What Are You Aiming For?

Good morning! I hope you had a joyous Thanksgiving. For those of you foolish…I mean brave enough to have gone shopping on black Friday I hope you escaped with only minor injuries.

Today is the opening day of Buck season here in Pennsylvania. This is a religious experience in our area. Even the schools are closed today. The woods are filled with hunters looking to for that trophy buck. For these hunters, all of the preparation in the world will be meaningless if their aim is off.

Today I want to challenge you with this question: What are you aiming for? Today so many people are trying to get through life using a drive-by mentality. They spray and pray, hoping they will somehow hit the mark. We see this in the way people bounce from one religious practice to the next…one moral judgment to another with no foundations and no absolutes to guide them. My mentor often makes this statement: If you aim at nothing you will always hit it dead center.”

Life was never meant to be this way. God has a specific purpose for each and every one of us. Our lives are meant to move in step with His plans. The target is an intimate relationship with Him and a life that brings glory to His name. But look at what happens when our aim is off:

Hosea 7:16a (NLT)

They look everywhere except to heaven, to the Most High. They are like a crooked bow that always misses its target…

The only way to maintain proper aim is to keep your eye on the target. Think about the account of Peter walking on the water. He walked upon the waves until he took his eyes off of Jesus. When Peter began to notice the wind and the waves he lost sight of the real goal…Jesus himself.

There are many distractions today that can easily take your eyes off of the mark. We see this so vividly during the Christmas season. A celebration of the birth of Christ has now become a season for buying presents and moving retailers from the red into the black. Jesus is hardly mentioned and is just as easily replaced with “Happy Holidays.”

In the end we must realize that the mark God has intended us to strive for is intimacy with Him. Intimacy is found in Jesus Christ. If you’ve lost sight of the target, go back to the cross. Put your focus on the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. Follow Him to the empty tomb, listen for His gentle knock at the door of your heart and hold tightly to His words:

Proverbs 8:17 (NLT)

"I love all who love me. Those who search for me will surely find me.

Until next Monday, may God’s richest blessings be yours this week.

Carl

How Thankful Are You....Really?

Good morning! This week many of us will be caught up in a whirlwind of activity that surrounds Thanksgiving. Maybe you are traveling or have family coming to you. You want to make sure that you have the turkey just right and have all of the right trimmings available. Some of you, who are gluttons for punishment, will venture out to the local malls and retail outlets for “Black Friday.”

In this flurry of activity it is easy to lose sight of the true meaning of Thanksgiving. For many the only reflection on God’s blessings will be a brief prayer over the Thanksgiving meal. Is that what thankful heart truly looks like? I think not! Look at the following passage of scripture from the New Testament:

Colossians 2:7 (NLT)
Let your roots grow down into him and draw up nourishment from him, so you will grow in faith, strong and vigorous in the truth you were taught. Let your lives overflow with thanksgiving for all he has done.

The first thing I want you to notice is that true gratitude comes from the depths of your soul. If you treat your relationship with God as nothing more than a casual acquaintance your thankfulness will always be shallow. It is only when we deeply root into a deep intimacy with Christ that we realize just how much we have been given and forgiven. As you approach Thanksgiving this year, I challenge you to examine the depth of your relationship with Christ. Are you passionately, madly in love with Him or have you settled for a casual dating relationship? If your relationship is not at the depth or passion that it should be, ask God to stir your heart with passion and fervor.

The second thing I want you to notice is that a deeply rooted life overflows with thanksgiving. Think about the word “overflow.” If water overflows a glass it shows that the volume of water cannot be contained. A person who overflows with thanksgiving is so filled with gratefulness that it overflows. Their thankfulness is readily apparent and regularly touches the lives of others.

This week, before you get distracted by the holiday celebration of “Thanksgiving,” I encourage you to spend some time in a quiet place. Take a notepad and a pen and begin to write out a prayer of thanksgiving. Think of all that God has done for you in the past 12 months. List everything…from the basics to the miraculous and even the difficult times, because they have strengthened you. Once you have completed that list spend some time worshipping at the feet of Jesus with a heart of thanksgiving.

Until next Monday, may God’s richest blessings be yours this week.

Carl

Don't Neglect Your Relationship

Good morning! Today I want to talk with you about your depth of intimacy in your relationship with Christ.

Every Sunday morning our churches are full of people who are devoted to their religious activity. Every time the doors of the church are open, you can count on them to be there. But in the midst of all of the religious hustle and bustle they have lost sight of their relationship with Christ.

God desires intimate fellowship with each of us. Our service and religious activities are meaningless if we neglect our relationship with Jesus. Look at Jesus’ words to the church at Laodecia:

Revelation 3:20 (NLT)
"Look! Here I stand at the door and knock. If you hear me calling and open the door, I will come in, and we will share a meal as friends.

In today’s world it is easy for us to get caught up in the hustle and bustle of career, finances and activities. It is during these hectic times that it is easy for us to lose site of Christ’s presence in our midst. We miss a few days of intimate fellowship with Christ and before you know it, those few days have become a few weeks.

Today I challenge you to examine your level of intimacy with Jesus. Is He standing at the door of your life patiently knocking? If it’s been a while since you’ve sat down to spend some time in His presence, I challenge you to set 30 minutes aside today and get alone with Him. Enjoy a meal together or take a walk...I guarantee you’ll be glad you did.

Until next Monday, may God’s richest blessings be yours this week.

Carl

Are You a Man or Woman of Your Word?

Good Morning! Today I want to talk to you about your character and the issue of being a person of your word.

Aside from being a pastor I am also work as a financial advisor. This past week I have been trying to resolve an operational issue with the clearing house I use. In my efforts last week I had three different conversations in which someone told me they would resolve the issue and call me back. On each of these three occasions, what was promised was never delivered. As you might well imagine, my trust and confidence in this firm is now marred.

Unfortunately too many of us put little weight on our promises. We are quick to promise a prayer for a friend, a helping hand or any number of other things…and yet all too often we don’t follow through. Many times I have heard those from earlier generations lament “I can remember when a man’s handshake was reliable.” If you’ve bought a car or a home recently, you’ll understand what that means. Your handshake now requires 30 other pages of legal documentation to make the agreement valid.

Jesus spoke to us about our promises too:

Matthew 5:37a

But let your word 'yes' be 'yes,' and your 'no' be 'no.'

We live in a society of double talk. “Yes” means “maybe” and “no” means “possibly.” Some of the biggest scandals of the political, business and unfortunately the religious realms have been over the issues of character and integrity. In fact I laugh about some of the lying that goes on in churches every week. For example, you see families who have fought all morning, screamed at each other all the way to church, but when asked by the pastor “how are you?” they answer with “great.” As a pastor my favorite has always been those who shake hands with you at the back door with the words “great message” even though you watched them sleep through the entire service.

Consider your own words. Do those around you consider you to be a man or woman of your word? Does your character withstand scrutiny and examination? When you promise to play with your kids do you do it? When you promise your spouse that the bills are taken care of, are they really? When you promise the credit card company that the payment is in the mail, is it really in the mail?

The greatest mark of character is when your talk and your walk match. Just like the folks at my clearing company, your actions reflect on more than you. They reflect on your family, your employer, your church and your Lord. This week put your character to the test; you never know who may be watching.

Until next Monday, may God’s richest blessings be yours this week.

Carl