Happy Labor Day!

Miscellaneous

woman-reading-in-hammockLabor Day –  the “unofficial” last day of summer and, for most of us, a Monday holiday.  But what is the real meaning of the day?  Here’s the official (from a government website) meaning:

Labor Day, the first Monday in September, is a creation of the labor movement and is dedicated to the social  and economic achievements of American workers. It constitutes a yearly national tribute to the contributions workers have made to the strength, prosperity, and well-being of our country.

So it’s a celebration of American hard work, ingenuity and our “can do” attitude to get things done.  So today we celebrate you – the American worker who keeps our country going.  From the CEO to the dishwasher, our country needs each one working to do their part to keep our economy moving.

The principle of productive work is actually rooted in scripture, not American history.  We need look no further than the book of Genesis to learn that God ordained work from the very beginning of time:

The LORD God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it. – Genesis 2:15 (NIV)

Work isn’t a curse (although we feel like it is sometimes!), rather it’s part of God’s plan for His creation to be caretakers of our world.  However, due to the entrance of sin into Eden, work became difficult and a continual struggle for humankind.

As a Christian we are called not only to do our jobs well, but to let our jobs be an act of worship:

Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men,  since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving. – Colossians 3:23-24 (NIV)

When you return to work on Tuesday, remember who you are really working for – the Lord Jesus Christ.  Let that fact motivate you to be the best you can be at your job – not for a raise or approval of others – but to give glory to the Lord with all that you do.

Next week we’ll return to the topic of Spiritual Discipline. We’ll be delving into Bible study!

 

 

The Spiritual Discipline of Prayer

Spiritual Growth, , ,

 

woman praying

Last week we looked at building your spiritual house with three distinct, but interdependent spiritual disciplines:  prayer, Bible study and worship.  For the next few posts, we’re going to look at each of these disciplines separately then we’ll look at how the three components work together in a Christian’s life.

We’re going to start with prayer.  First, let me say I’m not an expert on prayer; however, I will share what I have learned this far.  And second, I still have a lot to learn about prayer! This post will merely scratch the surface on the subject  but I hope that it will help you as you develop your own prayer life.

This paragraph from Oswald Chamber’s “My Utmost For His Highest”,  illustrates  two key facets of prayer:

Prayer is not a normal part of the life of the natural man. We hear it said that a person’s life will suffer if he doesn’t pray, but I question that. What will suffer is the life of the Son of God in him, which is nourished not by food, but by prayer. When a person is born again from above, the life of the Son of God is born in him, and he can either starve or nourish that life. Prayer is the way that the life of God in us is nourished. Our common ideas regarding prayer are not found in the New Testament. We look upon prayer simply as a means of getting things for ourselves, but the biblical purpose of prayer is that we may get to know God Himself.

As Chambers so aptly writes, prayer isn’t about getting stuff – it’s about developing the Spirit of God within the life of a believer and knowing God for Who He is.

When we became a Christian, God placed His Spirit within us. Paul tells us, “Now it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ. He anointed us,  set his seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.” (2 Corinthians 1:21-22).  The Holy Spirit is now in us, but we must “feed” the Spirit, through prayer, in order for the Spirit to grow in us.  Spiritual growth is dependent on spiritual food and prayer is the main source of nourishment. When we neglect to pray, we neglect to feed the Spirit, and that results in stunted growth and we remain babes in Christ, never becoming spiritually mature.

Prayer not only nourishes our spirit but it also strengthens our relationship with our Heavenly Father because it’s how we communicate with Him.  Every good relationship is founded upon frequent conversations.  Often the people you are closest too emotionally are the ones you talk with most often.  And so it is with our Lord. Daily communication with Him through our prayers, deepens our relationship with Him.  We know Him more and more as we spend time with Him.  But the choice to spend time with Him is our choice, not His.  Our God is always ready to hear, and answer, when we call on Him.

A believer who does not pray will not become spiritually strong.  They will be anemic in their faith and wonder why God “let them down”.  But for those who develop the spiritual discipline of a consistent prayer life, they will grow strong in their faith, displaying the joy of their salvation no matter the circumstances.

