A few days ago I was reading Crazy Love by Francis Chan, and he was talking about what lukewarm Christians look like. There was a statement he made that I've had to mull over and slowly digest in the last few days time. It truly pierced my heart. Chan says, "The truth is, their lives wouldn't look much different if they suddenly stopped believing in God."
Think about that for a bit.
OK, so no church on Sundays (or Wednesdays if you are really good). That can easily be replaced by sleeping in and a ball game or two. That also means not reading your Bible and the extra (meal time, before bed, etc) prayers. That can be replaced by a sitcom and a little extra Farmville. Can't all the time we spend with other Christians easily be transfered to a Club setting?
Seriously. Think about it. How different would your life be if you stopped believing in God? I'm not saying you would have to stop believing in your morals. Non-Christians can have those. You wouldn't have to stop being a productive member of society. Again, non-Christians - especially Americans - can do this just fine. Giving to charitable organizations and helping to make the world a better place can be a wonderful religion. There's no need to believe in God to do good and make yourself feel better.
Why do you need God? Do you even depend on Him?
Would your life change very much at all?
...The Amen, the faithful and true Witness, the Originator of God's creation says: I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish that you were cold or hot. So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I am going to vomit you out of My mouth. Because you say, 'I am rich; I have become wealthy and need nothing,' and you don't know that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind, and naked, I advise you to buy from Me gold refined in the fire so that you may be rich, and white clothes so that you may be dressed and your shameful nakedness not be exposed, and ointment to spread on your eyes so that you may see. As many as I love, I rebuke and discipline. So be committed and repent.
Revelation 3:14-19
Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord!' will enter to kingdom of heaven, by only the one who does the will of My Father in heaven. On that day many will say to Me, 'Lord, Lord, didn't we prophesy in Your name, drive out demons in Your name, and do many miracles in Your name?' Then I will announce to them, 'I never knew you! Depart from Me you lawbreakers!'
Matthew 7:21-23
Oh Father, forgive us our complacency. Help us to rely on You in everything we do, and may bringing You glory be our hearts desire and way of life!
Friday, January 15, 2010
Thursday, January 14, 2010
How To Live Today
You've heard the saying, "Live today as though it's your last"? I don't really like that one. There are too many people who would throw caution to the wind and just be wild: Eat, drink and be merry.
No matter how hard we try, we are selfish creatures and want what we think is best. If this really was your last day to live, you wouldn't go to school, go grocery shopping for the week, pay your bills, and certainly not clean your house! Yet in reality, we can't live that way. True, the thought is a good motivator to straighten your priorities, but it's little more than that.
So why not use our selfishness to our advantage? They say that everyone wants their 5 minutes of fame. (I think all the reality TV shows and the balloon boy's parents proved that notion.) So let's change that phrase around a little bit...
Live today as though it's the one you will be remembered for.
It's the ultimate reality show! We will all be remembered for something. No, not forever, but at least for our 5 minutes. So why not live like we know it. Honestly, very, very few people get to choose the moment they will be remembered for. It is usually through hindsight that we recognize it. So live the now as though it's the defining moment of your life.
Will you be remembered as the one who... always complained? ...was always joyful? ...did anything to get ahead? ...truly showed love to others? ...told the Truth? ...did just enough to get by? ...was passionate about Jesus- even on Tuesday afternoons?
Who will they say you truly worshiped? God? Sports? Religion? Your kids? Your free time?
Think about what you talk most about in an average day - the day for which you will be remembered. That is who/what you will be remembered for worshiping.
Who will you be today?
No matter how hard we try, we are selfish creatures and want what we think is best. If this really was your last day to live, you wouldn't go to school, go grocery shopping for the week, pay your bills, and certainly not clean your house! Yet in reality, we can't live that way. True, the thought is a good motivator to straighten your priorities, but it's little more than that.
So why not use our selfishness to our advantage? They say that everyone wants their 5 minutes of fame. (I think all the reality TV shows and the balloon boy's parents proved that notion.) So let's change that phrase around a little bit...
Live today as though it's the one you will be remembered for.
It's the ultimate reality show! We will all be remembered for something. No, not forever, but at least for our 5 minutes. So why not live like we know it. Honestly, very, very few people get to choose the moment they will be remembered for. It is usually through hindsight that we recognize it. So live the now as though it's the defining moment of your life.
Will you be remembered as the one who... always complained? ...was always joyful? ...did anything to get ahead? ...truly showed love to others? ...told the Truth? ...did just enough to get by? ...was passionate about Jesus- even on Tuesday afternoons?
