God's word and remain steady. However, if we abandon, get out of practice, or alter our path because we think that we have a better way...then we will soon meet a similar fate to Sweet Joe and the man who built his house on the sand.
There's only one way to salvation... and it's not your way... and it's not my way.... it's God's way.
Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
John 14:6
God bless you. And this is for His Glory!
Showing posts with label Lessons. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Lessons. Show all posts
Thursday, April 29, 2010
Friday, November 13, 2009
Procrastination
When Jan and Barb moved in together, they decided to set up a joint bank account where they both deposited money to pay rent and utilities. One month, Jan ran short of money and wrote a check from their bill-paying account. She planned to replace the money several days later when she got paid.
Jan intended to tell Barb about this, but she knew Barb would not be pleased. So Jan wanted to wait for the best time to break it to Barb. The first day seemed no good because Barb had a really rough day at work and she was already irritated. The second day seemed no better because they only saw each other for a few minutes while Barb was getting ready to go out on a date. By the third day, Jan had put it off for so many days that she sank into her comfortable TV-watching spot after work and forgot to mention it.
So, Barb wrote out a check to pay a utility bill without realizing there weren’t enough funds to cover it. The check bounced, and it cost them additional fees to clear up the bounced transaction.
In the Book of Exodus, Rameses (the Pharaoh of Egypt) futilely attempts to keep the Israelites as slaves after Moses continued to warn him that God's will was for His people to be released. Because of Pharoah's hardened heart, it took God (working through Moses) 10 plagues to finally convince Pharaoh to free the Isrealites. The 10th plague was the death of every first born son (also known as the Passover). The Israelites were instructed to mark the doorposts of their homes with the blood of a lamb and upon seeing this, the Spirit of the Lord would pass over their home. Hence the term Passover.
Essentially, Rameses procrastinated in his decision to allow the Isrealites to leave. In doing so the Egyptians paid a terrible price and it took the death of his first born son (and heir) to finally convince him.
Although the Bible doesn't mention the word procrastination, it does make mention of the fact to not delay in such things as reconciling with others. Matthew 5:23-25 Sometimes, procrastination is a form of laziness and the Bible has much to say about that as well. Proverbs 15:19; 18:9
Dictionary.com defines procrastination as:
1.To put off doing something, especially out of habitual carelessness or laziness.
2.To postpone or delay needlessly.
Opportunities that we have today, may not be there tomorrow. Let's try to remember to make the most out of each day.
13 Now listen, you who say, "Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money." 14 Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.
James 4:13-14
I'll close this out by sharing message that I saw on a bumper sticker the other day...
"Those that seek God at the 11th hour end up dying at 10:30."
God bless you. And this is for His Glory.
Jan intended to tell Barb about this, but she knew Barb would not be pleased. So Jan wanted to wait for the best time to break it to Barb. The first day seemed no good because Barb had a really rough day at work and she was already irritated. The second day seemed no better because they only saw each other for a few minutes while Barb was getting ready to go out on a date. By the third day, Jan had put it off for so many days that she sank into her comfortable TV-watching spot after work and forgot to mention it.
So, Barb wrote out a check to pay a utility bill without realizing there weren’t enough funds to cover it. The check bounced, and it cost them additional fees to clear up the bounced transaction.
* * *
In the Book of Exodus, Rameses (the Pharaoh of Egypt) futilely attempts to keep the Israelites as slaves after Moses continued to warn him that God's will was for His people to be released. Because of Pharoah's hardened heart, it took God (working through Moses) 10 plagues to finally convince Pharaoh to free the Isrealites. The 10th plague was the death of every first born son (also known as the Passover). The Israelites were instructed to mark the doorposts of their homes with the blood of a lamb and upon seeing this, the Spirit of the Lord would pass over their home. Hence the term Passover.
Essentially, Rameses procrastinated in his decision to allow the Isrealites to leave. In doing so the Egyptians paid a terrible price and it took the death of his first born son (and heir) to finally convince him.
