Thursday, May 21, 2009
Saturday, May 16, 2009
What if you only had Six Months To Live?
What would you do if you only had 6 months to live?
Would you live differently?
What would you change?
Would you treat people differently?
Would you live life to the fullest?
Most of us waste our lives with “when and then” thinking, believing that “when” this or that happens, “then” we will really start living and do something for God that really matters. That approach is guaranteed to leave you with regrets.
If you think that you are too young to think this way, Jesus was just twelve when He said, “I must be about my Father’s business.” Just twenty-one years later, He could say to the Father, “I have completed the work You gave me to do.”
If we all had that kind of focus and dedication in our lives, there’s no telling what God would accomplish in our the world!
Your time on earth is limited.
Most of us, if we knew we only had one month to live, would live differently. We would be more authentic about who we are and more deliberate about how we spend our time. But such a contrast begs the question: What keeps us from living this way now?
Why can’t all of us live more like we’re dying? Isn’t that how we were meant to live in the first place? To discover what we’re made for and to utilize our unique gifts in the limited amount of time we’re given?
I believe that the 6-monts-to-live lifestyle is unique. If we all live as if we only had a short time left on this earth, we would spend it differently, in ways unique to us, and yet I believe we would all experience more fulfilling lives that could leave a legacy for eternity.
Will you try it with me?
Would you live differently?
What would you change?
Would you treat people differently?
Would you live life to the fullest?
Most of us waste our lives with “when and then” thinking, believing that “when” this or that happens, “then” we will really start living and do something for God that really matters. That approach is guaranteed to leave you with regrets.
If you think that you are too young to think this way, Jesus was just twelve when He said, “I must be about my Father’s business.” Just twenty-one years later, He could say to the Father, “I have completed the work You gave me to do.”
If we all had that kind of focus and dedication in our lives, there’s no telling what God would accomplish in our the world!
Your time on earth is limited.
Most of us, if we knew we only had one month to live, would live differently. We would be more authentic about who we are and more deliberate about how we spend our time. But such a contrast begs the question: What keeps us from living this way now?
Why can’t all of us live more like we’re dying? Isn’t that how we were meant to live in the first place? To discover what we’re made for and to utilize our unique gifts in the limited amount of time we’re given?
I believe that the 6-monts-to-live lifestyle is unique. If we all live as if we only had a short time left on this earth, we would spend it differently, in ways unique to us, and yet I believe we would all experience more fulfilling lives that could leave a legacy for eternity.
Will you try it with me?
Friday, May 8, 2009
Submission equals sacrifice
One of the things that I think disturbs me the most about Christians (including myself) is that we think that Christianity is about what we can get from God.
Our prayers are slanted that way, “Bless me…give me…help me...forgive me...protect me.”
Our motives are slanted that way, “If I do this for God then He may bless me by giving me…”
BUT…the Scriptures teach so clearly that when we become a follower of Jesus we are saying to Him, “I will submit to what YOU want me to be…I will do what YOU want me to do.”
AND…MOST people do not have a problem with believing the sentence above–UNTIL it requires us to actually make some sort of sacrifice.
We will follow Jesus…UNTIL it impacts our dating life or marriage.
We will follow Jesus…UNTIL it begins to impact us financially.
We will follow Jesus…UNTIL it begins to impact our time.
We will follow Jesus…UNTIL it begins to impact our social schedule.
We will follow Jesus…UNTIL it begins to impact our sleep
BUT…one of the things I am seeing over and over again in the Scriptures is that a true follower of Jesus Christ held nothing as sacred (Look at Acts 4:32-37 as an example -- WOW!!).
When someone in the Scriptures was submitting their life to Christ, it was complete and total surrender and not “submission based on convenience.”
The question I am praying and wrestling through personally right now is, “Is there any area of my life that I have declared ‘off limits’ to God?”
I challenge you to do the same.
Jesus SACRIFICED …and He calls us to do the same (you know, the whole “take up your cross and follow me” thing!)
Submission equals sacrifice!
Our prayers are slanted that way, “Bless me…give me…help me...forgive me...protect me.”
Our motives are slanted that way, “If I do this for God then He may bless me by giving me…”
BUT…the Scriptures teach so clearly that when we become a follower of Jesus we are saying to Him, “I will submit to what YOU want me to be…I will do what YOU want me to do.”
