Continue reading »]]> Here’s another example. Imagine if your day looked like this:

And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise. (Philippians 4:8 NLT)

What do you spend your time thinking about? Things that make your mind look up to God, or things that keep you firmly entrenched in the Lower Story? Do you dwell on the negative or choose to keep your mind on all the good that is around you? Do you only see ugly, or do you intentionally focus on the beautiful things and people all around you?

Spend your day today thinking about things that are worthy of praise!

Continue reading »]]> The Christian life is not easy, but it can be simple.  It is sure to be hard, but it doesn’t have to be complicated.

Here is another ‘easy’ example of how to live the life:

Therefore I, the prisoner of the Lord, implore you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, showing tolerance for one another in love, being diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as also you were called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all who is over all and through all and in all. Ephesians 4:1-6 (NASB)

OK, just imagine it.  Humility.  Gentleness.  Patience.  Unity.  Peace.

What if we really lived like that?  Would it be easy?  No, but it sure would be simple!

Continue reading »]]> The Christian life is not easy, but it can be simple.  It is sure to be hard, but it doesn’t have to be complicated.

So many people spend so much time trying to figure out what to do with their Christian lives.  However, we could turn to 1000 places in Scripture and find simple, straightforward descriptions of what our lives should look like.  It may be difficult to live out what we read in Scripture, and we cannot do it without God’s help.  But let’s not kid ourselves…it isn’t complicated!

So, I thought I’d take a few posts to point out some of these simple descriptions.  Imagine if your life looked like this:

Don’t just pretend to love others. Really love them.

Hate what is wrong. Hold tightly to what is good.

Love each other with genuine affection, and take delight in honoring each other.

Never be lazy, but work hard and serve the Lord enthusiastically.

Rejoice in our confident hope. Be patient in trouble, and keep on praying.

When God’s people are in need, be ready to help them. Always be eager to practice hospitality. Romans 12:9-13 (NLT)

Which of these simple instructions comes easiest to you?  Praise Him for that!  Loving people is not difficult for me…it is both simple and easy!  Thank you for that!

Which is most difficult?  Ask Him to transform your heart to make it easier!  Being patient in trouble is difficult for me…it is simple for me to say, but hard for me to do.  God, help me to be prayerfully patient!

Continue reading »]]> I have been reading through Paul’s letter to the church in Rome.  At the end of chapter 11, there are some powerful reminders of how much different God is from us and how incomprehensible He is as a result.  His ways are truly not our ways. 

Oh, how quickly I forget.

In the last verse, Paul reminds us where everything comes from, who holds everything together, and even what the real point of everything is:  God.  This was a great reminder to me.

For everything comes from him and exists by his power and is intended for his glory. All glory to him forever! Amen. Romans 11:36 (NLT)

• Everything comes from Him.  I didn’t create anything on my own.  My family, my friends, my stuff, my health, etc, etc…all of it came from Him!
• Everything exists by His power.  Not only did I not create anything on my own, I certainly don’t have the power to hold anything together.  I can’t hold together my family on my own.  I can’t take care of my friends on my own.  If I try to keep it together by my power…it will all melt away!
• Everything is intended for His glory.  Not my glory.  Not my fame.  Not my comfort.  Everything I am and have exists so that He can get the glory!

So how about you?  Are you taking credit for things that God has given you?  Are you trying to hold everything together and make it work with your own power?  Does your life seem to revolve around you…or around God?  What do you need to repent from?  What do you need to thank Him for?  How can you bring Him glory today?

My advice?  Cry out to him to help you live out this verse today…and everyday!

Continue reading »]]>

The Bible tells the greatest and most important story of all time. It is the story of the one true God and His children. It is the story of the God who speaks; the God who acts; the God who listens; the God who sacrificed; the God who forgives. It is the story of redemption and new life.

It is the story of God.

We want to know the Bible as understandable and fascinating. We want to experience the transformational message of the Bible as we learn and re-learn the story of God.

I think this could change everything.  The question is: will people engage with The Story?

Part of the answer to that question depends on how much people interact with The Story between weekend services.  Will they read along in The Story?  Will they interact with with The Story with personal and/or family devotions?  Will they encourage and challenge each other with The Story in their Life Groups?