Although the Bible doesn't mention the word procrastination, it does make mention of the fact to not delay in such things as reconciling with others. Matthew 5:23-25 Sometimes, procrastination is a form of laziness and the Bible has much to say about that as well. Proverbs 15:19; 18:9
Dictionary.com defines procrastination as:
1.To put off doing something, especially out of habitual carelessness or laziness.
2.To postpone or delay needlessly.
Opportunities that we have today, may not be there tomorrow. Let's try to remember to make the most out of each day.
13 Now listen, you who say, "Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money." 14 Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.
James 4:13-14
I'll close this out by sharing message that I saw on a bumper sticker the other day...
"Those that seek God at the 11th hour end up dying at 10:30."
God bless you. And this is for His Glory.
Thursday, November 5, 2009
Serving Others
Little Jimmy had lived on the streets since he was 8 years old and today was his 10th birthday. But, to Jimmy, that didn't really matter much at all. The only thing that mattered to him was that the local food bank would be opening it's doors at 6pm sharp. Jimmy looked forward to Thursday evenings because each week he was able to go down and get a nice hot meal for free.
Jimmy arrived at the food bank around 5pm and there was already a line of about 30 other homeless people. During his weekly visits to the food bank, Jimmy had met a wonderful older lady named Teresa. Teresa was in her 70's and came down every Thursday evening to help pass out food. She always smiled and hugged Jimmy when he came in. On most occasions Jimmy came more to see Teresa than he did for the meal itself. She was like a grandmother to him. She was always so kind and would often bring him a blanket, box of crackers, or a 6 pack of Dr. Pepper, which was Jimmy's favorite!
Finally, the doors opened and Jimmy was pushed inside by the crowd behind him. Like a herd of cattle they lined up and received their hot plates of food. But one thing was missing...tonight Teresa was no where to be found. It was then that Jimmy felt an arm touch his shoulder. Smiling, he whirled around thinking it was Teresa. Another familiar older lady named Beatrice bent down to Jimmy's height and struggled with a smile. "I'm sorry Jimmy." The women said, as wetness began to swirl up in her foggy eyes. "Teresa won't be coming here any longer. God called her home last night." Jimmy unconsciously dropped his plate. It was the only hot meal he would have for another week. He cried bitterly for the rest of that night.
Many years later Jimmy sat behind a polished wooden desk. Numerous certificates and accolades hung from his wall proving he was a well educated man. He was now the Executive Vice President of a large Fortune 200 Technology company. Jimmy or "Big Jim" as he was called across the enterprise, was known for getting teams to deliver on schedule regardless of how bad the situation was. Basically, he came in and "corrected" projects that were at risk of not meeting customer deadlines.
Today, he was getting ready to speak with one of his company's project managers. This particular young lady had been with the company for less than a year. More importantly, this particular software project she was managing was over budget, behind schedule, and the customer was very close to pulling the plug.
Big Jim was getting himself pumped up to put this lady in her place. His plan was to bombard her with several questions that she could not answer and then degrade every decision she had made on the project. Finally, he was going to fire her and take over the project himself. He had done it many times before and this time was going to be no different.
Big Jim motioned for the woman to come into his office. She sat down and smiled. Unlike many of the other times he'd done this, Big Jim noticed something strangely different in that smile that he couldn't quite put his finger on.
"I'm Teresa, Teresa Myers, she said, extending her hand." Big Jim wasn't accustomed to his "victims" talking first and for the first time in many years he was caught a little off guard. Without even realizing what he was saying, he responded, "I'm Jimmy, errr I mean Jim. Call me Jim." He stated, trying to compose himself and remain in "Executive mode".
"Oh." Teresa replied with a smile. "My grandfathers name was Jimmy and I'm actually named after my grandmother." Jim tried to act interested and nodded as he took a drink of the Dr. Pepper can on his desk. "And wouldn't you know", she continued, pointing at his drink. "Dr. Pepper was her favorite drink also. She use to take 6 packs down the food bank every Thursday and give them to the orphans."