Building on Solid Foundation

Spiritual Growth, ,

framingI’ve been thinking about foundations for a while now and their significance.  Back on August 1, I wrote about building on sand or rock and we were challenged to choice carefully what type of foundation we’d build our lives on.  As I’ve continued to think on the elements of construction as it relates to how to “build” a life, a passage from First Corinthians came to mind:

9  For we are God’s coworkers. You are God’s field, God’s building.  10  According to God’s grace that was given to me, I have laid a foundation as a skilled master builder, and another builds on it. But each one must be careful how he builds on it.11 For no one can lay any other foundation than what has been laid down. That foundation is Jesus Christ.12  If anyone builds on that foundation with gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay, or straw, 13  each one’s work will become obvious, for the day will disclose it, because it will be revealed by fire; the fire will test the quality of each one’s work.
14  If anyone’s work that he has built survives, he will receive a reward. 15  If anyone’s work is burned up, it will be lost, but he will be saved; yet it will be like an escape through fire.  – 1 Corinthians 3:9-15 (HCSB)

The part that is bold is the portion that’s been on my mind – we must be careful in how we build on the foundation that is Jesus Christ.  In this passage, Paul is speaking to ministers and teachers who were following him in teaching the church in Corinth.  He was instructing the leaders, and the followers, to be wise in what they were teaching, and learning, about Jesus.  They would be accountable unto the Lord for what they taught to the people and the people would be accountable for what teaching they followed.  Each one must be careful in how they handle the teachings of Jesus.

Paul goes on to describe the building materials that a believer could use in building his spiritual “house”, his life.  The first three materials listed were very valuable – gold, silver and costly stones.  Then he listed inferior materials – wood, hay and straw.  As you look at the different materials, we are confronted with a choice – what will we choose to build with?

Let’s consider the first choice: gold, silver and costly stones.  I’d like to suggest these materials could be prayer, Bible study and worship – the very three things we examined last week as part of our spiritual training.  These same disciplines would make up the “walls” of our spiritual house.  These materials will create a worthy home for the Holy Spirit.

Now for the other choices:  wood, hay and straw. These could be represented by prayerlessness, sporadic Bible study and neglecting to give thanks for God’s goodness.  These three components weaken our faith and leave us vulnerable to fear and doubt.  Living without the disciplines of Christian faith – the gold, silver and costly stones – brings dishonor to Lord because our choices reveal what is important to us.

Jesus is worth our best efforts and every sacrifice of time and talent. He is worthy of gold, silver and costly stones.  He gave His best for us – how could we offer Him less than our best, our all?

Training to Win

Spiritual Growth, , ,

olympic runnersWith the Olympics going on right now, nearly everyone is watching athletes compete for the “gold”.   The average Olympic competitor will train 6 days a week, 5 – 6 hours per day.  That is focused, dedicated training.  Every exercise, every movement is with one single purpose – to win the prize.

In the apostle Paul’s letter to the Corinthians, he compared the Christian life to a race:

“Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize.  Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever.”  -1 Corinthians 9:24-25 (NIV)

Just as an athlete must go into “strict training” in order to win the prize, so must we as Christians train with the same intensity in order to obtain “a crown that will last forever.” But what does this type of training look like for the Christian?

The key components of Christian training consists of prayer, Bible study and worship.  Just think of what our lives would be like if we spent 5 – 6 hours a day practicing these disciplines! Think of how our faith would grow if we spent focused, dedicated time on developing our prayer lives, our Bible knowledge and sincere worship.  If we were to spiritually train as hard as an Olympic athlete physically trains, how would it impact our world?  We would have spiritual fervor that would make a difference.

But I know what you’re thinking, because I’m thinking it too – “I don’t have 5 hours a day to spend in prayer, Bible study and worship!”  I’d love to spend that kind of time daily in the Scriptures but there this thing called a “job” that I’ve got to do everyday –  then there’s family responsibilities, church activities, etc… You’re in the same place as I am – lots to do and little time.  I get it – life is hectic.  But we’re in a race called ‘life’ and we need spiritual  training in order to mature in our faith.

Paul was teaching the Corinthians, and us, that training –  prayer, Bible study and worship – are vital to our spiritual growth. Training is hard. Training requires discipline.  But the benefits of training are beyond what we can imagine.  We are learning about the God who loves us, who has redeemed us and who deserves our best efforts.

How can we incorporate spiritual training into our daily lives?  The first place is beginning our day with time in the Bible and in prayer.  Get up a bit earlier and read a devotional and pray.  But don’t hurry though it – remember whose Word you’re reading and who you are praying to.  God deserves your reverence and your time.

