40 Years and Counting

Good morning! This morning I am writing you from Wichita, KS where I have spent the weekend celebrating my parents’ 40th wedding anniversary.

Today I want to talk about how a couple makes it 40 years in marriage. Longevity in marriage has become sadly, almost a rarity in this day in age. Many each day are affected by the pain of divorce and left with many questions of “why?”. So why can some marriages last and go the distance?

To answer that I want us to consider the words of the Apostle Paul as he admonishes husbands:

Ephesians 5:25-33

25 Husbands, love your wives, just as also Christ loved the church and gave Himself for her, 26 to make her holy, cleansing her in the washing of water by the word. 27 He did this to present the church to Himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but holy and blameless. 28 In the same way, husbands should love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. 29 For no one ever hates his own flesh, but provides and cares for it, just as Christ does for the church, 30 since we are members of His body. 31 For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two will become one flesh. 32 This mystery is profound, but I am talking about Christ and the church. 33 To sum up, each one of you is to love his wife as himself, and the wife is to respect her husband.

As you consider this set of verses there are two words I would like you to focus in on: “sacrifice” and “selflessness.” In verse 25 Paul commands husbands to love their wives, just as Jesus loved the church. Jesus loved the church so much that he died on a brutal Roman cross. He shed his blood for the sake of the church. He exchanged his life for ours. This love is sacrificial love. What Paul is saying here is that a husband should be willing to lay down his very life.

That begs the question of “why?” Look at verse 26, Jesus did this to make the church pure, holy and blameless to “present” the church in splendor. Jesus gave his life, so that we would “radiate” in holy beauty. A husband who truly understands this principle will stop at nothing to see his wife radiate within and without. The more his wife shines the greater glory the man receives. When the wife is honored, the husband is also honored.

Selflessness is evidenced when the husband cares for his wife with the same fervor that he looks after himself. He makes sure that all of her needs are met physically, emotionally and spiritually, because any lapse in her needs is viewed as a failure to meet his own needs.

When a man and woman come together as husband and wife they are joined and become “one flesh.” When this occurs a husband and wife become “us” and there is no longer room for “I” and “me.” Everything is now viewed from the perspective of one flesh. The questions are now, “What is best for us?” “How can we grow?” “What should we be doing?”

To make a marriage last it takes sacrifice and selflessness. When a husband and wife learn to be servants of each other they remove the opportunity for selfishness and control.

My parents would be the first to tell you that staying together 40 years is no easy task. But they will also be the first to tell you that the rewards of sacrifice and selflessness are incomparable.

This week tell your husband or wife that you love him or her and look forward to growing old together.

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

Carl

Preparing for the Big Game

Good morning! As this new day begins there is an excitement here over the Pittsburgh Steelers. After an unheard of three straight playoff wins on the road, the Steelers will make their first Super Bowl appearance in a decade. With so many dreams, aspirations, and sentimental motivations for winning on the line, the Steelers will be under pressure to perform at the peak of their abilities. Over these next two weeks the coaching staff will reinforce the basics of ball control, timing, clock management and everything else that goes along with winning football games.

In life we often face Super Bowl sized challenges. Times when ever ounce of our being is required to see us through successfully. Fortunately for those times, we have been given a powerful coach. Look at the words of Jesus:

John 14:26 (NLT)

But when the Father sends the Counselor as my representative—and by the Counselor I mean the Holy Spirit—he will teach you everything and will remind you of everything I myself have told you.

Superstar athletes do not become that way by themselves. It is the constant feedback and motivation given by their coaches that takes them to the top of their game. In the Christian life we cannot make it in our own strength, but we have been given the Holy Spirit and His power indwells us.

The Holy Spirit constantly reminds us of the basics….”Loving God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength”…”Loving your neighbor as yourself.” In those clutch times He empowers us with strength and abilities that are beyond us. We have the right words to comfort a friend in need. We find a wellspring of peace when we are in the midst of turmoil. We find the strength to press on in spite of personal pain and loss. Instead of calling in a play, the Holy Spirit brings a passage of scripture to mind that is a perfect fit for your situation. At other times He places a song in your heart that changes your perception of the situation at hand. At other times He sends in different personnel to walk along side of you to mentor, encourage and strengthen you.

This morning you may find yourself in the middle of life’s Super Bowl. Take a moment to look at all God has done to prepare you for such a time as this. Look at those who surround you and have made you better. Recognize God’s touch in every part of your circumstances.

Until next Monday may God’s richest blessings be yours this week. Go Steelers!

Carl

Loving Your Neighbor

Good morning! I hope you’ve had a great weekend. If you were like me you watched the Pittsburgh Steelers/Indianapolis Colts playoff game and probably felt your heart skip a few beats in those final few minutes.

Today is the celebration of the life of civil rights pioneer Dr. Martin Luther King. Dr. King saw the inequality in our nation and knew that it was unjust. In reflecting upon his life and work I find myself drawn to the words of Jesus.

In Matthew chapter 22, Jesus is being put to the test by a group of religious leaders on everything from paying taxes to issues of the afterlife. Finally one scholar asks him to identify what is the greatest commandment in all of scripture. Jesus’ response is found in the following set of verses:

Matthew 22:37-40 (NLT)

Jesus replied, " 'You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.' [38] This is the first and greatest commandment. [39] A second is equally important: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' [40] All the other commandments and all the demands of the prophets are based on these two commandments."

I would like us to focus in on the second thought of Jesus’ response…loving your neighbor as yourself. Unfortunately we are flawed people. We have a sin nature and with that nature come biases that are not only uncivil, but ungodly as well.