Instantly, Jim's body went numb. He slowly lowered the can (which now was shaking in his hand) and leaned forward. It took him several seconds to speak and Teresa patiently sat through the silence as he brought back a buried memory. When Jim finally composed himself, he looked Teresa square in the eye and said, "Let's see how the two of us can get this project back on track."
In this story, Big Jim is reminded of the kindness that the old woman (Teresa) gave to him each time he visited the local food bank. She didn't have to show him the kindness that she did, but without even knowing it she changed a young orphans life. After her death, it was then that Little Jimmy no longer had a desire to go to the food bank. Losing Teresa actually motivated him to get off the streets and make a better life for himself. Once Jim realized that he was speaking to Teresa's granddaughter, his heart was immediately flooded with compassion and he decided to help (and not fire) this young project manager.
If we look at Mark 10:35-45 James and John boldly ask Jesus to allow one of them to sit at His right hand and the other on His left in Heaven. Jesus clears up the "I want to be the greatest" attitude by saying...
whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many."
Mark 10:43-45
The Lesson:
The word "ministry" in the New Testament translates to mean "servanthood in the service of love". We might often find more joy in ministering to the needs of others rather than to our own. It may not be an immediate satisfaction, but you can be certain it will be felt by the person(s) on the receiving end.
Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God's grace in its various forms.
1 Peter 4:10
Ultimately, it would be very difficult to imagine a world without people like Teresa in it. Those who volunteer their time for the needs of the poor are favored in God's eyes. If the Lord Jesus Christ came to serve others, then what should our role be towards one other?
In the end, Jim learned that we all become great in God's eyes when we help other people become greater than ourselves.
God bless you. And this is for His Glory!
Jimmy arrived at the food bank around 5pm and there was already a line of about 30 other homeless people. During his weekly visits to the food bank, Jimmy had met a wonderful older lady named Teresa. Teresa was in her 70's and came down every Thursday evening to help pass out food. She always smiled and hugged Jimmy when he came in. On most occasions Jimmy came more to see Teresa than he did for the meal itself. She was like a grandmother to him. She was always so kind and would often bring him a blanket, box of crackers, or a 6 pack of Dr. Pepper, which was Jimmy's favorite!
Finally, the doors opened and Jimmy was pushed inside by the crowd behind him. Like a herd of cattle they lined up and received their hot plates of food. But one thing was missing...tonight Teresa was no where to be found. It was then that Jimmy felt an arm touch his shoulder. Smiling, he whirled around thinking it was Teresa. Another familiar older lady named Beatrice bent down to Jimmy's height and struggled with a smile. "I'm sorry Jimmy." The women said, as wetness began to swirl up in her foggy eyes. "Teresa won't be coming here any longer. God called her home last night." Jimmy unconsciously dropped his plate. It was the only hot meal he would have for another week. He cried bitterly for the rest of that night.
* * *
Many years later Jimmy sat behind a polished wooden desk. Numerous certificates and accolades hung from his wall proving he was a well educated man. He was now the Executive Vice President of a large Fortune 200 Technology company. Jimmy or "Big Jim" as he was called across the enterprise, was known for getting teams to deliver on schedule regardless of how bad the situation was. Basically, he came in and "corrected" projects that were at risk of not meeting customer deadlines.
Today, he was getting ready to speak with one of his company's project managers. This particular young lady had been with the company for less than a year. More importantly, this particular software project she was managing was over budget, behind schedule, and the customer was very close to pulling the plug.
Big Jim was getting himself pumped up to put this lady in her place. His plan was to bombard her with several questions that she could not answer and then degrade every decision she had made on the project. Finally, he was going to fire her and take over the project himself. He had done it many times before and this time was going to be no different.
Big Jim motioned for the woman to come into his office. She sat down and smiled. Unlike many of the other times he'd done this, Big Jim noticed something strangely different in that smile that he couldn't quite put his finger on.