Did I mention that I’m excited about this?  Please be praying for our church as we start this journey together.

Continue reading »]]> Some things in the Bible are so hard to read, and even harder to live.  Here is one of them from the gospel of Matthew:

You have heard the law that says, ‘Love your neighbor’ and hate your enemy. But I say, love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you! Matthew 5:43-44 (NLT)

Let me give you a couple definitions here:

• Love: there are several kinds of “love” expressed in the Bible, expressing a wide variety of things.  The kind of love Matthew writes about here is agape love.  This is the sort of love God has for us, a love that is willing to give and even die for others.
• Your enemies: those that are hateful or hostile toward you.
• Those that persecute you: those that mistreat, oppress, torment or harm you.

So, let me carefully rewrite these two verses from Matthew.

You have heard the law that says, ‘Love your neighbor’ and hate your enemy. But I say, love your enemies in the way that God loves you!  Love them enough to give your life for them!  Pray for those who mistreat you in even the smallest of ways!

So who comes to mind for you?  God gives us the command (and the power) to turn hate into love and mistreatment into prayer.  Are you willing to obey Him in this?  You’ll need His help to do it, but I would encourage you to pray right now for the names that come to mind.  Ask Him for a taste of His love for them.  Ask Him to point out ways you can express love to them.

Do it for your sake.  Do it for their sake.  Do it for God’s sake.

Continue reading »]]> I recently had a remarkable unplug at the Abbey of Gethsemani in Kentucky.  It was a beautiful place, especially the sight awaiting me on my first hike.  At the top of a tall, grassy hill was a mound of stone topped with a simple cross, all surrounded by bushes and trees.  The warm day, blue sky and white clouds made it a picture-perfect scene.

About 30 feed away from the cross was a simple, black chair.  I sat in the chair for a few minutes, asking God to quiet my mind and heart and allow me to hear from Him.  When I looked up from that chair, my eyes went right to the cross.

For the next several minutes, all I could think of was my sin.  The ugly, tainted, humanity that Christ had died to save.  I thought of my greed, my pride, my fear, my love for the praise of men, my gluttony, my gossip, my laziness and my self-indulgence.  And all I wanted to do was cry and cry and cry…which is exactly what I did!

But then He reminded me that He has forgiven my sin!  Paid the price!  Redeemed me!  Done all the work of reconciliation!  He reminded me that His grace is sufficient!  He is my God, Master, Creator, Father and Friend!  And all I wanted to do was laugh and smile and praise His name…which is exactly what I did!

He only is my rock and my salvation, My stronghold; I shall not be greatly shaken. Psalm 62:2 (NASB)

When was the last time you remembered and grieved over the cross of your salvation?  Or maybe you tend to get stuck there, forgetting that the cross is reason to celebrate your Rock and your Salvation!  I would encourage you today to remember the cross, both in grief and in praise to your Salvation!

Continue reading »]]> Have you ever broken a promise?  Of course you have! 

Has anyone ever broken a promise they made to you? Of course they have? 

Has God ever broken a promise He’s made?  Not once…

Not one of all the LORD’s good promises to the house of Israel failed; every one was fulfilled. Joshua 21:45 (NIV)

Shout with joy to the LORD, all the earth! Worship the LORD with gladness. Come before him, singing with joy. Acknowledge that the LORD is God! He made us, and we are his. We are his people, the sheep of his pasture. Enter his gates with thanksgiving; go into his courts with praise. Give thanks to him and praise his name. For the LORD is good. His unfailing love continues forever, and his faithfulness continues to each generation. Psalm 100:1-5 (NLT)

For Jesus Christ, the Son of God, does not waver between “Yes” and “No.” He is the one whom Silas, Timothy, and I preached to you, and as God’s ultimate “Yes,” he always does what he says. For all of God’s promises have been fulfilled in Christ with a resounding “Yes!” And through Christ, our “Amen” (which means “Yes”) ascends to God for his glory. 2 Corinthians 1:19-20 (NLT)

Thank you Father, that You are a true and trustworthy promise-keeper!  Thank you that I can count on You no matter the circumstances.  Thank you that all Your promises have been fulfilled in Christ.  Amen!!!