Listening to worship music is another way to add to your spiritual training.  As you hear lyrics that honor God, those words dwell in your thoughts and take root in your heart, creating a heart full of worship.  God is worthy to be praised and adored and music is a wonderful way to express our gratitude for His goodness.

Let us pursue our spiritual training with the passion and focus of an Olympic athlete pursing a gold medal.  Let us train with perseverance, keeping our eyes focused on our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.  He is so worth every effort we make to learn more of Him!

Wasted Years

Spiritual Growth

throwing-potteryMost of us can look back on our lives and find – without looking too hard – pockets of time we consider wasted years.  These would be years we spent living without direction or purpose. Years that we didn’t spend wisely. Years that we indulged our own desires above anything, or anyone, else.  These are the years we reflect on with regret.  Regret for loss opportunities. Regret for bad choices made.  Regret.  Even the word itself pains us.

But what if we look at the wasted years through a different perspective?  What if we looked at them through the eyes of the Heavenly Father? What would we see then?

I believe that we would see that the years we considered as “wasted” were actually instruments in God’s Hands.  Like the potter’s hands that form a lump of clay into something useful, God can use every situation to shape us, bringing us closer to His design and purpose for our lives.

If we belong to Christ, we can look back on our lives knowing that God can redeem all things.  As we consider our past, we confess our sins to Him and repent from those sins.  Then we can let go of regret and thank Him for redeeming our past.

Only the Master Creator Himself can take a broken, messed up life and make it something beautiful and useful.  Only God can create beauty from an ugly past.  I know this personally.  I am living proof!


— to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the LORD for the display of his splendor.  Isaiah 61:3 (NIV)

 

 

Are You Building on Sand or Rock?

Uncategorized

sand foundation

I’ve been studying the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5 – 7)  for several months with my Sunday School class.  Slowly going through each verse of these two chapters has given me a better understanding of what it looks like to live as a follower of Christ.  Jesus began His sermon with the Beatitudes, Matthew 5:3-12, where He tells us what it means to be “blessed” or “happy”. He then teaches on our witness (being salt & light), the Law, anger, adultery, divorce, vows, revenge, loving your enemies, giving to the needy, prayer and fasting, money and possessions, worry, judging others, effective prayer, the golden rule, the narrow gate, the tree and it’s fruit, true disciples and lastly, building on a firm foundation.

In the conclusion of the sermon, Jesus presents us with two options – build on the rock or on the sand:

 “Therefore, everyone who hears these words of Mine and acts on them will be like a sensible man who built his house on the rock. The rain fell, the rivers rose, and the winds blew and pounded that house. Yet it didn’t collapse, because its foundation was on the rock. But everyone who hears these words of Mine and doesn’t act on them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. The rain fell, the rivers rose, the winds blew and pounded that house, and it collapsed. And its collapse was great!” -Matthew 7:24-27 (HCSB)

The person who hears the teaching of Jesus and applies it to their life is like a wise builder whose foundation is built on solid rock.  They have chosen to build their life of the truth of Christ and that truth will guide how they will live, impacting their actions and decisions. They have a foundation for their life that is unshakable, able to withstand any storm that comes.

But the person who hears the teachings of Jesus and then decides not to apply it to their life is like a foolish builder whose foundation is sand.  They have chosen to listen to what the culture around them says is true.  They have rejected the truth of Christ and believed in man’s “wisdom”.  They have a foundation that is as slippery as the sand along the shore and will crumble at the slightest storm.

Here’s the point I don’t want you to miss – the storms come regardless of which foundation you choose.  Jesus didn’t say, choose me and you’ll never see the storms of life. Rather He told us that if we choose to build our life on Him, we will have a foundation that is secure and we will be able to weather any storm because of Him.  However, for the person who has rejected Him as their foundation, when the storms come, the destruction will be great.  Nothing can stand firm on sand; it is ever shifting. When we trust our own wisdom instead of God’s wisdom, we don’t have a solid foundation.

Jesus has given us a choice. Every day we can choose to build our lives on Him, basing our decisions on the Word on God or we can build our lives on the ever changing ideals of our culture.  One offers security and stability, the other offers instability.  Let us be wise builders and daily choose Jesus for our foundation, for He is our Rock.

My hope is built on nothing less
Than Jesus’ blood and righteousness;
I dare not trust the sweetest frame,
But wholly lean on Jesus’ name.

Refrain:
On Christ, the solid Rock, I stand;
All other ground is sinking sand,
All other ground is sinking sand.

When darkness veils His lovely face,
I rest on His unchanging grace;
In every high and stormy gale,
My anchor holds within the veil.