"I'm Teresa, Teresa Myers, she said, extending her hand." Big Jim wasn't accustomed to his "victims" talking first and for the first time in many years he was caught a little off guard. Without even realizing what he was saying, he responded, "I'm Jimmy, errr I mean Jim. Call me Jim." He stated, trying to compose himself and remain in "Executive mode".
"Oh." Teresa replied with a smile. "My grandfathers name was Jimmy and I'm actually named after my grandmother." Jim tried to act interested and nodded as he took a drink of the Dr. Pepper can on his desk. "And wouldn't you know", she continued, pointing at his drink. "Dr. Pepper was her favorite drink also. She use to take 6 packs down the food bank every Thursday and give them to the orphans."
Instantly, Jim's body went numb. He slowly lowered the can (which now was shaking in his hand) and leaned forward. It took him several seconds to speak and Teresa patiently sat through the silence as he brought back a buried memory. When Jim finally composed himself, he looked Teresa square in the eye and said, "Let's see how the two of us can get this project back on track."
In this story, Big Jim is reminded of the kindness that the old woman (Teresa) gave to him each time he visited the local food bank. She didn't have to show him the kindness that she did, but without even knowing it she changed a young orphans life. After her death, it was then that Little Jimmy no longer had a desire to go to the food bank. Losing Teresa actually motivated him to get off the streets and make a better life for himself. Once Jim realized that he was speaking to Teresa's granddaughter, his heart was immediately flooded with compassion and he decided to help (and not fire) this young project manager.
If we look at Mark 10:35-45 James and John boldly ask Jesus to allow one of them to sit at His right hand and the other on His left in Heaven. Jesus clears up the "I want to be the greatest" attitude by saying...
whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many."
Mark 10:43-45
The Lesson:
The word "ministry" in the New Testament translates to mean "servanthood in the service of love". We might often find more joy in ministering to the needs of others rather than to our own. It may not be an immediate satisfaction, but you can be certain it will be felt by the person(s) on the receiving end.
Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God's grace in its various forms.
1 Peter 4:10
Ultimately, it would be very difficult to imagine a world without people like Teresa in it. Those who volunteer their time for the needs of the poor are favored in God's eyes. If the Lord Jesus Christ came to serve others, then what should our role be towards one other?
In the end, Jim learned that we all become great in God's eyes when we help other people become greater than ourselves.
God bless you. And this is for His Glory!
Sunday, October 25, 2009
Unanswered Prayers
A man got off work really late one Thursday evening. He had tried everything that he could to get off earlier because halfway across the country, his son was playing in a Thursday night college football game that was being televised on ESPN and he didn't want to miss it. On top of already being late it had been storming outside with rain, thunder, and lightning over the past several hours. The drive home was slow and not only did he have to be cautious driving in the current conditions, he also had to navigate around the other drivers. As he was driving, he said a prayer to God. He asked God to allow him to get home in time to watch his son on television. The storm continued to rage as waves upon waves of lightning flashed nearby.
Finally, after a drive that normally takes him twenty minutes, he arrived at home after an hour commute. He arrived just in time to see a group of his neighbors standing with umbrellas in his driveway. They were pointing and looking at the second floor of his house. The man froze as he stepped out of his car and understood what had happened. A very large tree had been struck by lightning and had fallen onto his house. The tree had fallen directly over his living room where the man would have been sitting watching the game. The tree had caved in half the roof and knocked the top floor down into the living room area. It was easy to see that if anyone had been sitting in the living room they could not have survived.
The story above has similarities to when Jesus predicted His death to his disciples. Jesus told them that He would suffer, die, and rise from the dead. Peter was not able to accept those remarks and took Jesus aside and rebuked him. Peter was in denial and had no idea about God's master plan.
He then began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, chief priests and teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and after three days rise again. He spoke plainly about this, and Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. But when Jesus turned and looked at his disciples, he rebuked Peter. "Get behind me, Satan!" he said. "You do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men."
Mark8:31-33
If Peter ended up having it his way, Jesus would have never died for our sins.
We all wish and pray for things that don't come to fruition. We must trust in God's plan and have faith that He will see us through difficult times. Forcing or going against God's plan only seems to worsen the situation. Have patience and accept the situation you are in with thankfulness and reassurance that there is a greater lesson to be learned.
