Good Morning!!! I want to begin this morning’s encouragement with this question…what’s bothering you today? If you are like me there is no shortage of things to fill your mind with worry and turmoil.
Cars break down, relationships sour, an unexpected expense rocks your monthly finances…all thing that can become a crisis of the mind. Studies tell us that many health issues such as ulcers, depression and even high blood pressure can be brought on by stress and worry. Studies also tell us that treatment for these types of health issues is on the rise.
So how do you deal with the problems of life? Are you a worry wart? A stress eater? Maybe you just shut down and become a hermit from life.
Look at what the Bible tells us about worry:
Matthew 6:27 (NLT)
Can all your worries add a single moment to your life? Of course not.
Think about it this way. Your car has broken down and cost you several hundred dollars in unexpected expenses for the month…now you have more month than money. If your like me, you begin to obsess about where the money will come from. You don’t smile, you don’t laugh and you don’t sleep. In spite of all of your worry the sun will still rise and set. Your worry doesn’t change the situation…it only changes you and not for the better I might add.
So how do you deal with these crisis events?
Matthew 6:32-34 (NLT)
…Your heavenly Father already knows all your needs, [33] and he will give you all you need from day to day if you live for him and make the Kingdom of God your primary concern.
[34] "So don't worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today's trouble is enough for today.
Change your focus. Get your eyes off of yourself and onto God. What would God have you do with the situation? He wants you to cast all of your cares upon Him. God knows your needs even before you ask. He sees all of eternity all the time. What seems like an insurmountable crisis to you, is simply a hill along the roadway of your life to Him.
This is where trust comes into the picture. I often laugh, we trust God with eternity. We proclaim that our faith in Jesus Christ will save us for all of eternity. We stand on the assurance that at the cross of Christ our sins were paid for. Yet we don’t trust God with our checkbook, our relationships, our job, our car, our ????
Let me say this as clearly as I can. If you can trust God to save you from sin…trust him to save your from an eternity in Hell….then why can’t you trust him to provide for your current crisis?
If you are dealing with worry today, surrender it to God. Ask for guidance and wisdom and the strength to turn worry into unshakeable faith.
Until next Monday. May God’s richest blessings be yours this week.
Carl
Monday, June 27, 2005
Monday, June 20, 2005
Monday Morning Encouragement - June 20, 2005
Good morning! I trust you are well rested this morning and ready to tackle the week ahead.
This morning I want to challenge you this question: Are you making a life or just a living? What’s the difference? Making a living by its very nature implies nothing beyond mere survival, but life is different. Life is all about thriving, living above the fray and soaring on the wind.
One of the things that grieves me is that too many of us “Christians” have missed this point. We talk about the joy of the Lord, and yet our countenance tells a different story. We grumble and complain and always see the glass as half empty.
Listen to the words of Jesus:
John 10:10 (NLT)
The thief's purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give life in all its fullness.
Jesus’ purpose was to bring fullness in life. All too often when we speak of Jesus and life we speak of eternal life. We discuss our faith like it was a life insurance policy…”In the event of your death, you will receive eternal life, streets paved with gold and mansions of glory.” That’s great, but what about 74.8 years that encompasses the average life span of a person today? Jesus wants to fill those years with His presence. He wants you to experience an abundant life. Salvation isn’t just about the life after death…it is about life here and now.
Abundance in life is all about tapping into the strength and power of God Himself. Abundant life allows you to face the health crisis, financial crisis or any other crisis that life may bring your way with a supernatural strength. When you tap into God’s strength you begin to experience peace beyond measure, joy that is boundless and a keen awareness of God’s divine influence in your life. The good times of life are sweeter as you see God’s hand of blessing upon you.
I want to finish this thought this morning with the following verse:
Isaiah 40:31 (NLT)
But those who wait on the Lord will find new strength. They will fly high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint.
God intends for you to have a full life…. trust His leadership, spread your wings and prepare to soar.
Until next Monday may God’s richest blessings be yours this week.
Carl
This morning I want to challenge you this question: Are you making a life or just a living? What’s the difference? Making a living by its very nature implies nothing beyond mere survival, but life is different. Life is all about thriving, living above the fray and soaring on the wind.
One of the things that grieves me is that too many of us “Christians” have missed this point. We talk about the joy of the Lord, and yet our countenance tells a different story. We grumble and complain and always see the glass as half empty.
Listen to the words of Jesus:
John 10:10 (NLT)
The thief's purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give life in all its fullness.
Jesus’ purpose was to bring fullness in life. All too often when we speak of Jesus and life we speak of eternal life. We discuss our faith like it was a life insurance policy…”In the event of your death, you will receive eternal life, streets paved with gold and mansions of glory.” That’s great, but what about 74.8 years that encompasses the average life span of a person today? Jesus wants to fill those years with His presence. He wants you to experience an abundant life. Salvation isn’t just about the life after death…it is about life here and now.
Abundance in life is all about tapping into the strength and power of God Himself. Abundant life allows you to face the health crisis, financial crisis or any other crisis that life may bring your way with a supernatural strength. When you tap into God’s strength you begin to experience peace beyond measure, joy that is boundless and a keen awareness of God’s divine influence in your life. The good times of life are sweeter as you see God’s hand of blessing upon you.
I want to finish this thought this morning with the following verse:
Isaiah 40:31 (NLT)
But those who wait on the Lord will find new strength. They will fly high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint.
God intends for you to have a full life…. trust His leadership, spread your wings and prepare to soar.