His oath, His covenant, His blood
Support me in the whelming flood;
When all around my soul gives way,
He then is all my hope and stay.

When He shall come with trumpet sound,
Oh, may I then in Him be found;
Dressed in His righteousness alone,
Faultless to stand before the throne.

 

The Doorway to the Kingdom

Spiritual Growth

sermon-on-the-mount-e1406049641472

Today I’m going to share with you one of my favorite devotionals from Oswald Chamber’s book, “My Utmost for His Highest”.

July 21

Blessed are the poor in spirit… —Matthew 5:3

“Beware of thinking of our Lord as only a teacher. If Jesus Christ is only a teacher, then all He can do is frustrate me by setting a standard before me I cannot attain. What is the point of presenting me with such a lofty ideal if I cannot possibly come close to reaching it? I would be happier if I never knew it. What good is there in telling me to be what I can never be— to be “pure in heart” (Matthew 5:8), to do more than my duty, or to be completely devoted to God? I must know Jesus Christ as my Savior before His teaching has any meaning for me other than that of a lofty ideal which only leads to despair. But when I am born again by the Spirit of God, I know that Jesus Christ did not come only to teach— He came to make me what He teaches I should be. The redemption means that Jesus Christ can place within anyone the same nature that ruled His own life, and all the standards God gives us are based on that nature.

The teaching of the Sermon on the Mount produces a sense of despair in the natural man— exactly what Jesus means for it to do. As long as we have some self-righteous idea that we can carry out our Lord’s teaching, God will allow us to continue until we expose our own ignorance by stumbling over some obstacle in our way. Only then are we willing to come to Him as paupers and receive from Him. “Blessed are the poor in spirit….” This is the first principle in the kingdom of God. The underlying foundation of Jesus Christ’s kingdom is poverty, not possessions; not making decisions for Jesus, but having such a sense of absolute futility that we finally admit, “Lord, I cannot even begin to do it.” Then Jesus says, “Blessed are you…” (Matthew 5:11). This is the doorway to the kingdom, and yet it takes us so long to believe that we are actually poor! The knowledge of our own poverty is what brings us to the proper place where Jesus Christ accomplishes His work.”

This is one of my favorite devotionals because it reminds me that I can’t live the Christian life by my own strength. What a relief that is!  As long as I think I have to do it, I’ll be frustrated for not being “good enough” and I’ll never experience the life Jesus has for me.  But when I admit my own inability and depend on the Holy Spirit to live the life of Christ through me, then I am truly blessed.

Would You Like a Reward?

Uncategorized

Prize

When you think of a reward, what comes to mind? Some of us will think of a monetary reward for finding something or someone. Some might think of a prize like a trophy. Some of us might think of a food treat, like a cookie or a piece of chocolate. No matter what you think of, a reward is something special. It’s something that you’ve earned, you worked hard and now you receive your reward.

Did you know that God Himself is a rewarder?  Take a look at this verse found in Hebrews:
And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.  Hebrews 11:6 (NIV)

This is one of my favorite verses in all of the Bible for two reasons. First, it tells us how we can please God (by placing our faith in Him).  And secondly, He rewards – gives His favor and blessings – to those who earnestly seek Him.  He doesn’t reward our results. He rewards our seeking and that’s the part that gets me.

Many of our motivations are performance based. We do what we do in order to achieve an outcome. We work hard on a task, we expect to be thanked, praised or at a minimum, acknowledged.  Our actions are based on a result. The task is done, now comes the “payoff” – it may be money, praise or thanks.

Not so with God. He rewards our seeking after Him.  He rewards our pursuit of Him.  He doesn’t wait for us to reach the goal. He rewards us as we are “in process”.  But He doesn’t have to.  He could wait, and give us our rewards when we get to Heaven. Scripture tells us there will be rewards given there but know this, there are rewards given here on earth as well.  God loves us so much that He doesn’t wait until we get to Heaven – He wants to bless us now, as we seek Him!  How wonderful is that?!

The thought of God, the Creator of all things, rewarding us simply for pursuing Him…… it is almost too good to be true! But it is true because Scripture doesn’t lie. We can trust that Scripture is always true, just like our God.