God bless you. And this is for His Glory!
Finally, after a drive that normally takes him twenty minutes, he arrived at home after an hour commute. He arrived just in time to see a group of his neighbors standing with umbrellas in his driveway. They were pointing and looking at the second floor of his house. The man froze as he stepped out of his car and understood what had happened. A very large tree had been struck by lightning and had fallen onto his house. The tree had fallen directly over his living room where the man would have been sitting watching the game. The tree had caved in half the roof and knocked the top floor down into the living room area. It was easy to see that if anyone had been sitting in the living room they could not have survived.
The story above has similarities to when Jesus predicted His death to his disciples. Jesus told them that He would suffer, die, and rise from the dead. Peter was not able to accept those remarks and took Jesus aside and rebuked him. Peter was in denial and had no idea about God's master plan.
He then began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, chief priests and teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and after three days rise again. He spoke plainly about this, and Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. But when Jesus turned and looked at his disciples, he rebuked Peter. "Get behind me, Satan!" he said. "You do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men."
Mark8:31-33
If Peter ended up having it his way, Jesus would have never died for our sins.
We all wish and pray for things that don't come to fruition. We must trust in God's plan and have faith that He will see us through difficult times. Forcing or going against God's plan only seems to worsen the situation. Have patience and accept the situation you are in with thankfulness and reassurance that there is a greater lesson to be learned.
God bless you. And this is for His Glory!
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
God is our Catcher
Picture yourself as a baseball player.
But you are not just ANY baseball player, you are a pitcher! It's your job to stand tall on the mound, throw strikes, and get opposing batters out. Being a pitcher, you are proud, because you have a superior arm and are always the center of attention. However, in order for you to be successful you must have excellent non-verbal communication with your catcher. The catchers responsibility is to give you a signal, (telling you what type of pitch to throw) then once he catches the ball, he'll throw it back to you. Being the proud pitcher that you are, sometimes you listen or agree with the signal your catcher gives you and sometimes you disagree and "shake him off", because you want throw an entirely different pitch.
Let's stop here for a minute...I'm going to pick this back up again, but want to briefly change gears for a moment...
How many times have worries kept you up at night?
We all experience stress in our lives and sometimes the daily struggle of life can take a toll on our bodies - spiritually, mentally, and physically. We might worry about a thousand-and-one different things ranging from...money, relationships, career, being late, children, weather, food, illness, etc. and we all handle these situations differently.
I get told by my wife all the time that I'm too laid back. She's right, I am laid back. But, I also try not to get worked up over things that might be outside of my immediate control. Worrying about something does not make the current situation any easier. In fact, it makes it more difficult because now your body is attempting to compensate for the added stress, along with trying to think through the particular problem.
In Matthew chapter 6, Jesus speaks to a gathering and tells them they should not be concerned with their daily needs. He is basically telling them that worry and anxiety are fruitless emotions that cause more harm than good. He also tells them that worrying will not extend their life, so why bother?
Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life
Matt 6:27
When you have worries, pray to God and allow Him to deal with your worries in His own way. Transfer your worries to Him. God wants us to be dependent on Him. Remember - we are His children and He is our Father.
Now back to the pitcher story...
Since we've already established that you are the pitcher, now let's say God is your catcher. God gives you "signals" (Holy Spirit) in an attempt to tell you what type of pitch you need to throw. When you do throw it, God always catches it. Do the same with your worries, throw them to God. In your life the "bases might be loaded" and He is signaling for us to toss away our worries and He will catch them. That's how much He loves us. But, before He can take away our worries, we must first be willing to trust that He is giving us the right "signal."
Trust in the Lord and allow Him to catch your worries. He is constantly signaling us and trying to get our attention. Let us seek and find Him.
Here is the passage from Matthew that inspired this posting:
25"Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? 26Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? 27Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?