Continue reading »]]> I’m human. Not only that, I’m a guy. Plus, I’m 43 years old. So naturally, my memory isn’t the best. Some things I remember with no problem at all, other things seem to elude me.

This has been an age-old problem with the human race. Specifically, we have trouble remembering God’s instructions for living. And the problem of forgetting makes problem of obedience even harder: we cannot obey what we do not remember. In Numbers, God had a remedy for this problem of remembering…tassels:

Then the Lord said to Moses, “Give the following instructions to the people of Israel: Throughout the generations to come you must make tassels for the hems of your clothing and attach them with a blue cord. When you see the tassels, you will remember and obey all the commands of the Lord instead of following your own desires and defiling yourselves, as you are prone to do. The tassels will help you remember that you must obey all my commands and be holy to your God.” Numbers 15:37-40 (NLT)

These tassels (a fragment of one such tassel is pictured on this post) served to help people remember and obey God’s commands for living. Otherwise, they would naturally follow their own desires for living. We don’t wear tassels today…at least not for this purpose. So how can we remember God’s commands so that we can then obey them?

Enter the ancient practice of memorizing Scripture. If we hide God’s Word in our hearts, the Holy Spirit can and will bring it to mind at the right moment. Then God’s Word will remind us, encourage us, challenge us…it will change us.

If you’ve never tried memorizing Scripture before, here are some ideas to help:

• Pick a verse that speaks to you. It will be easier to remember if it is personal.
• Say the reference before and after the verse. Why? So you can find it later.
• Read the verse out loud many times.
• Break the verse into natural phrases.
• Emphasize key words when quoting the verse.
• Put the verse on your smart phone or a flash card. If you carry the verses with you, you can review them anytime you have a few spare moments.
• Display your verses in prominent places.
• Always memorize the verse word perfect.
• Put the verse to music. Write a song!
• Get a partner so you can check each other.
• Try one verse per week.

We have some great verses to memorize on our church’s website.

Go ahead…get some tassels!!!

Continue reading »]]> I was reminded of something recently that you might need reminded of as well…so here goes.

In 1 Chronicles 29:1-9, we read about the astonishing volume of items given by David and the Israelite people for use in building God’s temple. The best part of this passage is the last verse, where it says the people rejoiced over all that they had given freely and wholeheartedly.

Then, verses 10-20 contain a prayer of praise to God that is totally amazing. Read these ten verses below, and try to appreciate David’s realization that God is everything, owns everything and gives everything.

Then David praised the Lord in the presence of the whole assembly:

“O Lord, the God of our ancestor Israel, may you be praised forever and ever! Yours, O Lord, is the greatness, the power, the glory, the victory, and the majesty. Everything in the heavens and on earth is yours, O Lord, and this is your kingdom. We adore you as the one who is over all things. Wealth and honor come from you alone, for you rule over everything. Power and might are in your hand, and at your discretion people are made great and given strength.

“O our God, we thank you and praise your glorious name! But who am I, and who are my people, that we could give anything to you? Everything we have has come from you, and we give you only what you first gave us! We are here for only a moment, visitors and strangers in the land as our ancestors were before us. Our days on earth are like a passing shadow, gone so soon without a trace.

“O Lord our God, even this material we have gathered to build a Temple to honor your holy name comes from you! It all belongs to you! I know, my God, that you examine our hearts and rejoice when you find integrity there. You know I have done all this with good motives, and I have watched your people offer their gifts willingly and joyously.

“O Lord, the God of our ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, make your people always want to obey you. See to it that their love for you never changes. Give my son Solomon the wholehearted desire to obey all your commands, laws, and decrees, and to do everything necessary to build this Temple, for which I have made these preparations.”

Then David said to the whole assembly, “Give praise to the Lord your God!” And the entire assembly praised the Lord, the God of their ancestors, and they bowed low and knelt before the Lord and the king. 1 Chronicles 29:10-20 (NLT)

This is the attitude of praise I want to have as I prepare my heart for Easter. I want to remember that everything I have is God’s and comes from Him. I want to have a heart of integrity, obedience, love, desire and praise! I want to bow low and kneel before my Lord, and be embraced in the loving arms of my Father!