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 Matthew. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Matthew. Show all posts
Thursday, April 29, 2010
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
The time is now
Quick memory test...
Try to recall how often (just this week) you decided to put something off. Perhaps it was going to the store, cleaning the house or something else that was on your "to do list." It doesn't matter if it was a big deal or not, just think about it for a moment.
In most cases we start off with very good in intentions. Then somehow along the way we end up talking ourselves out of doing what we had originally planned to do. Often the excuses we have are legitimate...and yet some times they are not.
If we look inside the 8th chapter in the Book of Matthew we will find a similar situation.
Then a teacher of the law came to him and said, "Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go."
Jesus replied, "Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head."
Another disciple said to him, "Lord, first let me go and bury my father."
But Jesus told him, "Follow me, and let the dead bury their own dead."
Matthew 8:19-22 (NIV)
In this scenario, it's very likely that the man's father was not dead. It's most likely that he was old or even sick and the man wished to go home and wait for his father to die, and then he would follow Jesus.
Jesus' answer was a little tricky, but the message He was delivering was that we should never make excuses when it comes to following him. The time is now and there is no better time than the present.
Just keep this in mind the next time you have a little free time in the morning, afternoon or evening. Do you watch TV, get on the computer, pick up your Bible, etc. It's really easy to say "I can do it later."
Remember - On His way to the cross Jesus never paused, never said, "Ah, I can do it later." He had a job to do and He did it.
As followers of Christ we have a job to do as well and that includes interacting with God on a daily basis.
The time is now.
God bless you. And this is for His Glory!
Try to recall how often (just this week) you decided to put something off. Perhaps it was going to the store, cleaning the house or something else that was on your "to do list." It doesn't matter if it was a big deal or not, just think about it for a moment.
In most cases we start off with very good in intentions. Then somehow along the way we end up talking ourselves out of doing what we had originally planned to do. Often the excuses we have are legitimate...and yet some times they are not.
If we look inside the 8th chapter in the Book of Matthew we will find a similar situation.
Then a teacher of the law came to him and said, "Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go."
Jesus replied, "Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head."
Another disciple said to him, "Lord, first let me go and bury my father."
But Jesus told him, "Follow me, and let the dead bury their own dead."
Matthew 8:19-22 (NIV)
In this scenario, it's very likely that the man's father was not dead. It's most likely that he was old or even sick and the man wished to go home and wait for his father to die, and then he would follow Jesus.
Jesus' answer was a little tricky, but the message He was delivering was that we should never make excuses when it comes to following him. The time is now and there is no better time than the present.
Just keep this in mind the next time you have a little free time in the morning, afternoon or evening. Do you watch TV, get on the computer, pick up your Bible, etc. It's really easy to say "I can do it later."
Remember - On His way to the cross Jesus never paused, never said, "Ah, I can do it later." He had a job to do and He did it.
As followers of Christ we have a job to do as well and that includes interacting with God on a daily basis.
The time is now.
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!
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