Allowing the Sacred to Guide the Secular in Your Life

Good morning! I hope you had a great weekend.

All too often we compartmentalize our lives in to the “secular” and the “sacred.” One set of values is adhered to Monday through Saturday, but an entirely different set of values is adhered to on Sunday. This breaking apart creates an inconsistency in our lives. Our direction shifts based on the audience around us.

Notice what the Bible says:

Proverbs 16:3 (NASB)
Commit your works to the LORD, And your plans will be established.

Instead of creating separate compartments for the secular and sacred, these two things really need to part of the same flow. If you are wanting to be successful in your business pursuits, who better to guide you than the very God who created you and knows the course of your life. Wouldn't it be much more beneficial to allow the Maker of Heaven and Earth to open the doors of opportunity before you? Wouldn't you much prefer the One who knows the heart of very man, to make the introductions to those who are mean to help you achieve your full potential.

It is imperative that each day you talk to God, not only about the things that are broken in your life, but also allow Him to give you direction in the pursuits of your life. Let Him direct you in how your time is managed, who you are going to call next and even what to say during that phone call. God is interested in seeing His purposes accomplished through your life. This means that He is even more concerned with our well being than you are.

Today I encourage you to take a few minutes and consult with the One who knows the number of your days. Take notes and chart a course of action as He shares the plans He has for you.

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

Carl

God Doesn't Call The Equipped

Good morning! I hope you had a great weekend.

Exodus 4:10-12 (NASB)

10 Then Moses said to the LORD, "Please, Lord, I have never been eloquent, neither recently nor in time past, nor since Thou hast spoken to Thy servant; for I am slow of speech and slow of tongue."

11 And the LORD said to him, "Who has made man's mouth? Or who makes him dumb or deaf, or seeing or blind? Is it not I, the LORD?

12 "Now then go, and I, even I, will be with your mouth, and teach you what you are to say."

There is a saying that goes something like this: God does not call the equipped...God equips those He calls. So many times in our lives we know that God is calling us to greater things, but we find ourselves operating as Moses did in Exodus 4. We are filled with excuses for why God cannot use us in a greater capacity. For Moses, his excuse was that he had problems speaking and in his mind that was more than enough to disqualify him from the call God was placing on his life.

All too often we enter into the assumption that because I am not good at something, because I have no experience in a particular matter that God would not choose to use me in that capacity. The Bible shows us that God has never chosen His servants based on their resume. David was a shepherd boy certainly not the pedigree for a king. Elisha the prophet was plowing the fields with a team of oxen. Peter the chosen vessel of God on the day of Pentecost was a career fisherman. None of these would have been our choices for the role that God was calling them to. They had no experience in the matters at hand, yet that is exactly who God chose. He called them, He equipped them and He worked through them in powerful ways.

Today I want to challenge you to simply say “yes” to the call of God on your life. Trust not in your own abilities, but acknowledge the equipping power of God as it comes to bear on your life.

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

Carl

What's Under Your Hood?

Good morning! I hope you had a great weekend.

Over the past few days I have been engaged in a battle of determination to get my old pickup truck running, so my oldest son can use it for transportation at college. Just about the time I think I have the problem resolved, I find that there are yet other problems to be dealt with. There are unseen things in the mechanical systems of the truck that are causing it be of no value as a vehicle in its present condition.

I find it fascinating how often we see these patterns in our own lives as well. Look at the following statement made by the Lord about King Saul:

1 SAMUEL 16:7 (NASB)

But the LORD said to Samuel, "Do not look at his appearance or at the height of his stature, because I have rejected him; for God sees not as man sees, for man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart."

From all outward appearances, Saul seemed like the ideal candidate to be king. He was tall, he was handsome, he seemed to have the proper bearing for royalty. Unfortunately Saul was not fit to rule, because there were problems deep within him. His heart was not fully yielded unto God. His unyielding heart would ultimately become visible in his actions and decisions.

It is critical in each of our lives that we regularly undergo a diagnostic process with the Lord. We need to allow Him to examine the “systems” with in us. Where he finds values, ideals, goals and relationships out of tune with His perfect will; we need to allow Him to make the necessary adjustments. After all you wouldn't settle for a misfiring, non-running vehicle; so why settle for a misfiring, out of alignment life.

Today I encourage you to plug into the Holy Spirit's diagnostic presence and allow Him to give you a thorough review.

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

Carl

Treasured Friendships

Good morning! I hope you had a great weekend.

1 Corinthians 16:19-20 (NASB)
19 The churches of Asia greet you. Aquila and Prisca greet you heartily in the Lord, with the church that is in their house.
20 All the brethren greet you. Greet one another with a holy kiss.

Today I was answering emails from some of my greatest friends in the world. I realize that some of the most cherished treasures I have are the rich friendships that I have been blessed with. Today I was corresponding with a friend in India about the upcoming birth of her first child in a week and half. In another email I was talking with a friend in Uganda about seeing him again in April. I recently corresponded with a friend in Canada about his upcoming ministry schedule. Every week via Facebook, I correspond with friends who were a part of my journey at different stages in my life.

It is no wonder that the Apostle Paul referred to those who were so dear to him in his letters. God used these friendships as a means of encouraging and sustaining the apostle through some of the darkest days of his life. These friendships continued on in spite of geography and time. In them was a lasting bond that moved far beyond the realm of mere acquaintance, but instead moved deep into the realm of sharing the fullness of life, knit together by the bond of Christ.

As I have traveled throughout the world, I have been amazed at how deep these friendships have become in my own life. I have mourned the death of loved ones with friends a half a world away. I have rejoiced over the marriage of daughters, the return of sons and the move of God in families and ministries.

At the same time I have received notes of encouragement at just the right time from places like India and Africa. I have shared laughs with friends I haven’t seen in a quarter of a century. Although time changes us in many ways, friendships forged into the bedrock of our faith have a staying power that is unmatched.

Today I would encourage you to count the relationships you have been given as treasures in your own life. Perhaps its time to send a greeting out to someone you haven’t heard from in a while. Your contact may be just the thing that is needed in their life today.

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

Carl

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