Until next Monday may God’s richest blessings be yours this week.
Carl
Monday, June 13, 2005
Monday Morning Encouragement
Good morning! I wanted to talk to you this morning about the depth of God’s mercy and grace.
This past week my family and I went on vacation to the coast of Delaware for a seaside getaway. During one of our visits to the beach I decided to go body surfing. Now for a big guy like me that’s a dangerous thing to do…it’s very embarrassing having people drag you back out to sea yelling something about “free Willy!” During my body surfing endeavor I failed to remove my sunglasses and when I came up out of the water they were gone. Of course I scanned the surf for a moment, but I had to face the reality they were gone for good…never to be seen again.
All of us have a past. Some of it is filled with fond memories, but much of it is filled with pain, disappointment and guilt. Many of us carry around a the luggage of our past failures…the overnight bag of moral failure, the knapsack of broken relationships, the duffle bag of ethical compromise. The fact of the matter is that all of us have done wrong in the eyes of God at some point in our lives. The Bible makes this point painfully clear:
Romans 3:23 (NLT)
For all have sinned; all fall short of God's glorious standard.
Of course we know our past mistakes and wrongdoings, but God is all knowing…on His eternal tally board the demerit list must be horrendous right? Not exactly!
God is full of mercy and full of grace. Have you ever had to apologize to someone for wronging them? You may remember the anxiety that went along with making that confession, but do you remember the weight you felt lift when they said “I forgive you?” God has offered each of us His forgiveness. Jesus death on the cross was God’s offer of forgiveness to each one of us for all that we have done or will ever do. Look at what the Bible has to say about the cleansing of the cross:
1 Peter 2:24 (NLT)
He personally carried away our sins in his own body on the cross so we can be dead to sin and live for what is right. You have been healed by his wounds!
Great, so I can be completely forgiven of my past…but God still has his tally board, doesn’t He? Absolutely not! This to me is the most amazing part of God’s grace. When I forgive I still hang on to memories…sometimes very painful memories. God, on the other hand, not only forgives, but He removes the memory of sin. Look at this promise:
Micah 7:19 (NLT)
Once again you will have compassion on us. You will trample our sins under your feet and throw them into the depths of the ocean!
Isn’t that exciting! My sins are like my sunglasses…never to be seen or heard from again. When we confess our sins to God and we acknowledge that Jesus paid the price for those sins upon the cross, we don’t have to carry around the guilt of the past. God has given complete forgiveness and the account of your past has been placed in the depths of the sea.
Today if you are carrying around guilt and remorse over choices in your life it’s time to head out to sea. Take that bag of guilt drop it overboard and let it sink to the depths of the sea. God has extended His hand of grace to you…grab hold and let him lift you up.
If you would like to know more about experiencing the grace and mercy of God in your life, please drop me a line.
Until next Monday may God’s richest blessings be yours this week.
Carl
This past week my family and I went on vacation to the coast of Delaware for a seaside getaway. During one of our visits to the beach I decided to go body surfing. Now for a big guy like me that’s a dangerous thing to do…it’s very embarrassing having people drag you back out to sea yelling something about “free Willy!” During my body surfing endeavor I failed to remove my sunglasses and when I came up out of the water they were gone. Of course I scanned the surf for a moment, but I had to face the reality they were gone for good…never to be seen again.
All of us have a past. Some of it is filled with fond memories, but much of it is filled with pain, disappointment and guilt. Many of us carry around a the luggage of our past failures…the overnight bag of moral failure, the knapsack of broken relationships, the duffle bag of ethical compromise. The fact of the matter is that all of us have done wrong in the eyes of God at some point in our lives. The Bible makes this point painfully clear:
Romans 3:23 (NLT)
For all have sinned; all fall short of God's glorious standard.
Of course we know our past mistakes and wrongdoings, but God is all knowing…on His eternal tally board the demerit list must be horrendous right? Not exactly!
God is full of mercy and full of grace. Have you ever had to apologize to someone for wronging them? You may remember the anxiety that went along with making that confession, but do you remember the weight you felt lift when they said “I forgive you?” God has offered each of us His forgiveness. Jesus death on the cross was God’s offer of forgiveness to each one of us for all that we have done or will ever do. Look at what the Bible has to say about the cleansing of the cross:
1 Peter 2:24 (NLT)
He personally carried away our sins in his own body on the cross so we can be dead to sin and live for what is right. You have been healed by his wounds!
Great, so I can be completely forgiven of my past…but God still has his tally board, doesn’t He? Absolutely not! This to me is the most amazing part of God’s grace. When I forgive I still hang on to memories…sometimes very painful memories. God, on the other hand, not only forgives, but He removes the memory of sin. Look at this promise:
Micah 7:19 (NLT)
Once again you will have compassion on us. You will trample our sins under your feet and throw them into the depths of the ocean!
Isn’t that exciting! My sins are like my sunglasses…never to be seen or heard from again. When we confess our sins to God and we acknowledge that Jesus paid the price for those sins upon the cross, we don’t have to carry around the guilt of the past. God has given complete forgiveness and the account of your past has been placed in the depths of the sea.
Today if you are carrying around guilt and remorse over choices in your life it’s time to head out to sea. Take that bag of guilt drop it overboard and let it sink to the depths of the sea. God has extended His hand of grace to you…grab hold and let him lift you up.
If you would like to know more about experiencing the grace and mercy of God in your life, please drop me a line.
Until next Monday may God’s richest blessings be yours this week.
Carl
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