Who will they say you truly worshiped? God? Sports? Religion? Your kids? Your free time?
Think about what you talk most about in an average day - the day for which you will be remembered. That is who/what you will be remembered for worshiping.
Who will you be today?
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
Forget the Right Answer: Are You Asking the Right Question?
Yesterday I was reading a devotional that quoted minister John Lancaster from Cardiff, South Wales, in his article entitled, “Where on Earth is God?” There he asks the question, “Given a choice between attending a seminar, say, on the 'Glory of God in Isaiah' and one on 'The Christian and Sex,' to which would you go?” Take a moment to be honest with yourself about it and why. Lancaster “'makes the point also that although the church often answers the questions people are asking, the real problem may be that people are not asking the right questions.' In today's church we are far too man-centered and not God-centered.”
What Christian books do you read? Which studies or classes do you take? Have you taken/studied anything that tells you nothing about you but is all about God?
Recently a person I have prayed will find salvation for years has come back to mind and also more into the picture. As I've thought about new ways to approach the subject and dreamed about the responses after they accept, I found that my mind has shifted gears. Before, I had a list of churches they could attend, people who could take them under their wing, studies they could read, and devotionals that I thought would interest them most in mind. But I was wrong. None of those things are bad- they can all be very helpful! Yet, when this person comes to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ, there is only one thing I can think to tell them of uttermost importance:
Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. (Matthew 22:37
After that everything else will fall in place.
Why do we teach new Christians – and convince ourselves – that we need do the right things and find the most motivational material we can to keep us interested in God. Shouldn't He be enough? What more influential mentor is there than the Holy Spirit? Who can be a better brother than Christ? Which book can be more helpful than the Bible?
Please don't get me wrong. We need all the other stuff too (Hebrews 10:24-25), but we should never place it above God. See, that's the amazing thing about Him. When we seek and desire nothing but Him, all the rest comes as a joy. We then desire to worship together, read in-depth materials, encourage and be encouraged by fellow brothers and sister in Christ. We just need not forget: We are there for Him. Not us.
What Christian books do you read? Which studies or classes do you take? Have you taken/studied anything that tells you nothing about you but is all about God?
Recently a person I have prayed will find salvation for years has come back to mind and also more into the picture. As I've thought about new ways to approach the subject and dreamed about the responses after they accept, I found that my mind has shifted gears. Before, I had a list of churches they could attend, people who could take them under their wing, studies they could read, and devotionals that I thought would interest them most in mind. But I was wrong. None of those things are bad- they can all be very helpful! Yet, when this person comes to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ, there is only one thing I can think to tell them of uttermost importance:
Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. (Matthew 22:37
After that everything else will fall in place.
Why do we teach new Christians – and convince ourselves – that we need do the right things and find the most motivational material we can to keep us interested in God. Shouldn't He be enough? What more influential mentor is there than the Holy Spirit? Who can be a better brother than Christ? Which book can be more helpful than the Bible?
Please don't get me wrong. We need all the other stuff too (Hebrews 10:24-25), but we should never place it above God. See, that's the amazing thing about Him. When we seek and desire nothing but Him, all the rest comes as a joy. We then desire to worship together, read in-depth materials, encourage and be encouraged by fellow brothers and sister in Christ. We just need not forget: We are there for Him. Not us.
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
Avatar Is Proving That We Are All Aliens
This is truly amazing.
Audiences Experience 'Avatar" Blues
When I read this, the first thing that came to mind was, "Yes! Halleluia and Amen! Come quickly Lord Jesus!"
Even those who do not believe in a deity of any sort can recognize the soul-sickening desire for more: More beauty, more honor, more love, more of everything that is right and good in this world. The Creator of all has so much more in store for us and we are created to long for it. Just look at the descriptions of heaven and the new earth in Revelation 4, 5, 21, & 22. Yes, James Cameron has a vivid imagination, but Who do you think created him that way?
Did I long to travel to Pandora after watching the film? Yes. Several times. But what got me so much more excited was knowing the the real thing will be so much better. This is how we can witness to those around us who express the same longing after watching the film: And our new world will never be invaded!
2 Corinthians 5:1-3, 5
For we know that if our earthly house, a tent, is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. And in fact, we groan in this one, longing to put on our house from heaven,... And the One who prepared us for this very thing is God, who gave us the Spirit for a down payment.
Hebrews 11:13-16
These all died in faith without having received the promises, but they saw them from a distance, greeted them, and confessed that they were foreigners and temporary residents on the earth. Now those who say such things make it clear that they are seeking a homeland. If they had been remembering that land they came from, they would have had the opportunity to return. But they now aspire to a better land - a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God. for He has prepared a city for them.
