Monday, June 29, 2009

The Endorsement of Your Life

Good morning! I hope you had a great weekend.

Over the weekend, the most famous pitchman in America passed away. Billy Mays was the king of infomercials, having made a name for himself by passionately extolling the virtues of numerous household products. Before any of us knew Billy’s name we knew him by the products he represented. We would often refer to him as the Oxi-Clean guy or the Mighty Putty guy. We knew Billy, not for who he was, but instead what he represented. Billy knew not only how to talk about, but demonstrate before our eyes the value of his products.

Acts 4:33 (NASB)
And with great power the apostles were giving witness to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and abundant grace was upon them all.

The life of the Christian is also a demonstration. It is the demonstration and revelation of God’s transforming power upon the life of a person. The good news of Jesus has always been God’s ability to transform a life marked by sin, pain, guilt, etc…into a life of love, joy, peace, patience, goodness, gentleness, kindness and self control. A life that once seemed incomplete and weak is now a life marked by divine power.

The early apostles were known for one thing…Jesus. They talked about Jesus, they performed miracles in Jesus’ name and they cared for widows and orphans in Jesus’ name. Everything they did centered upon the transforming message of Jesus Christ. Their testimony was not just a testimony of words, but it was also supported by the demonstration of transformation in their own lives. Peter was a fisherman who denied Jesus in fear, but the power of God transformed him into a fearless spokesman for Jesus. Paul set out to arrest and even put to death followers of Jesus, but his encounter with God transformed him into the greatest missionary for the cause of Christ.

So the question for you today is this: Who are you representing? More importantly, does anyone around you know who you are representing? You have been given the power and authority to boldly represent Jesus at all times and in all places. So go out and demonstrate the changes in your life with confidence and passion, because you are representing the One who cleans lives and leaves them without stain or blemish.

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

Carl

Monday, June 22, 2009

Get Your Praise On

Good morning! I hope you had a great weekend.

This morning as my wife and I were out for our morning walk, we found ourselves talking about praise. Praise is such a critical component in our relationship to God, because it acknowledges who He is. For example:

Revelation 4:8 (NASB)
And the four living creatures, each one of them having six wings, are full of eyes around and within; and day and night they do not cease to say, “HOLY, HOLY, HOLY, is THE LORD GOD, THE ALMIGHTY, WHO WAS AND WHO IS AND WHO IS TO COME.”

In fact, scripture tells us that God dwells among the praises of His people:

Psalm 22:3 (NASB)
Yet Thou art holy, O Thou who art enthroned upon the praises of Israel.

Unfortunately, all too often we substitute “thanksgiving” for “praise.” Many times when I ask for people to give praise to God, I hear something like this: “I’m thankful because the Lord did _____ for me this week.” Now this statement does bring honor to God, but it is based on His actions toward the person. Praise on the other hand has nothing to do with the actions of God, but simply deals with the “person” of God.

Notice how Jesus taught us to pray in the model prayer we know as “The Lord’s Prayer:”

Matthew 6:9 (NASB)
“Pray, then, in this way: ‘Our Father who art in heaven, Hallowed be Thy name.

There is a significant reason for this statement of praise in the beginning of the prayer. Those first words give us proper perspective for prayer. If God is not who He is, then prayer would be powerless. The power of prayer is not based in the person praying, but in the One to whom the petition of prayer is given. When we take the time to praise we willingly humble ourselves and acknowledge God’s proper place in our lives. We also acknowledge that He is both capable and able to establish, forgive, provide and deliver. The time we spend in praise takes our eyes off of our own lives and puts them squarely upon the One who gives life. It is at this point that we are now ready to seek Him for our needs, because we have our focus in the right place.

Today, I encourage you to spend some time in praise. Keep actions out of this time of communicating with God and instead focus on His attributes. If you need help use verses like Revelation 4:8 to help you.

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

Carl

Monday, June 15, 2009

The Value of Understanding

Good morning! I hope you had a great weekend.

A few weeks back I had the opportunity to visit the Kitale Museum in Kitale, Kenya. The Kitale Museum has exhibits that teach about the cultural heritage and natural eco-system of this region of Kenya. The true blessing of this visit to the museum came from the instruction of my tour guide, Andrew. Andrew allowed me not just to see the exhibits and learn, but he provided me with understanding as well.

For example as we toured the mud tribal huts, he explained why I had to stoop down so low as I entered each one. The huts were built with low entrances, so that an attacker had to stoop to enter into the hut, while the resident of the hut was upright on the inside to defend their home. Without Andrew at my side, I would have only had the knowledge that this round domicile made of mud was a hut. Andrew opened my understanding the function…the “how” and “why” of the hut.

Proverbs 3:13 (NASB)
How blessed is the man who finds wisdom, And the man who gains understanding.

Too many of us settle for being informed, but not enlightened. I often laugh that I am the king of worthless trivia. I can spout many useless facts about a great variety of subjects, but it is those things in which I have garnered understanding that I truly am an expert.

