"And do this, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep; for now our salvation is nearer that when we first believed." Romans 13:11
Today I saw a sign over a man's desk that gave a great challenge. The sign gave a simple two word message...."start today".
Right around the first of the year I picked up an article on New Years resolutions. The article focused on the number one resolution, which is to go on a diet to lose weight. It took an interesting angle in looking at success in dieting, based on what day of the week you began the diet. A study was cited that indicated that it didn't seem to matter much what day of the week you started, except they did find, that the highest number of diets that failed were started on Mondays. The feeling was that those who put things off, are not really serious about what they are putting off, and if your going to put something off, you'll usually put it off until Monday. The point they made in the article was that those who are really serious about dieting, start right away.
How is your relationship with the Lord? If you are not happy with your spiritual walk, if you feel you need to be more disciplined and spend more time in prayer and in the word. Don't tell yourself that you will start getting serious on Monday, or when things slow down, or as soon as you finish this or that. The great need for us all is to be strong in the Lord, and to be spiritually disciplined. There is no better time to begin than now. Don't put it off, let's start today!
Wednesday, March 21, 2012
Tuesday, March 6, 2012
Keep Going
"....and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us." Hebrews 12:1
It is pretty tough to run a marathon. And while the race itself is a grueling twenty six point two miles, I think the toughest part is not the race, but the months of training before the race.
I've talked to people who have set out to train for a marathon and quit early on. They start out and run two or three miles and feel horrible, after some quick math, it is concluded that if they feel this bad at two miles, how could they ever run twenty four more! The problem is that they get overwhelmed by focusing on the longer distance, which they can't run.....yet. The key to training for the marathon is to stay strong day in and day out at the shorter distances. As you are disciplined in the shorter runs, soon running two miles will be easy, then four and eight and so on, until twenty six point two is not so overwhelming.
The problems you have today might seem as daunting as a marathon, and your temptation might be to throw up your hands and pull out of the race, thinking you can never make it. If your focus becomes the how far, or the how long, you can easily get weary and discouraged. Your job is to be faithful to Jesus day by day and allow Him to take care of the results. As with marathon training, when you keep your focus on daily faithfulness, soon your strength will grow, and you will no longer be defeated by what once seemed impossible to overcome.
It is pretty tough to run a marathon. And while the race itself is a grueling twenty six point two miles, I think the toughest part is not the race, but the months of training before the race.
I've talked to people who have set out to train for a marathon and quit early on. They start out and run two or three miles and feel horrible, after some quick math, it is concluded that if they feel this bad at two miles, how could they ever run twenty four more! The problem is that they get overwhelmed by focusing on the longer distance, which they can't run.....yet. The key to training for the marathon is to stay strong day in and day out at the shorter distances. As you are disciplined in the shorter runs, soon running two miles will be easy, then four and eight and so on, until twenty six point two is not so overwhelming.
The problems you have today might seem as daunting as a marathon, and your temptation might be to throw up your hands and pull out of the race, thinking you can never make it. If your focus becomes the how far, or the how long, you can easily get weary and discouraged. Your job is to be faithful to Jesus day by day and allow Him to take care of the results. As with marathon training, when you keep your focus on daily faithfulness, soon your strength will grow, and you will no longer be defeated by what once seemed impossible to overcome.
Tuesday, February 21, 2012
Preparing A Place
"Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him." I Corinthians 2:9
About a year ago our daughter moved back home for a couple of months to save money before her wedding. We were so glad to have her back home for those few months. A couple of weeks before she actually moved back we started to prepare for her arrival. We had to clean out closets, set up the bed, and buy new sheets and pillows to get her room ready. My favorite preparation came from my wife, who went digging through our kids old toys to find some dolls and bears that our daughter played with growing up. Those dolls and bears were mom's special way to make the room say welcome. None of this was a pain, in fact it was all a joy, for we looked so forward to having her home.
Our joy as parents in preparing for our daughter to come stay with us, made me think about our Lord's joy as He prepares for our coming to Him. A little over two thousand years ago, Jesus gave us a wonderful promise when He said, "I am going to prepare a place for you." Doesn't it make you wonder exactly what heaven will be like? The Bible only gives a few clues as to what it will be like, but whatever it is like I'm certain it will be incredible. The Apostle Paul couldn't come up with the right words to describe heaven, so it must be something so great that it is beyond our ability to grasp just yet.
Think about it, the God who created you, loves you, knows you, and wants to bless you for eternity, has been preparing for you to come home for two thousand years. Oh my, what a homecoming that will be and what blessed children we are!
About a year ago our daughter moved back home for a couple of months to save money before her wedding. We were so glad to have her back home for those few months. A couple of weeks before she actually moved back we started to prepare for her arrival. We had to clean out closets, set up the bed, and buy new sheets and pillows to get her room ready. My favorite preparation came from my wife, who went digging through our kids old toys to find some dolls and bears that our daughter played with growing up. Those dolls and bears were mom's special way to make the room say welcome. None of this was a pain, in fact it was all a joy, for we looked so forward to having her home.