Don't be fooled. People long for better. Are you going to deny telling them about Him who will create it anew?
OK, perhaps not quite in the way you are initially thinking, but it's true none the less. The following article is from CNN about people's response to James Cameron's movie sensation Avatar.
Audiences Experience 'Avatar" Blues
When I read this, the first thing that came to mind was, "Yes! Halleluia and Amen! Come quickly Lord Jesus!"
Even those who do not believe in a deity of any sort can recognize the soul-sickening desire for more: More beauty, more honor, more love, more of everything that is right and good in this world. The Creator of all has so much more in store for us and we are created to long for it. Just look at the descriptions of heaven and the new earth in Revelation 4, 5, 21, & 22. Yes, James Cameron has a vivid imagination, but Who do you think created him that way?
Did I long to travel to Pandora after watching the film? Yes. Several times. But what got me so much more excited was knowing the the real thing will be so much better. This is how we can witness to those around us who express the same longing after watching the film: And our new world will never be invaded!
2 Corinthians 5:1-3, 5
For we know that if our earthly house, a tent, is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. And in fact, we groan in this one, longing to put on our house from heaven,... And the One who prepared us for this very thing is God, who gave us the Spirit for a down payment.
Hebrews 11:13-16
These all died in faith without having received the promises, but they saw them from a distance, greeted them, and confessed that they were foreigners and temporary residents on the earth. Now those who say such things make it clear that they are seeking a homeland. If they had been remembering that land they came from, they would have had the opportunity to return. But they now aspire to a better land - a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God. for He has prepared a city for them.
Don't be fooled. People long for better. Are you going to deny telling them about Him who will create it anew?
Monday, January 11, 2010
What To Do When Your're Off
I have not been able to get back on a schedule and it's killing me. Christmas? OK, enough said. Then the whole week after was playing games with the boys, and while that was a wonderful time that I wouldn't trade, it's still not a schedule. Last week was suppose to get back to normal. It didn't. The kids didn't go back to school until Tuesday, and of course, I got sick Monday night and was miserable until Friday. Kevin was also on vacation all week.
So Tuesday and Wednesday I was busy cleaning up after the Christmas chaos, and trying to breath. Thursday and Friday were snow days and the kids stayed home sliding and having a grand ole' time. It was so cold and icy that even our Sunday service was cut back to only morning worship. No Life Group (Sunday School) and no evening service. Oh, and today?... and it's Kevin's day off.
Now, I really am not complaining. I wouldn't trade any of those things – except being sick – because they were all blessings. They just weren't a schedule. Yes, some were in my schedule, but that's not quite the same. I always forget what a creature of habit I am until my habits are thrown by the wayside. I miss being alone in the house. Desperately. I forget how bad I am at forcing myself to stop what I'm doing while others are around to read my Bible, take a few moments listening to God, or be still and productive; not just being still and being lazy. (Such as watching a movie or playing video games as opposed to studying or writing) Honestly, these last few weeks have been a great reminder... of how weak I am.
So I pray a portion of my favorite Psalm:
Amen and Amen!
So Tuesday and Wednesday I was busy cleaning up after the Christmas chaos, and trying to breath. Thursday and Friday were snow days and the kids stayed home sliding and having a grand ole' time. It was so cold and icy that even our Sunday service was cut back to only morning worship. No Life Group (Sunday School) and no evening service. Oh, and today?... and it's Kevin's day off.
Now, I really am not complaining. I wouldn't trade any of those things – except being sick – because they were all blessings. They just weren't a schedule. Yes, some were in my schedule, but that's not quite the same. I always forget what a creature of habit I am until my habits are thrown by the wayside. I miss being alone in the house. Desperately. I forget how bad I am at forcing myself to stop what I'm doing while others are around to read my Bible, take a few moments listening to God, or be still and productive; not just being still and being lazy. (Such as watching a movie or playing video games as opposed to studying or writing) Honestly, these last few weeks have been a great reminder... of how weak I am.
So I pray a portion of my favorite Psalm:
Psalm 51:10-13, 15-17
God create a clean heart for me and renew a steadfast spirit within me.
Do not banish me from Your presence or take Your Holy Spirit from me.
Restore the joy of Your salvation to me and give me a willing spirit.
Then I will teach Your ways, and sinners will return to You...
Lord, open my lips, and my mouth will declare Your praise.
You do not want a sacrifice, or I would give it; You are not pleased with a burnt offering.
The sacrifice pleasing to God is a broken spirit. God,
You will not despise a broken and humbled heart.
Amen and Amen!
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