Memorial Day thoughts

Good morning! I hope you enjoyed your extended Memorial Day weekend.

Memorial Day is a time when our nation stops to pay tribute to those men and women who have given their lives to defend our nation and its interests. These men and women answered the call of duty placing themselves in harm’s way to ensure that we continue to enjoy the freedoms that the founders of our nation fought so hard to achieve.

Jesus spoke to this issue of selfless sacrifice in the 15th chapter of John:

John 15:13 “Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends. (NASB)

Today we focus on those military men and women who made the ultimate sacrifice, but what about others that put it all on the line for you. As I reflect back over my lifetime, I see many who laid down their lives for me. I had parents who gave up their time, their resources and their personal aspirations to make sure I had a nurturing home to grow up in. I had teachers who gave up a few extra moments at the end of their day to make sure I fully understood a concept that had been taught. I had pastors, Sunday school teachers and youth leaders who gave of themselves to help me build strong foundations. This is just a short list…I could name many more.

Of course Jesus was the greatest example of this very concept. Jesus willingly laid down His life so that we would not have to face the righteous judgment of God for our sinful choices. Our eternal freedom was bought on a wooden cross as Jesus allowed the sin of man to be heaped upon His shoulders. His reason for doing it…love. Jesus made this choice because of His unwavering love for you and me.

Today, I want to challenge you to reflect for a few moments on those who willingly laid down their lives for you. Whose sacrifice has helped shape you into the man or woman that you are today? Secondarily, take time to consider who it is that you need to lay your life on the line for? Your sacrifice today may be the very thing that ensures their success in the years to come.

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

Carl

No Longer Afraid

Good morning! I hope you had a refreshing weekend.

Every person has within them dreams of greater things. This may be a dream to own their own business, to travel the world, to settle down with the love of their life or to set out on a great adventure. So what is it that keeps so many locked in to a mediocre existence? Why do so many forsake their dreams without even making an attempt at fulfilling them. The primary reason is fear!

All of us wrestle with fear in some form or another. We fear failure, ridicule, embarrassment and rejection just to name a few. For others it is physical fears such as flying, heights, spiders or darkness. These fears are not only very real to us, but they can be paralyzing.

Today, I want to share with you a verse that can help you overcome your fears and begin the pursuit of your dreams:

Psalm 27:1 (NLT)
A psalm of David.

The Lord is my light and my salvation—
so why should I be afraid?
The Lord protects me from danger—
so why should I tremble?

They key to overcoming your fears is connecting with the One who supersedes those fears. One of my favorite questions I ask those who are searching for direction and purpose in life is this: “If you knew you couldn’t fail and money were no object, what would you be doing for God right now?” I ask this question to help unlock the dreams that have lain dormant for so long. Once those dreams are unlocked, the key is overcoming the fear issues that locked it away in the first place.

Here is the great part about tapping into God’s power. The fears that have paralyzed us can be eliminated. This happens in two ways. First of all when we realize that God’s strength is sufficient to overcome any obstacle, then we can have confidence that even when we are beyond the scope of our perceived abilities, we are not beyond the scope of His true power. If God is clearing the way for you to pursue what He has put deep within you, then nothing is going to stand in your way.

The second way we get beyond our fears is dying to ourselves. The Bible says this about truly living:

Galatians 2:19-20 (NLT)
For when I tried to keep the law, I realized I could never earn God’s approval. So I died to the law so that I might live for God. I have been crucified with Christ. [20] I myself no longer live, but Christ lives in me. So I live my life in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

As a follower of Jesus Christ, we have made a decision to die to ourselves so that Christ lives through us. Here is an amazing truth…if you will truly grab hold of it. I have done many funerals over the years and I have yet to see the deceased wrestling with issues of fear. Dead men do not fear failure, ridicule, harm, spiders, darkness or any other fear for that matter. They are dead to their fears.

Today I am going to challenge you to pray in a somewhat unique way. Come into agreement with God that you have nothing to fear, because He is your light and salvation. Then acknowledge that you have been crucified with Christ…the things of the flesh and the fears of the past have all been put to rest. Ask God to bring the fullness of Christ to life in those areas where fear has abounded. Then stand back and watch God unlock the dreams that fear had hidden away for so long.

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

Carl

The Path You are On

Good morning! I hope you have hit the pavement running this morning.

Over the last few weeks the Willis household has become a flurry of activity as we prepare for Christopher’s upcoming graduation from high school and entrance into college. Christopher has been accepted into the NROTC program, his dream for several years now, and is supposed to report to school the first week of June.

As part of our preparations for Christopher’s graduation we have been going through our family photos, choosing highlights for a movie that gives his friends and family a trip through his life. Looking at these photos reminds me of the care in which God directs us in our pathway of life.

Psalm 25:4 (NLT)
Show me the path where I should walk, O Lord; point out the right road for me to follow.

My professional work has taken our family to a wide variety of places throughout Christopher’s lifetime. We have lived in major metropolitan areas and rural farming communities. We have experienced natural disasters and personal tragedies. At the time many of these things didn’t make much sense. Often we questioned, “why us?”

Looking back the Lord’s hand of direction becomes very evident. Each event, each step fit perfectly into the next steps on the journey. The building blocks of character and experience were being developed along the way. As I see the man Christopher is becoming and the doorways that God has opened to him, I see that this wide range of experience will serve him well.

Sometimes we question the appropriateness of the path we find ourselves on, but we need to realize that God has already determined the steps that will follow. The steps we don’t see today are the very things we are being prepared for.

Today if you find yourself unsure of the path you are on, realize that the Lord has not abandoned you, but is instead using these experiences to mold and shape you. Ask Him to give you a teachable spirit and eagerly absorb the experience and life lessons that come your way. At some point you will look back on the path and see how it all came together in ways that you never could have imagined.

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

Carl