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One of my favorite things to think about is how to make connections between all the different things we experience in life.  One thing that I see as a constant is this one simple truth: Nobody really knows what the heck they are doing in life. Now, personality plays a large role in the way a person looks at life such as the difference between a “type A” personality, who by nature looks for things to do, and a “type B” personality, who by nature is more laid back; but regardless of the personality type, life is one of the few things where there really seems to be no clear direction.

I have seen a common thread that runs through the way most people live their life and I describe it as this: everybody wishes to succeed in some fashion, but since there is no clear way to get there, most result to playing a type of real life poker in the hopes they have been lucky enough to get the right cards. “Life is really all about chance,” they say, “and I am going to put myself out there and hope that everything works out in my favor.”

And sometimes, this formula works. These “lucky ones” are able to make it, or at least put on the appearance of making it. But these people are few and far between.  The reason most people are so unhappy and angry about their life is because they feel cheated and robbed, and I say that they are right.  Since the beginning of man, we have had an enemy that has wanted nothing more that to take our joy of living and cause us to only exist; but we are called to much more than that.

The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full. (John 10:10 NIV)

God is after the small things in our life. The reason most Christ followers miss the mark and end up just like every other unhappy person is because they have missed the point of the relationship with the Father. As I push further in my journey with God, I realize more and more that at the end of the day, God is not all about telling me what to do, but telling me who He is. God does not want us to run to Him in our time of need to get the answer we seek, only to rush off once more and forget Him until He is needed again.

Instead, He wishes that we would remain with Him. We were built to exist in the presence of God, but through our sin have we lost that right. But still, He longs for us and we must long for Him.  There is still no one way to live our life that is universal for all.  That is why it is so imperative that we learn to not only run to God, but also remain with him.  In His embrace is where we belong.

Go and start living!

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Chaos…

We live in a world of chaos and disorder. Our families are bombarded by it, we are surrounded by it at work; we just can’t seem to escape it.  Life is chaos.

There is a story about Jesus that I love to read.  Jesus, like us, was surrounded by chaos, unlike us, He knew how to calm it. Here’s the Story:

³⁷A furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly swamped.³⁸Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. The disciples woke him and said to him, “Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?” ³⁹He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Quiet! Be still!” Then the wind died down and it was completely calm. ⁴⁰He said to his disciples, “Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?” (Mark 4.35-40).

A few things to think about…

1. There will always be storms in our life, so instead of trying to avoid them, face them with a God-given fervor.
2. Jesus will calm many of our storms, but he has given us the tools to do it our selves. It comes down to an issue of faith.
3. This story was a time of training for the disciples which prepared them for larger storms ahead. Likewise, do not be disheartened by the challenges you are facing.  Instead, see each one as an opportunity to better yourself and strengthen your faith because you never know what great things God has in-store for you.

Find your faith and find your victory.

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Recently, I was listening to a pastor speak about the desire to make your mark in life.  He stated that most, if not all, leaders wished to make their mark and leave the world better than they found it.  He also said that all leader will leave some sort of mark, whether they realized it or not.

This made me think.

We are surrounded by a sea of people who are trying to leave a mark on this world.  For example, you cannot log in to Twitter without seeing the description “Leader,”" World Changer,” or “Expert.” People are all clamoring to get their name out and have their voices heard; and many of them have great things to say.  But in reality, on a few rise to the top and become the real “experts.”  What separates them from everyone else?

Here is my hypothesis:
Those who have surpassed everyone else did not do so by focusing on who they were passing, but instread focused on each step ahead.

In other words – They focused on “the” mark instead of trying to make “a” mark

You see, there are two different “marks.”

- Making or leaving a mark means creating a name for yourself.
This will be forgotten because it is just a name

- Focusing on the Mark means changing the curcumstances around something to create a movement.
Focusing on the Mark takes movement.
Words are a waste of time, but the momentum carried through action is unstoppable.

Jesus’ legacy is not found in who He said He was, but what He did. Anyone could have said the things he said, but only the Son of God could DO the things he DID.

Talk is cheap, but actions are undeniable. I felt that God spoke to my heart telling me a very important principle:

DON’T MISS YOUR MARK WILL TRYING TO MAKE YOUR MARK.

Do not get carried away with try to be heard.  Let others watch you instead.

James says it well.
…faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead. (James 2.17)

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Courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the judgement that something else is more important than fear.  ~Ambrose Redmoon

Each new step in life requires courage.

• Going to high school for the first time.
• Leaving home for college
• Buying your first car
• Getting married (I’m about to do this one)
• Starting a new job
• Doing something that God has called you to do
• Leaving a good job to follow a dream
• Having kids
• Moving to a new place

This list can go on and on.  Moving into any new phase of life takes courage, we all know that, but many times we make the mistake of stepping out into each new phase with only enough courage to get by.

What I mean by this is that there is a big difference in getting the good out of a new experience and getting the best; and personally, I want the best. As stated before, I am getting married this summer and as me and my future bride enter into this new area of life, I want the best. I do not want us to settle for ok, or even good, I want the best.

I also should explain that there is a difference in man’s best and God’s best. I fully believe to get the most out of something, you must go to the source out it’s creation.  The creator and original visionary always knows and wants what’s best.  The same principle applies with God. He created us and if we are walking in agreement with His will, we are getting God’s best.

That’s what I want… God’s Best!

What about you?

So what does all this have to do with courage. It’s simply this: have the courage to trust God fully in each new phase of life and walk courageously into His appointed future for you.