Our joy as parents in preparing for our daughter to come stay with us, made me think about our Lord's joy as He prepares for our coming to Him. A little over two thousand years ago, Jesus gave us a wonderful promise when He said, "I am going to prepare a place for you." Doesn't it make you wonder exactly what heaven will be like? The Bible only gives a few clues as to what it will be like, but whatever it is like I'm certain it will be incredible. The Apostle Paul couldn't come up with the right words to describe heaven, so it must be something so great that it is beyond our ability to grasp just yet.
Think about it, the God who created you, loves you, knows you, and wants to bless you for eternity, has been preparing for you to come home for two thousand years. Oh my, what a homecoming that will be and what blessed children we are!
Monday, February 13, 2012
What A Sweetheart!
Romans 5:8 "But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us."
Another Valentines Day is here, and we are being flooded with commercials telling us the best things to buy to tell our sweethearts that we love them. Is it just me, or are most of the ads aimed at men? I have found at least on the sports radio programs the ads are surely for men. The spots are similar in that they all remind us guys not to forget, and there is only one more day to get something. I heard one ad saying that if you order by noon today they promise she will get the gift on time, therefore you can trick her into believing you actually put a great deal of thought into the gift. The gifts you can purchase to show how much you love your sweetheart are pretty familiar, flowers, chocolate, stuffed bears, chocolate, heart jewelery, chocolate, a fancy framed picture of the two of you, or chocolate. There are some who really hate on Valentines Day, they boycott it and mock it. I'm not one to hate on the day, but I think we can all agree that true love is not about just one day or one gift or chocolate.
Whatever you think of Valentines Day, I would encourage you this year to set your heart to consider the truest of all love, the love of God for us. We are so blessed that God loves us and has shown us His love, not by sending flowers or stuffed bears, but by sending His Son to die for us. What great joy there is in having the God of the universe as our sweetheart. May His love for you bring you strength and hope today.
Another Valentines Day is here, and we are being flooded with commercials telling us the best things to buy to tell our sweethearts that we love them. Is it just me, or are most of the ads aimed at men? I have found at least on the sports radio programs the ads are surely for men. The spots are similar in that they all remind us guys not to forget, and there is only one more day to get something. I heard one ad saying that if you order by noon today they promise she will get the gift on time, therefore you can trick her into believing you actually put a great deal of thought into the gift. The gifts you can purchase to show how much you love your sweetheart are pretty familiar, flowers, chocolate, stuffed bears, chocolate, heart jewelery, chocolate, a fancy framed picture of the two of you, or chocolate. There are some who really hate on Valentines Day, they boycott it and mock it. I'm not one to hate on the day, but I think we can all agree that true love is not about just one day or one gift or chocolate.
Whatever you think of Valentines Day, I would encourage you this year to set your heart to consider the truest of all love, the love of God for us. We are so blessed that God loves us and has shown us His love, not by sending flowers or stuffed bears, but by sending His Son to die for us. What great joy there is in having the God of the universe as our sweetheart. May His love for you bring you strength and hope today.
Tuesday, December 27, 2011
Ponder It
"But Mary kept all these things and pondered them in her heart." Luke 2:19
On December 23rd, two days before Christmas, I was in a big fabric and crafts store (with my wife, who needed to get something!). The whole front section of the store was a mess, there were five or six almost empty racks of what used to be their Christmas crafts section. As I looked at the picked over and sparse holiday part of the store, I got a familiar sad feeling that told me Christmas was over, and it was still two days before Christmas! I then noticed over to the left, a whole area filled with fresh new craft items. The shelves were full and nothing had been picked through, it was very neat and inviting. The area was filled with red hearts and Cupids. Yes, two days before Christmas the store had already set up its Valentines Day section.
Our faced paced culture is telling us, Christmas is over, hustle over to the mall and exchange those gifts, and by the way you had better hurry because Valentines is coming soon. In the above verse we see Jesus' mother Mary doing the exact opposite. Mary had just been through some pretty crazy days leading up to Jesus' birth, and it says she took the time and "kept" those things in her heart, and "pondered" them.
This is not the season to push on past Christmas, it is the time to all the more dwell on and ponder all of what the season is about. I say we should hit the brakes, slow down a bit and enjoy Christmas some more.
One of the names given Jesus is "Immanuel", which means, God with us. That does not mean that God was just with us that first Christmas two thousand years ago, it means God is with us today. That one thought ought to give us enough to puzzle over, and wonder about, every single day. February 14th is still a long way off, lets slow down and ponder, its still Christmas, for God is indeed with us today.
On December 23rd, two days before Christmas, I was in a big fabric and crafts store (with my wife, who needed to get something!). The whole front section of the store was a mess, there were five or six almost empty racks of what used to be their Christmas crafts section. As I looked at the picked over and sparse holiday part of the store, I got a familiar sad feeling that told me Christmas was over, and it was still two days before Christmas! I then noticed over to the left, a whole area filled with fresh new craft items. The shelves were full and nothing had been picked through, it was very neat and inviting. The area was filled with red hearts and Cupids. Yes, two days before Christmas the store had already set up its Valentines Day section.