Thoughts on Getting Older

Spiritual Growth

Crisi_In-Italia

Am I getting nobler, better, more helpful, more humble, as I get older? Am I exhibiting the life that men take knowledge of as having been with Jesus, or am I getting more self-assertive, more deliberately determined to have my own way? It is a great thing to tell yourself the truth. – The Place of Help, Oswald Chambers

My birthday is this week. What? Didn’t I just celebrate my birthday a few months ago? Mom was so right, the older you get the faster time seems to go!  But try telling that to a twenty-something and you’ll get a blank stare. I know that because that’s exactly what I did when Mom tried to tell me.
 

Since my birthday is fast approaching, the Oswald Chamber’s quote has prompted me to seriously consider the questions he posed.  (On a side note, if you don’t know who Oswald Chambers is, you need to get his devotional “My Utmost for His Highest” – it will change your life. His writing challenges me every time I read it.)  The questions he asked really aren’t about physically getting older.  His questions focus on what matters most – our spiritual growth.  As believers in Christ, we are expected to grow spiritually.  But spiritual growth doesn’t just “happen” like physical growth.

Our physical bodies grow without much thought on our part but our spiritual growth only occurs when we are intentional. To grow in the Spirit is something that must be pursued DAILY.  When we accept the free gift of salvation, that is but the first step in our journey of faith.  That journey will be one that requires our focus and our best efforts or we will not grow to be “nobler, better, more helpful, more humble”.  If our spiritual growth is lacking, the blame is on us, not God.  If we’ve received the gift of salvation, it is up to us to develop what He has given.

It’s like this – You receive a brand new car through an inheritance.  You receive the gift joyfully, tell your friends about it and park it in your driveway.  And then it sits there. You admire it, feel really good about owning it but you don’t actually drive it.  You received the gift but you didn’t use the gift for what it was intended. The gift was to be used to take you beyond your driveway.  Salvation is a gift that is intended to take us “beyond our driveway” as well, but if we don’t grow in our spirit, we miss the adventure of faith that God has for each of us.

Instead of focusing on how many years we’ve lived, let’s focus on reflecting Christ to those around us.

5 Ways to Be an Encourager

Uncategorized

Smiling-Child-Girl-Wallpaper

I know I wrote about encouragement last week, but really, can you have too much encouragement? I don’t think so!

Here’s a few things that I’ve learned on encouraging others:

1. Smile – This is first and easiest thing to do and sometimes it’s the only thing you can do. Studies show that smiling is contagious. It actually takes more effort to not smile than it does to return a smile. Smiling also reduces stress levels, slows down your heart rate and releases chemicals in your brain that boost your mood.  We don’t need to look any further than the book of Proverbs to see what God says about smiling:

“A joyful heart makes a face cheerful, but a sad heart produces a broken spirit.”  Proverbs 15:13 (HCSB)

“A joyful heart is good medicine, but a broken spirit dries up the bones.”   Proverbs 17:22

2.  Listen – Let’s face it, we just don’t listen like we used to.  In this day of all manner of electronic gadgetry, we often “listen” while checking email, texting or “googling” something.  We hear but we don’t listen. But when we actually focus on the person who is speaking to us, listening with full attention, it tells them that they are important.  The apostle James wrote this: (HCSB)

“My dearly loved brothers, understand this: Everyone must be quick to hear, slow to speak, and slow to anger,” James 1:19a (HCSB)

3.  Point them to God’s Word – If possible, give them a word of encouragement from scripture.  I say “if” because sometimes we only have a moment with someone and there isn’t time to pass scripture along.  But for a Christ-follower, scripture is the source of all wisdom, and that is the first place we turn to when we need wisdom on how to help.

“All Scripture is inspired by God and is profitable for teaching, for rebuking, for correcting, for training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.” 2 Timothy 3:16-17 (HCSB)

4.  Pray – This is where we can do the most good for someone.  When we intercede for someone in prayer, we bring the resources of heaven into a situation.  God is ever willing and able to answer our petitions – but we must bring them to Him before He can act.

“The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.” James 5:16b (NIV)

5.  Express love – The best way to encourage someone is to remind them that they are loved.  I know it sounds simplistic, but the gospel itself is simple – For God so loved, that He gave.  And that’s what we’re called to do – share His love.  Whether it’s with a smile, a listening ear, a verse or a prayer, we are called to give away the boundless love He has given to each of us.

“God’s love was revealed among us in this way: God sent His One and Only Son into the world so that we might live through Him.” 1 John 4:9 (HCSB)

 Hopefully these few tips will help you find your own way to be an encourager. Everyone needs a little encouraging, so go out there and share the love!