I'll probably never forget my first cab ride to Beverly Hills. I landed at LAX for a professional meeting. I had no idea that I was about to be in for a terrific conversation when my driver picked me up. While we were going through a Jewish community, we started talking about how if someone saved our lives from being shot with a bullet (run over by a vehicle, stabbed, etc.) how thankful we would be. We would be telling all of our friends, our family, and people we didn't even know. It wouldn't matter if it was in a church, board meeting, airport, or bar. And every time we saw something that reminded us of that person it would remind us of how lucky we are to be alive.
At that point, the switch was flipped. How often do we tell people about Jesus and what He has done for us? Do other people see the joy in our lives from the Holy Spirit living inside of us? Wouldn't we want to do everything we could to show Jesus how thankful we are for His sacrifice? Someone saving me from a bullet saves me temporarily from physical death…Jesus saves our souls permanently and offers us eternal life.
One way we can show our appreciation for what Jesus has done for us is to obey God's commands. Jesus told us to go and make disciples of all nations (Matthew 28:19). We are also told to pray without ceasing (1st Thessalonians 5:17), and to exhibit the "be" attitudes (Matthew 5:3-10). And when Jesus was asked the greatest commandment in the Law, He stated that we should "Love the Lord your God with all your hear and with all your soul and with all your mind…Love your neighbor as yourself" (Matthew 22:37-39). In other words, We have a lot to be thankful for…let's act like it.
Thursday, May 29, 2008
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
Fluff and Stuff
Have you ever invited friends over and then realized that you weren't prepared for their arrival. If so, this is typically when the "fluff and stuff" tactic is implemented to impress guests. It's not that the host is actually cleaning up the disorganization, but instead is focused on avoiding potential embarrassment from guests seeing the house in disarray.
The "fluff and stuff" approach is similar to the rapper Jay-Z telling us to "Get that dirt off your shoulder". God isn't satisfied with us only looking good to other people, because He wants us to allow Him to create in us a pure heart. He doesn't want us putting on appearances of living perfect lives to the community around us, when we are really just hiding our sins in private (1 Samuel 15:13-23, 2 Samuel 12:1-10). The Pharisees are a great example of this type of behavior and show us the utter disgust that God has for such hypocrisy (Matthew 12:1-8, 9-14). Jesus quoted Hosea 6:6, "For I desire mercy, not sacrifice", on more than one occasion to the Pharisees. Let's be more concerned with being used under God's direction than looking good for others.
The "fluff and stuff" approach is similar to the rapper Jay-Z telling us to "Get that dirt off your shoulder". God isn't satisfied with us only looking good to other people, because He wants us to allow Him to create in us a pure heart. He doesn't want us putting on appearances of living perfect lives to the community around us, when we are really just hiding our sins in private (1 Samuel 15:13-23, 2 Samuel 12:1-10). The Pharisees are a great example of this type of behavior and show us the utter disgust that God has for such hypocrisy (Matthew 12:1-8, 9-14). Jesus quoted Hosea 6:6, "For I desire mercy, not sacrifice", on more than one occasion to the Pharisees. Let's be more concerned with being used under God's direction than looking good for others.
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
Airline Miles
We like to earn things and be appreciated. The success of frequent flyer programs highlight this. Sometimes we can carry this consumer first analogy over to our relationship with God. We start listing off all the “great” things we have done for God and expect Him to come through with our “rewards”.
Do we really think God needs our help? Do we really think that we would be able to do anything significant without using the gifts that He has so freely given us? It’s kind of like a kid who gets an allowance from his/her parents and is so proud of what he/she “bought” for them.
So, serving God is not about racking up the airline miles. It’s not getting the gold star on the refrigerator for the day. It’s about loving our Lord and Savior because He first loved us even when we were still dead in sin (Ephesians 2:1-5). We deserve nothing and He has already given us everything we need (1st Corinthians 1:4-9). There’s no need for an airline miles program with God because He has already poured out His bountiful blessings on us. Let’s get out of the rat race of what we want so we serve God out of love and respect.
Do we really think God needs our help? Do we really think that we would be able to do anything significant without using the gifts that He has so freely given us? It’s kind of like a kid who gets an allowance from his/her parents and is so proud of what he/she “bought” for them.
So, serving God is not about racking up the airline miles. It’s not getting the gold star on the refrigerator for the day. It’s about loving our Lord and Savior because He first loved us even when we were still dead in sin (Ephesians 2:1-5). We deserve nothing and He has already given us everything we need (1st Corinthians 1:4-9). There’s no need for an airline miles program with God because He has already poured out His bountiful blessings on us. Let’s get out of the rat race of what we want so we serve God out of love and respect.
Tuesday, May 6, 2008
Performance Enhancement
The words "performance enhancement" probably don't sit well with most folks these day. Those words likely bring to mind the steroid and human growth hormone scandals in professional sports…possibly even tarnishing baseball's greatest record. Others used these substances to get a chance to play in professional sports that they might not have had otherwise.
Christians need to be in favor of performance enhancement. I don't mean taking steroids or human growth hormone, but instead enhancing their relationship with almighty God. We go to great lengths to succeed in our careers, family life, and social circles…but how much effort do we place into having a closer fellowship with God. Trust me, the problem isn't on God's end…as my grandpa often told me, "We walk away from God, He doesn't walk away from us".
So, what can we do to enhance our performance? Well, we could just do the things that point toward success (reading the Bible, praying, attending to church) and look like we should be doing ok…but this doesn't guarantee success. Someone can go the batting cages or the weight room every day and not improve for at least three reasons: 1) they aren't trying to start with…they are just there to be seen; 2) they are satisfied with their current performance; or 3) they don't have goals set for themselves. Before you accuse me of being a Pharisee, I am not saying to read 6 chapters a day and pray 7 times each day come hell or high water just to do it. What I am saying is that success usually doesn't come without some type of a plan and the perseverance to follow through with it. The actual number of verses we read or how much time we spend on the "prayer clock" isn't what God wants…He wants us to allow Him to rule our lives. That's sounds really scary…because we like to be in control…but wouldn't you rather have almighty God, the greatest guide ever, to direct your steps?
Christians need to be in favor of performance enhancement. I don't mean taking steroids or human growth hormone, but instead enhancing their relationship with almighty God. We go to great lengths to succeed in our careers, family life, and social circles…but how much effort do we place into having a closer fellowship with God. Trust me, the problem isn't on God's end…as my grandpa often told me, "We walk away from God, He doesn't walk away from us".
So, what can we do to enhance our performance? Well, we could just do the things that point toward success (reading the Bible, praying, attending to church) and look like we should be doing ok…but this doesn't guarantee success. Someone can go the batting cages or the weight room every day and not improve for at least three reasons: 1) they aren't trying to start with…they are just there to be seen; 2) they are satisfied with their current performance; or 3) they don't have goals set for themselves. Before you accuse me of being a Pharisee, I am not saying to read 6 chapters a day and pray 7 times each day come hell or high water just to do it. What I am saying is that success usually doesn't come without some type of a plan and the perseverance to follow through with it. The actual number of verses we read or how much time we spend on the "prayer clock" isn't what God wants…He wants us to allow Him to rule our lives. That's sounds really scary…because we like to be in control…but wouldn't you rather have almighty God, the greatest guide ever, to direct your steps?
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