Monday, February 27, 2006

Wisdom for Dummies

Good morning! This morning I want to start by asking this question: How do you make decisions? Everyday we are faced with choices, some major and some minor. Some of these choices are clear and take little consideration, while others are deep and take much contemplation.

Today I want to focus on those more difficult decisions of life. In many of these cases there is no clear cut answer. There may be pros and cons to any foreseeable outcome. These decisions may include such things as job changes, relocation, relationship challenges or financial choices.

In my mind, one of the greatest promises of scripture for times like these comes from James 1:5:

James 1:5 (NLT)

If you need wisdom—if you want to know what God wants you to do—ask him, and he will gladly tell you. He will not resent your asking.

I affectionately call this verse “wisdom for dummies.” It is reassuring for me, that when I am at the end of my human capabilities of human discernment, I am able to turn to my Heavenly Father and tap into His infinite wisdom. The Apostle Paul was glad that he had weaknesses in his life, because God’s strength was revealed in those weaknesses.

2 Corinthians 12:9 (NLT)

Each time he said, "My gracious favor is all you need. My power works best in your weakness." So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may work through me.

When we are faced with difficult decisions our immediate response should be recognition of our weakness to effectively discern appropriate actions. We should start any decision making process by seeking out God’s perfect wisdom and will. If we will diligently seek God’s guidance, He will give it in abundance. Unfortunately far too often, we put off seeking God’s wisdom until we find ourselves at a stalemate.

This week, I encourage you to take your decisions before God’s throne each and every day. Allow His perfect wisdom to be displayed in your life and your decisions.

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

Carl

Monday, February 20, 2006

Getting Rid of "StinkingThinking"

Good morning!!! Today is President’s Day. For those of you who are fortunate enough to have the day off, I hope you have a great day!

How many of your have ever heard the term “stinking thinking?” This is a description of allowing your thoughts to become completely negative about everything. These thoughts may be inwardly focused thoughts of failure or not being quite good enough or they could be outwardly focused thoughts of criticism and judgment towards other people or circumstances.

Have you ever noticed that when you are around negative people it becomes very easy for you to become negative as well? The negativity affects everything in our lives. Now the glass is half empty in every situation, we lose sight of hope and optimism.

The Apostle Paul recognized the root of these thoughts…the mind. Look at his words from Philippians chapter 4:

Philippians 4:8 (NLT)
And now, dear brothers and sisters, let me say one more thing as I close this letter. Fix your thoughts on what is true and honorable and right. Think about things that are pure and lovely and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.

Our minds are the most wonderful information processing tools on the planet. With them we can dream, create and put into motion the innovations that take us farther, faster and higher. On the flip side, our minds can be filled with “junk.” Thoughts that draw us away from God, that causes us to diminish our own self worth, to make decisions that are harmful to our overall well being.

Paul recognized that every action begins with a thought. The seeds of sin are planted in the soil of the mind. In our day and age we are bombarded with a continual barrage of messages that run the gambit from the comical to the criminal and from the pure to the putrid. Each of these messages plants the seed for thoughts and ultimately can plant the seed for action.

As I spoke of before, if we bombard ourselves with negative influences we tend to become negative people. If we don’t shelter our minds and only allow the seeds of sinfulness to be planted, then we will find our struggles with the flesh become more difficult. When you allow the field of the mind to only be seeded with messages of selfishness, sexual desire and one upsmanship then it should be no surprise when you constantly struggle with selfishness, lust and haughty arrogance.

Paul is encouraging us here to lock our thoughts in on what is true, honorable and right. We are exhorted to think about those things that are pure, lovely and admirable. I find that when I lock my thoughts into these types of things, my whole outlook on my day and those I come into contact with is much better. I began to see life through eyes of purity and not eyes of sin.

So how do we fix our minds on those things that bring life? Evaluate the TV you watch, the music you listen to and the influence of the people you surround yourself with. Life is too short for “stinking thinking” so today I encourage you to look for life giving influences. Fill your mind with the seeds that bring a harvest of purity and allow you to see your world through God’s eyes.

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

Carl

Monday, February 13, 2006

What Are You Doing for Valentine's Day?

Good morning! Tomorrow is Valentine’s Day, a celebration of “love.” Love is an amazing thing and beauty of true love is certainly something to behold. Now love is a topic that I could speak on for hours, but you don’t have time for that today and neither do I.

At its core, love is all about sacrifice and service. Our love flourishes when we give 100% of who we are to another person. Today though, I want to talk more about the passion of love.