So what does it mean to love your neighbor as yourself? The word love used here comes from the Greek word “agape.” This word describes God’s perfect love and it is sacrificial in nature. To truly love someone else we must be willing to give everything we have for their benefit.

Now the next issue is this idea of neighbor. In the book of Luke a man questions Jesus about the issue of “who is my neighbor?” Jesus responds by telling the story of the Good Samaritan. Through this story Jesus shows that everyone is our neighbor. Unfortunately we are biased people. We find so many reasons to fear, distrust, or dislike others. We separate between skin color, cultural differences, religious practice or ethnic heritage. Sadly even in America, “the land of the free,” we still stereotype and discriminate with such ease.

What Jesus is truly saying to us is this. If you would do it for your own well being, do it for anyone else, no matter whom they are. Let’s bring some practical application home. If you take the time to make sure there is food on your table, you need to make certain that you neighbor is also fed. If you take time to make sure you have a roof over your head, you need to make certain that your neighbor has a roof over his head. If you take time to pray for your own needs, take time to pray for the needs of your neighbor.

The work of Dr. Martin Luther King is still not completed. The years of racism and bias have left a legacy of mistrust and fear, but Jesus died for every race, color and creed. In Christ we are all sinners saved by grace and by his power we can truly learn to love our neighbor as our self.

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

Carl

The Power of Conviction

Good morning! As I write this I am aboard an Amtrak train traveling back from my anniversary trip to Washington, D.C.. I have enjoyed the time away with Carol and it is fun to reflect on these first 17 years of our married life. Of course, time away brings a desk full of mail and a couple of days worth of returning phone calls and answering email. Refreshment does come with a price, doesn’t it?

At this time of year people are eagerly undertaking the resolutions of a new year. You know the list...”This year I am going to _________________________ (lose weight, get out of debt, exercise, take a trip, etc...). So why don’t people follow through with these things? I would like to suggest you the issue comes down to two simple words: “Conviction” and “Commitment.”

Conviction comes from within. It is more than ideals, but instead is a set of values and principles that remain constant even in changing circumstances. You might call this your internal compass or gyroscope, your convictions keep you pointed to your true bearings. Let me give you an example of how your convictions come into play. Saying that I need to lose weight, because I’ll look better and feel better about myself is an idealistic train of thought. However if I say that my body is the “temple of the Holy Spirit”, I have just identified a core conviction. So now when I talk about losing weight I am drawing upon my core conviction and not my preferred ideal. Because I recognize my body is a temple, I want to maintain that temple in a manner that brings honor and glory to God. From this will come the external things such as better health, improved appearance, etc..., but the key underlying motivation is to honor God.

The second key ties into the first one. We are more committed to those things that we hold core convictions about. For example, I would not risk bodily harm for the sake of standing up for my favorite football team (although some might say that I do), but I would without hesitation risk my life to stand up for my wife and children. The difference in my level of commitment is the depth of my conviction. Commitment however operates on two levels, my personal commitment and then my commitment to God’s will and direction for my life. Consider the following passage of scripture:

Proverbs 16:3 (NLT)

Commit your work to the Lord, and then your plans will succeed.

All too often we fail to commit our way to the Lord first. We try to undertake goals, objectives and dreams, but fail to ask for God’s sustaining hand in our efforts. Many of the things we are trying to change in our lives are huge mountains. I have been trying to lose weight all of my adult life and it is a real challenge trying to get and stay healthy. If it were not for God’s strength and life changing power I would fail everyday. I have to trust God to strengthen me when I am weak. I have to rely upon his encouragement when I don’t want to continue. I have to let Him impress His perfect convictions upon my imperfect heart.

If you haven’t done so yet this year, write down your top 2 or 3 goals and/or priorities for 2006. Spend a few moments in prayer seeking God’s guidance and direction for those items. Surrender yourself to his strength and empowerment and give Him permission to redirect the passions and convictions of your heart.

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

Carl

Rememberance

Good morning! In this first Monday Morning Encouragement of the New Year I want to talk about the importance of reflection. As I write this to you today my wife and I are preparing to go out of town for the week to celebrate our 17^th wedding anniversary.

Why are things like holidays, birthdays and anniversaries so important? They help us to remember the things that shape our lives. We use them to celebrate milestones and to keep our memories of past events fresh. They also provide opportunities to share our heritage with our children and others.

Look at the following passages from the Old Testament:

Joshua 4:6-8 (NLT)

We will use these stones to build a memorial. In the future, your children will ask, 'What do these stones mean to you?' [7] Then you can tell them, 'They remind us that the Jordan River stopped flowing when the Ark of the Lord's covenant went across.' These stones will stand as a permanent memorial among the people of Israel."

[8] So the men did as Joshua told them. They took twelve stones from the middle of the Jordan River, one for each tribe, just as the Lord had commanded Joshua. They carried them to the place where they camped for the night and constructed the memorial there.

What are you doing memorialize God’s work in your life? Most of us struggle just to be thankful for the current blessings and yesterday’s blessings are too easily forgotten. This year I want to encourage you to record God’s activity in your life. Write down the answered prayers, divine revelations and God inspired interactions of your year. When you or someone else is struggling with doubt, fear or lack of faith you can quickly show you can immediately be encouraged by God’s previous faithfulness in you life. Your testimony may be just the encouragement that is needed to carry someone else through difficult times.

I hope your New Year is filled with fullness of Christ. Until next Monday, may God’s richest blessings be yours.

Carl