AND…MOST people do not have a problem with believing the sentence above–UNTIL it requires us to actually make some sort of sacrifice.
We will follow Jesus…UNTIL it impacts our dating life or marriage.
We will follow Jesus…UNTIL it begins to impact us financially.
We will follow Jesus…UNTIL it begins to impact our time.
We will follow Jesus…UNTIL it begins to impact our social schedule.
We will follow Jesus…UNTIL it begins to impact our sleep
BUT…one of the things I am seeing over and over again in the Scriptures is that a true follower of Jesus Christ held nothing as sacred (Look at Acts 4:32-37 as an example -- WOW!!).
When someone in the Scriptures was submitting their life to Christ, it was complete and total surrender and not “submission based on convenience.”
The question I am praying and wrestling through personally right now is, “Is there any area of my life that I have declared ‘off limits’ to God?”
I challenge you to do the same.
Jesus SACRIFICED …and He calls us to do the same (you know, the whole “take up your cross and follow me” thing!)
Submission equals sacrifice!
Thursday, May 7, 2009
Conference call annoncement
Announcing a conference call for our youth group today at 8:00pm. The call will give us a chance to make sure everyone is up to date on the upcoming event this weekend and in the coming weeks.
We will also take prayer requests and just take a minute to see how everyone is doing. The phone number to call is 1-605-475-6333, and the access code is 44141.
This weekend at the senior event, we will serve hotdogs, hamburgers, chips, water, soda, and other snacks to be offered to attendees. We will discuss our needs from everyone. We need to know when people can help. The event starts at 11am and ends at 3pm. We need help with setup at 9am and breakdown and clean-up when the event ends.
This event is a fundraiser and a service event also. We will assist the senior ministry with whatever they need and we will work to make sure the youth ministry’s refreshment stand gives us the vital funds we can use for future youth events.
Let me know what you think we should have at the refreshment stand.
Talk to you on Thursday at 8.
Please call on time.
We will also take prayer requests and just take a minute to see how everyone is doing. The phone number to call is 1-605-475-6333, and the access code is 44141.
This weekend at the senior event, we will serve hotdogs, hamburgers, chips, water, soda, and other snacks to be offered to attendees. We will discuss our needs from everyone. We need to know when people can help. The event starts at 11am and ends at 3pm. We need help with setup at 9am and breakdown and clean-up when the event ends.
This event is a fundraiser and a service event also. We will assist the senior ministry with whatever they need and we will work to make sure the youth ministry’s refreshment stand gives us the vital funds we can use for future youth events.
Let me know what you think we should have at the refreshment stand.
Talk to you on Thursday at 8.
Please call on time.
Tuesday, May 5, 2009
I will lift up my eyes
I will lift up my eyes.
Psalm 121:1
A woman who did a lot of research at home began to have difficulty with her vision, so she went to see an eye doctor. After a thorough exam, he said, “Your eyes are extremely tired. They need rest”
“But that’s impossible,” she replied. “My work requires that I use them all the time.”
After thinking for a moment, he said, “Do you have any wide views of the countryside from your home?”
“Yes,” she answered. “From the front porch I can see the peaks of the Blue Ridge Mountains.”
The specialist replied, “The next time your eyes get tired, gaze steadily at the mountains for ten to twenty minutes. That will rest your eyes.”
What is true in the physical realm is also true in the spiritual. The eyes of the soul grow tired from focusing on our problems. But if we turn our attention to the far horizon of God’s love, we gain a new perspective. We experience the rest we so desperately need.
When your burden is too much to bear, trust God’s tender care.
Psalm 121:1
A woman who did a lot of research at home began to have difficulty with her vision, so she went to see an eye doctor. After a thorough exam, he said, “Your eyes are extremely tired. They need rest”
“But that’s impossible,” she replied. “My work requires that I use them all the time.”
After thinking for a moment, he said, “Do you have any wide views of the countryside from your home?”
“Yes,” she answered. “From the front porch I can see the peaks of the Blue Ridge Mountains.”
The specialist replied, “The next time your eyes get tired, gaze steadily at the mountains for ten to twenty minutes. That will rest your eyes.”
What is true in the physical realm is also true in the spiritual. The eyes of the soul grow tired from focusing on our problems. But if we turn our attention to the far horizon of God’s love, we gain a new perspective. We experience the rest we so desperately need.
When your burden is too much to bear, trust God’s tender care.
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