Proverbs 3.5-6
⁵ Trust in the LORD with all your heart
and lean not on your own understanding;
⁶ in all your ways acknowledge him,
and he will make your paths straight.

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Have you ever watched someone do something and think, “Are the doing that right?”  Usually we ask this because we know some detail that the other person may not know, and there lies the secret; the details. We all heard it said “Its all in thedetails,” and that statement is very true, but it is not just true with us, it is true with God.

God is all about details. We can see this in the way God instructed Noah to build the Ark, or the detail of the law that God gave to Moses.  The reason I write this post is because as I was reading in 1 Kings 6, the evidence of God’s care for detail is quite apparent.  This chapter describes Solomon building the Lord’s temple. Every detail was fully though out and carefully constructed. He used the finest materiel and they took utmost care building this temple. God is into details.

When constructing you and I, God paid careful attention to the details. I love Psalm 139.13 that states “For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb.” We are certainly no accident and God made us as we are for a distinct and important purpose.

So do not fool yourself into thinking that you are just like everybody else when you clearly are not, because God is in the details. We are who we are for a reason and God has that all planned out as well, so seek Him and your detailed purpose will be made known to you.

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If only we could see people the way Jesus sees them, the world would be a different place. We would certainly treat each other differently. If only we could see their hurt instead of their anger. If only we could see their loss instead of their taking.

I view the world much differently when God allows me to catch a glimpse of the way He sees the things. We are surrounded by people who desperately need help, and God is reaching out to them through us; the redeemed.  Our job as Christ-followers is the single most important task ever to exist on this planet for human being. If only we could see them as they are.

We must beg God to allow us to see His people like He sees them. We must be filled with His compassion, His desire to give them salvation, and His willingness to do whatever it takes.

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There are a few verses in the Bible which have really been bothering me lately.

John 14.12-14
¹²I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. ¹³And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father. ¹⁴You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.

I underlined the part “He will do even greater things…” because this statement has been keeping me up at night, so bear with me as I try to explain why.

We, as in the entire Christian community,  have missed the boat entirely on what it is we are suppose to be doing.  Christianity has become the butt of jokes and the secular world just looks at us with distain.  We are constantly in the news for the wrong reasons and typically do more harm for the name of Jesus than good.

The reason for this, in my opinion, is because we talk to much.  We preach and promise but never seem to deliver.  That is the fascinating thing about Jesus.  He did not seem like that much of a talker, but a changer.  Everywhere He went, people were changed. He demonstrated the power of God, where as we just talk about it, and I think people are fed up with our broken promises and our empty words.  We tell them that God can heal, but are they being healed.  We tell them that God can protect, save, restore, change, or all the other promises of God, but we continually fail to deliver, and the fault does not fall on God, but on us.  We have been given a job to do and we have done it poorly.  We have traded in the power for “higher education” or selfishness, or cowardice. Whatever the reason, we have missed the boat, and we must return to the place where God can really use us.  The best way to prove or explain God is not in debates, but in demonstrations of his power.

Time is short and the harvest is great. We must commit ourselves to seeking the face of God with the fervency of those recorded in scripture, because God has chosen to accomplish His will through us!

Seek His Face!
Seek His Purpose!
Seek His POWER!

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Romans 2.6-8
⁶God “will give to each person according to what he has done.” ⁷To those who by persistence in doing good seek glory, honor and immortality, he will give eternal life. ⁸But for those who are self-seeking and who reject the truth and follow evil, there will be wrath and anger.

The phrase “will give to each person according to what he has done” is repeated two other times in the OT (Ps. 62.12 & Prov. 24.12).  This princinple is so important and it all comes down to the idea that God looks at the heart of men, not just thier actions.

In our culture, we reward work regardless of the motive.  ”As long as stuff is getting done” we say.  This is not the way God works. We cannot separate our doing and our being.  What we do should, and eventually will, show who we really are.

I found it interesting that Paul describes doing as “seeking glory, honor and immortality.”  He did not say it was being a good person, doing good things for others, planting a church, preaching, giving to the poor, or all the other “good” works we are to do.

We are to seek God and His plan.

It is by this standard we will be judged; not how hard we worked at “doing,” but how hard we worked at “seeking!“

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I was studying for our student service this week on the topic of love and I felt I should share this.  We will be learning from 1 Corinthians 13.1-8. Here it is…

What if I could speak all languages of humans and of angels? If I did not love others, I would be nothing more than a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. ²What if I could prophesy and understand all secrets and all knowledge? And what if I had faith that moved mountains? I would be nothing, unless I loved others. ³What if I gave away all that I owned and let myself be burned alive? I would gain nothing, unless I loved others. ⁴Love is kind and patient, never jealous, boastful, proud, or ⁵rude. Love isn’t selfish or quick tempered. It doesn’t keep a record of wrongs that others do. ⁶Love rejoices in the truth, but not in evil. ⁷Love is always supportive, loyal, hopeful, and trusting. ⁸Love never fails!

Now I don’t want to sound like a hippie leftover from the 60’s, but as I was reading, I am reminded that love really is the answer. The only command that Jesus stated from the Law was “Love God… and your neighbor as yourself.”  Love is the secret to society’s problems, family issues, selfishness, hatred, racism, and the list goes on.

The funny thing is, the above description of love is truly a districption of God.

So, let us all stop for a second and look at our heart.

• Are you in ministry for your love of Jesus or love for attention?
• Do you serve others because you love them as yourself or because you love their praise?
• Do you love God or love yourself?

1 John 4:8
Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.

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