The Song of Solomon is one of the most passionate and romantic books within the Bible. It’s vivid descriptions of romance, intimacy and passion are display the true beauty of a love relationship. I remember a few years ago taking our church on a mission trip. Two of the teenage girls riding in my vehicle were studying this book of the Bible and the giggles were plenty as they read the sensual descriptions of lovers’ passions.

Now I will admit, I am unfortunately a typical guy. When my wife and I were dating, I was a true romantic. I wrote letters and whispered sweet nothings (you know...nothing covered in chocolate, nothing with powdered sugar), but now after 17 years of marriage, I get romantic in short bursts usually around our anniversary or Valentine’s Day. To continue to be romantic I have to work at it. Remember love is all about sacrifice and service. When I take the time to build my wife up, to cherish her, to praise her beauty…I bring out the beauty in our relationship, because we are one. I already know she makes me look better…but when she radiates, I radiate. Consider this example of cherishing words:

Song 4:10 (NLT)

How sweet is your love, my treasure, my bride! How much better it is than wine! Your perfume is more fragrant than the richest of spices.

Guys, how many times do we remember to tell the ladies in our lives that we think they are stunningly beautiful. Ladies, how often do you tell the men in your lives that they are handsome and strong. We forget over the years how much words mean and how they fan the flames of passion. Guys when did you last open the door for that special lady or offer to do the dishes…when you were dating acts of sacrificial service were a joy, because you wanted to impress her…but do you still want to impress her? And the same is true for the ladies as well. Unfortunately over time we allow our love all too often to become one sided.

Tomorrow is Valentine’s Day. This year don’t settle for the boxes of chocolates, roses or teddy bears, but give of yourself and sacrifice a little. Let the love of your life catch you checking him or her out. Write a letter or a poem. Whisper a few sweet nothings. Above and beyond all else…pray. God created love, it is His very nature. Ask Him to fan the flames of passion within you and to help you lift up your loved one to a whole new level.

Carl

Monday, February 06, 2006

Motivation for Finishing Well

Good morning! Well it is official…the Pittsburgh Steelers are Super Bowl champions once again and thankfully the alcohol fueled revelers didn’t burn the town to the ground last night.

Today I want to talk about inspiration to finish well. For the Steelers there came a point in this season where they had been counted out. Those in the media doubted that they would even make the playoffs. The team made a commitment within themselves to go all the way to the Super Bowl and finish strong. They rallied around the ideal of getting Jerome Bettis a Super Bowl championship in his hometown.

Each of us is involved in this endurance race called life. Sometimes the race is easy and at other times it is all we can do not to quit. So what should be our inspiration and motivation for finishing well? Look at the following passage from Hebrews:

Hebrews 12:1 (NLT)

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily hinders our progress. And let us run with endurance the race that God has set before us.

Anytime in scripture we come to the word “therefore” we need to be asking: “What is it “there for?” In Hebrews chapter 11 we are given what you might call the “Faith Hall of Fame.” The faith of some of the most prominent Biblical figures is laid out for us. This is where the inspiration comes into play. The thought here being, that since we are surrounded by the faith of these great men and women of faith from the past, we are bound with them by our own faith. Think of it this way…we carry their legacy of faith. The way we live out our faith will be witnessed by future generations and will have a direct impact on how they live out their faith.

Notice the next thing that this passage spells out for us. We have to drop the excess baggage. Thoughts of being a “loser”, a “failure”, “worthless” and any other lie that we buy into, must be discarded. Most importantly though, we must deal with sin in our lives, because it “so easily hinders our progress.” Think about this thought for a moment. The weight of sin is easily identified in feelings of guilt, remorse, shame, etc… Those things cause us to always look over our shoulder…to live in the past and to lower our heads in shame. The good news is that God forgives and the even better news is that in His eyes, once it is forgiven it is forgotten. When you confess your sin to God, He wipes your slate clean. We are the ones that seem to want to carry the burdensome baggage of our past with us.

Notice the final thought of this verse. The theme here is endurance. Life is not a sprint it is a marathon. Endurance is the key to finishing strong. What helps us to endure? That huge crowd of witnesses does. God has put people all around you to encourage you, to dust you off when you stumble, to pray for you, to cheer for you when times get tough. In football, a noisy supportive crowd of fans is called “the 12th man,” their very presence gives the team extra motivation to do well.

Today thank God for the “12th man” in your life. Ask him to help you finish your race with excellence.

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

Carl