Our faced paced culture is telling us, Christmas is over, hustle over to the mall and exchange those gifts, and by the way you had better hurry because Valentines is coming soon. In the above verse we see Jesus' mother Mary doing the exact opposite. Mary had just been through some pretty crazy days leading up to Jesus' birth, and it says she took the time and "kept" those things in her heart, and "pondered" them.
This is not the season to push on past Christmas, it is the time to all the more dwell on and ponder all of what the season is about. I say we should hit the brakes, slow down a bit and enjoy Christmas some more.
One of the names given Jesus is "Immanuel", which means, God with us. That does not mean that God was just with us that first Christmas two thousand years ago, it means God is with us today. That one thought ought to give us enough to puzzle over, and wonder about, every single day. February 14th is still a long way off, lets slow down and ponder, its still Christmas, for God is indeed with us today.
Monday, December 12, 2011
I Get To
"And they came with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the Babe lying in a manger."
Luke 2:16
The angel didn't appear to religious or political leaders to announce the birth of Jesus, but he went to some lowly shepherds. I love the response of these men, they went right away, or made haste to fine this newborn Savior. I also love the fact that they did not have to be commanded to go and find Jesus. It seems the angel rightly accepts, that upon hearing the glad tidings of the birth of the savior, that the shepherds would want to find Him. And of course we see that they didn't have to be ordered to go, they believed the message delivered to them from God, and therefore were driven in haste to find Jesus.
The foundation of Christianity is not a set of rules or commands to follow. What motivates us, is our belief in the salvation given us in Jesus, who's birth we celebrate. Ours is not a faith that says, "I have to". Ours is a faith that says, "I want to", or "I get to", or better still, "I love to". We serve, we love, we read the Bible, we worship, because of the love that God has poured into us by His Son. Loving and serving the Lord is never a chore, it is indeed a great privilege. The shepherds have set a great example for us to remember, may the reality of the message of God's grace cause us to make haste, to seek out and worship our precious Jesus.
Luke 2:16
The angel didn't appear to religious or political leaders to announce the birth of Jesus, but he went to some lowly shepherds. I love the response of these men, they went right away, or made haste to fine this newborn Savior. I also love the fact that they did not have to be commanded to go and find Jesus. It seems the angel rightly accepts, that upon hearing the glad tidings of the birth of the savior, that the shepherds would want to find Him. And of course we see that they didn't have to be ordered to go, they believed the message delivered to them from God, and therefore were driven in haste to find Jesus.
The foundation of Christianity is not a set of rules or commands to follow. What motivates us, is our belief in the salvation given us in Jesus, who's birth we celebrate. Ours is not a faith that says, "I have to". Ours is a faith that says, "I want to", or "I get to", or better still, "I love to". We serve, we love, we read the Bible, we worship, because of the love that God has poured into us by His Son. Loving and serving the Lord is never a chore, it is indeed a great privilege. The shepherds have set a great example for us to remember, may the reality of the message of God's grace cause us to make haste, to seek out and worship our precious Jesus.
Monday, December 5, 2011
The Lord Is Good
"Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the man who trusts in Him!" Psalm 34:8
The Christmas season is a time when our taste buds really get a full work out, and its wonderful! This past week I was given a cookie snack that looked like an acorn. It looked cute enough, but tasted even better. It is very easy for me to describe to you what the snack looked like, I already mentioned it looked like an acorn, and that is easy for you to picture. It is a much more difficult task to describe to you how it tasted....it was a tasty, crunchy, peanut buttery, and chocolate, sort of treat. The fact is, that the words I use cannot give the true sense of how good this goodie tasted. The best I would be able to do is to give you one of these acorn cookies and say, taste and see for yourself how good it is.
Isn't it the same when we try to share exactly how wonderful it is to walk in Jesus? We can describe Jesus, who He is, what He has accomplished, and how to receive Him as Savior and Lord. But words can fall short when we try to explain His love, joy, and peace in our lives. The best we can do is present who He is, and plead, "Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good."
The key for us then, is to be continually walking in, and tasting of, the goodness of the Lord. Our best witness is being able to offer the fullness of life in Jesus, a life we know to be good because we have tasted of it ourselves.
The Christmas season is a time when our taste buds really get a full work out, and its wonderful! This past week I was given a cookie snack that looked like an acorn. It looked cute enough, but tasted even better. It is very easy for me to describe to you what the snack looked like, I already mentioned it looked like an acorn, and that is easy for you to picture. It is a much more difficult task to describe to you how it tasted....it was a tasty, crunchy, peanut buttery, and chocolate, sort of treat. The fact is, that the words I use cannot give the true sense of how good this goodie tasted. The best I would be able to do is to give you one of these acorn cookies and say, taste and see for yourself how good it is.
Isn't it the same when we try to share exactly how wonderful it is to walk in Jesus? We can describe Jesus, who He is, what He has accomplished, and how to receive Him as Savior and Lord. But words can fall short when we try to explain His love, joy, and peace in our lives. The best we can do is present who He is, and plead, "Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good."
The key for us then, is to be continually walking in, and tasting of, the goodness of the Lord. Our best witness is being able to offer the fullness of life in Jesus, a life we know to be good because we have tasted of it ourselves.
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