But you are not just ANY baseball player, you are a pitcher! It's your job to stand tall on the mound, throw strikes, and get opposing batters out. Being a pitcher, you are proud, because you have a superior arm and are always the center of attention. However, in order for you to be successful you must have excellent non-verbal communication with your catcher. The catchers responsibility is to give you a signal, (telling you what type of pitch to throw) then once he catches the ball, he'll throw it back to you. Being the proud pitcher that you are, sometimes you listen or agree with the signal your catcher gives you and sometimes you disagree and "shake him off", because you want throw an entirely different pitch.
Let's stop here for a minute...I'm going to pick this back up again, but want to briefly change gears for a moment...
How many times have worries kept you up at night?
We all experience stress in our lives and sometimes the daily struggle of life can take a toll on our bodies - spiritually, mentally, and physically. We might worry about a thousand-and-one different things ranging from...money, relationships, career, being late, children, weather, food, illness, etc. and we all handle these situations differently.
I get told by my wife all the time that I'm too laid back. She's right, I am laid back. But, I also try not to get worked up over things that might be outside of my immediate control. Worrying about something does not make the current situation any easier. In fact, it makes it more difficult because now your body is attempting to compensate for the added stress, along with trying to think through the particular problem.
In Matthew chapter 6, Jesus speaks to a gathering and tells them they should not be concerned with their daily needs. He is basically telling them that worry and anxiety are fruitless emotions that cause more harm than good. He also tells them that worrying will not extend their life, so why bother?
Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life
Matt 6:27
When you have worries, pray to God and allow Him to deal with your worries in His own way. Transfer your worries to Him. God wants us to be dependent on Him. Remember - we are His children and He is our Father.
Now back to the pitcher story...
Since we've already established that you are the pitcher, now let's say God is your catcher. God gives you "signals" (Holy Spirit) in an attempt to tell you what type of pitch you need to throw. When you do throw it, God always catches it. Do the same with your worries, throw them to God. In your life the "bases might be loaded" and He is signaling for us to toss away our worries and He will catch them. That's how much He loves us. But, before He can take away our worries, we must first be willing to trust that He is giving us the right "signal."
Trust in the Lord and allow Him to catch your worries. He is constantly signaling us and trying to get our attention. Let us seek and find Him.
Here is the passage from Matthew that inspired this posting:
25"Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? 26Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? 27Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?
28"And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. 29Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 30If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?
31So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' 32For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 34Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.
Matt 6:25-34
God bless you. And this is for His Glory!
Friday, October 2, 2009
10th Commandment
You decide to take a leisurely drive one evening. You feel adventurous and you go out to drive through a few towns that you've never really been to before. You enter into a nice neighborhood that slowly winds back further away from the heart of the town. It's not long before you start passing some very nice homes. Now these aren't your typical 3 bedroom, 2 story homes. You pass some lots that are a solid 2 acres deep with driveways anywhere from 50 to 150 yards long. The homes are just magnificent. Most of them are 7,000 plus square foot with at least 1 swimming pool and 4-5 car garages.
You can't help but to feel that little tug on your conscience. It's saying..."These are nice, I'd like to have one of these." In fact, the longer you drive down the road, the more you begin to do a self-evaluation. You begin to think about why you don't have the luck, brains, fame, or money to have something like this.
All of your inner thoughts are swirling because you are totally entranced by the enormity and beauty of these small mansions. You begin to think, "Wow, these people are really lucky, I wish that I could have something like this."
After you turn back toward home, you generally might have one of three reactions.
1) You are upset or depressed because you feel that you've been slighted
2) You feel thankful for the things that you have
3) It motivates you to work harder
For the purposes of this posting I'm going to focus on Option 1, as it correlates directly back to the 10th Commandment:
Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is thy neighbour's. Exodus20:17
The word "covet" means - "to wish" or "to desire"
In a nutshell it is Envy.
The 10th commandment is arguably one of the most difficult to follow in the times we live in. Our entire world revolves around money and materialistic things. Somehow it's gotten to be the "in thing" to have nice cars, a big home, fancy clothes, or the newest tech gadget. All of these things might be nice in the eyes of men, but I'd ask how are they used to give glory to God?