In this information age, a person’s ability to take the knowledge available and truly apply it is unique indeed. When you take the time to gain understanding you will be a real asset in this world of information overload. A person of understanding brings proper perspective to those who are suffering from information overload.

Today I want to challenge you to explore something at a deeper level. Maybe today you need to look at a passage from the Bible and move past the surface, or perhaps you need to probe deeper into a conversation with a friend. Ask the Lord for understanding and enjoy seeing things through a new lens of perspective.

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

Carl

Monday, June 08, 2009

In Hot Pursuit

Good morning! I hope you had a great weekend.

In our home we have 2 cats, “Max and Smokey” and a German Shepherd named “Seth.” One of the daily happenings in our house revolves around these 3 animals. At least once every day we will observe Seth chasing one of the two cats around the house. Seth pursues them from room to room until he finally gets them cornered. Once he has them cornered he sniffs, licks and playfully nips at them, but truly he isn’t sure why he chased them in the first place and he eventually walks away. Unfortunately for Seth, there is no lasting satisfaction in this pursuit, but he is still compelled daily to undertake this pursuit once again.

Today I want to bring forth a diagnostic question for your life: “What are you pursuing?” Whether we realize it or not, each of us is pursuing something in this life. At every crossroads of choice, we are making decisions based on the path of those things we are in pursuit of. Unfortunately, like Seth too many of us are chasing things that bring no lasting satisfaction. Once we’ve obtained them, we are still unfulfilled, but because we’ve convinced ourselves that true peace and happiness are found in these things, we will continue to pursue them day after day.

I want to challenge you this morning from a letter written by the Apostle Paul to his young protégé’ Timothy:

1 Timothy 6:10-11 (NASB)
10 For the love of money is a root of all sorts of evil, and some by longing for it have wandered away from the faith, and pierced themselves with many a pang.
11 But flee from these things, you man of God; and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, perseverance and gentleness.

I want us to focus on two words that Paul uses in his admonition to Timothy. Those words are “flee” and “pursue.” Flee means to run away from and has the connotation of escaping danger. Fleeing brings with it an understanding of running as fast as you can as far as you can in the opposite direction of the things that bring you harm. In this case Paul was talking about “the love of money.” This verse is one of the most misquoted verses in the Bible. Paul is not saying that money in itself is bad, in fact money is a great tool when used wisely; however, Paul is saying that a love of money leads to all manner of calamity and that Timothy should flee the things associated with this type of misplaced love. Paul understood that a love of money is similar to Seth’s love of our two cats…once you’ve obtained the object of your desire, you still find it unsatisfying.

The word pursue, on the other hand, means following with the intention of overtaking. When Seth chases our cats, he goes wherever they go. Whatever turn they take, he takes. What ever furniture they go under, he goes under. Seth does not stop until he has overtaken and “captured” the object of his desire. In the Apostle Paul’s instruction to Timothy, he lists 6 things that should be the objects of desire in our daily pursuits. These things are: righteousness, godliness, faith, love, perseverance and gentleness. There is a lasting quality with each of these things. Once obtained, they bring an ongoing fulfillment and satisfaction.

Today you may find yourself in a fruitless pattern. Like Seth you’ve been chasing things that look good, but leave you unfulfilled and empty. I invite you to look for a new object of desire, something that is eternal and lasting. Once you’ve identified those things, pursue them with all passion, energy and fervor.

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

Carl

Monday, June 01, 2009

Get Out of the Penalty Box

Good morning! I hope you had a great weekend.

The past two evenings I watched the first two games of the Stanley Cup finals. One of the unique features of ice hockey is the power play. A power play occurs when the member of one team commits a penalty. When a penalty is committed, the officials levy a 2 minute or 5 minute penalty against the offending team. During this time, the penalized team is required to play with fewer players on the ice than their opponent.
During the power play, the penalized team finds itself playing at a disadvantage, unable to play at a maximum level of potential.

In our lives, God has surrounded us with people who are necessary for us to operate at a peak level. Unfortunately many go through life without realizing this truth and penalize themselves and those unnecessarily. The reasons we penalize ourselves can vary. Perhaps it is feelings of unworthiness, guilt or anger that sideline us.

1 Corinthians 12:20-21 (NASB)
20 But now there are many members, but one body.
21 And the eye cannot say to the hand, “I have no need of you”; or again the head to the feet, “I have no need of you.”

When we don’t recognize the importance of the roles that each of us plays in the lives of others, we can very easily hinder the potential of ourselves and others. When you don’t do your part, someone else is required to take up the slack. This creates extra burden upon them and may even take them away from their greatest strengths. Additionally, the group misses out on the gifts and strengths that you bring. This lack of people operating in their respective roles creates a loss of synergy within the group.

This week you may be sitting on the sidelines watching the action. I encourage you to get out of the box and back on the ice. Your team needs your skill, talent and giftedness if they are to operate at full strength once again.

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

Carl