I'm not saying that having any of these things is a bad thing. But, it's something that we must carefully manage so these things do not consume our lives and become our priority. There is not a single item that a person has that God doesn't allow them to possess. All of our possessions are 'on loan'. We don't own them, God does. And in the blink of an eye and by His Will, He can take them away or multiply them tenfold.
Let's try to remember to give thanks everyday for the things that God has blessed us with. I promise you there are so many people in a far worse situations.
To put things into perspective:
Approx 3-5 % of the worlds population have internet access. And only about 25% of the worlds population sleep in their own bed at night and only about 30% of the worlds population are rich enough to have a bank account.
Final Thoughts
In retrospect, the 10th Commandment is really the first stop on the "sin express". By the word "express" I mean that it will take you down quickly...and once you hop on board, don't expect to get off anytime soon. Envy will lead to greed. Greed could lead to lying, selfishness, or theft...and these could lead to far worse things.
The next time you are in a situation where you start to feel envious, stop for a moment to tell God about the top 2 or 3 things that you are most thankful for.
Let's remember to have patience and enjoy the gifts that God has given us. We never know how long He's going to allow us to keep these gifts, or when He will ultimately call us home to final judgment.
God bless you. And this is for His Glory!
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
Never judge a book by its cover
A older man pulls into a car dealership in his 12 year old Hyundai. Like hungry sharks, the always eager salesmen look over the potential buyer. The man is dressed in old sweat pants, a v-neck undershirt, and sneakers with an emerald stain (no doubt after years of cutting grass).
Quickly, the group of sharp dressed salesmen lose interest and go back to their water cooler discussions or start surfing ESPN.com on their iPhones.
The old man enters the dealership and literally has to tap a salesman on the shoulder in order to get his attention. As the salesman turns (we'll call him Dave) he offers a half-hearted smile, and can hear his buddies snickering in the background. This is going to be such a waste of his time he thinks to himself.
Just then another man pulls into the parking lot in a 2 year old Lexus. Before he even steps one foot out of the car, Dave feels a rush of wind as his associates sprint to meet the potential buyer. They are literally fighting over this guy.
The old man smiles at Dave and asks to see some of the higher end vehicles. Dave sighs and waves his hand for the old man to follow. After 15 minutes looking over various cars (Dave had finished giving the old man the revised version of his sales pitch 14 minutes earlier) the old man stuns him with a sudden remark.
"I'll take 3 of these." The old man says. "1 is for my daughter, the other is for my grandson, the other is for my wife of 35 years."
Dave is shocked and pauses for a minute just to make sure the old man isn't pulling his leg (these are $55k cars for crying out loud, is this guy serious he asks himself).
"Is cash okay?" The old man asks. "I'd like to get this taken care of before the end of the day. I'd like to surprise them before they get home."
Later that day, after the old man had left, Dave is finishing up his paperwork and he notices one of his buddies, Ralph, (the one who was lucky enough to get to the Lexus driver first) comes over, sits in the chair across from him and just stares.
"What?" Dave asks.
"I didn't sell a darn thing today," Ralph replied, as he tapped his lips with his finger, eying Dave up and down. "But you Dave, you get this old nobody who comes from nowhere and he buys not 1, not 2, but 3 cars from you...like that! (snapping his fingers). Dave just sat there, shrugged his shoulders, and marked it up to dumb luck.
Later that night Dave was cleaning out his bookshelf. He had just bought a $95 book titled, 'The Wine Connoisseurs Encyclopedia.' It was a nice thick hardcover book that he had been wanting for quite some time. After today's sale, the commission gave him the flexibility to purchase it. As Dave wiggled the book into the shelf he accidentally knocked over another book. It was an old bible that had been passed down from his father. Dave had never really opened it, mostly because he felt that he couldn't really relate to any of the stories. The bible was lying page up and as Dave reached down he noticed the page had opened to a chapter in book of Romans. For some reason that he could not understand, Dave began reading the page starting at verse 9.
9 For this very reason, Christ died and returned to life so that he might be the Lord of both the dead and the living. 10 You, then, why do you judge your brother? Or why do you look down on your brother? For we will all stand before God's judgment seat. 11 It is written:
" 'As surely as I live,' says the Lord,
'every knee will bow before me;
every tongue will confess to God.' "
12 So then, each of us will give an account of himself to God.
Romans14:9-12
Then and there Dave got on his knees and began to weep. He knew that he had unjustly judged the old man at the dealership earlier that day. And for some reason that he could not comprehend, God blessed him with the sale of 3 cars.
Dave spent the remainder of the night reading his fathers old bible. God had taught him a valuable lesson to never judge someone by their appearance...
Let us remember to do the same.
God bless you. And this is for His Glory!
Quickly, the group of sharp dressed salesmen lose interest and go back to their water cooler discussions or start surfing ESPN.com on their iPhones.
The old man enters the dealership and literally has to tap a salesman on the shoulder in order to get his attention. As the salesman turns (we'll call him Dave) he offers a half-hearted smile, and can hear his buddies snickering in the background. This is going to be such a waste of his time he thinks to himself.
Just then another man pulls into the parking lot in a 2 year old Lexus. Before he even steps one foot out of the car, Dave feels a rush of wind as his associates sprint to meet the potential buyer. They are literally fighting over this guy.
The old man smiles at Dave and asks to see some of the higher end vehicles. Dave sighs and waves his hand for the old man to follow. After 15 minutes looking over various cars (Dave had finished giving the old man the revised version of his sales pitch 14 minutes earlier) the old man stuns him with a sudden remark.
"I'll take 3 of these." The old man says. "1 is for my daughter, the other is for my grandson, the other is for my wife of 35 years."
Dave is shocked and pauses for a minute just to make sure the old man isn't pulling his leg (these are $55k cars for crying out loud, is this guy serious he asks himself).
"Is cash okay?" The old man asks. "I'd like to get this taken care of before the end of the day. I'd like to surprise them before they get home."
Later that day, after the old man had left, Dave is finishing up his paperwork and he notices one of his buddies, Ralph, (the one who was lucky enough to get to the Lexus driver first) comes over, sits in the chair across from him and just stares.
"What?" Dave asks.
"I didn't sell a darn thing today," Ralph replied, as he tapped his lips with his finger, eying Dave up and down. "But you Dave, you get this old nobody who comes from nowhere and he buys not 1, not 2, but 3 cars from you...like that! (snapping his fingers). Dave just sat there, shrugged his shoulders, and marked it up to dumb luck.
Later that night Dave was cleaning out his bookshelf. He had just bought a $95 book titled, 'The Wine Connoisseurs Encyclopedia.' It was a nice thick hardcover book that he had been wanting for quite some time. After today's sale, the commission gave him the flexibility to purchase it. As Dave wiggled the book into the shelf he accidentally knocked over another book. It was an old bible that had been passed down from his father. Dave had never really opened it, mostly because he felt that he couldn't really relate to any of the stories. The bible was lying page up and as Dave reached down he noticed the page had opened to a chapter in book of Romans. For some reason that he could not understand, Dave began reading the page starting at verse 9.
9 For this very reason, Christ died and returned to life so that he might be the Lord of both the dead and the living. 10 You, then, why do you judge your brother? Or why do you look down on your brother? For we will all stand before God's judgment seat. 11 It is written:
" 'As surely as I live,' says the Lord,
'every knee will bow before me;
every tongue will confess to God.' "
12 So then, each of us will give an account of himself to God.
Romans14:9-12
Then and there Dave got on his knees and began to weep. He knew that he had unjustly judged the old man at the dealership earlier that day. And for some reason that he could not comprehend, God blessed him with the sale of 3 cars.
Dave spent the remainder of the night reading his fathers old bible. God had taught him a valuable lesson to never judge someone by their appearance...
Let us remember to do the same.
God bless you. And this is for His Glory!
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