Paul's letter to Timothy (Rich)

"Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life.

Timothy (Rich), guard what has been entrusted to your care. Turn away from godless chatter and the opposing ideas of what is falsely called knowledge, which some have professed and in so doing have wandered from their faith. Grace be with you." 1 Timothy 6:17-21

I am embarking on a new journey. I am adding another job to my life in an effort to get my way back to doing something I used to really enjoy, to earn a little more money so I can eventually be free of debt and less restrained to serve. The sacrifice is less time with my family, at least in the beginning stages. The benefits: more money will help, it will require a greater faith and dependency on God, and I will start (I believe) a journey back to being in a ministry that God has equipped and can use me in. Selling insurance to churches....how can that be a ministry? Well, it all goes to my intentions. I intend to serve churches in the capacity of getting the best policy for their insurance budget dollars. My goal is to take the pressure off them in being good stewards of at least a portion of what God has given them.

Before I started typing this blog, I opened my Bible to see what God had for me today. I was directed to this verse in 1 Timothy. It has some instructions in it. It has some warnings in it. It has God's presence all over it. I read this and feel like this is the blue print to the journey I am embarking on at this moment in my life. I have to follow it (be obedient), and by doing so - I put my hope in God.

Dear God, let my focus be on You as I start this new journey. Keep my intentions and motivations pure and righteous in Your eyes. Guard me from the godless chatter and any ideas opposed to Your will for my life. Thank you for your grace, for without it...I am nothing. I trust You. I love You. I pray this in the name of Jesus, my Savior - Amen.

A Step Back

I haven't blogged since last Sunday. In the days leading up to today, I have drifted....taken a step back. I spent the last few days making decisions on my own, not consulting my Father, and have found this week to be frustrating, tempting, and full of disobedience.

Father, Please forgive me for my sins. I have materialized things. I have coveted things. I have been selfish. I have been unfaithful to You. I have been unresponsive. I have separated myself from You.............................I have come back (again)....and I pray I will depend on You for all things, thoughts, decision, and provisions. In Jesus name...Amen.

The Sabbath

"Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your manservant or maidservant, nor your animals, nor the alien within your gates. For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but He rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy." - Exodus 20:8-11

How are we to take this verse? Does it apply today? Look around....people shopping, going out to eat, making others work, working around the house or yard.......it doesn't look like people are resting.

For me, since I gave my life to Christ, Sunday has been a day of rest. I cannot stand to work, and I have trouble tolerating those that do. After working for about 10 hours outside yesterday getting the pool open and yard work, etc. - I am beat. I need this day of rest, physically. I, also, think God intended us to rest mentally. For me, Sundays are days to spend time worshiping God, being with your family, and resting for the week ahead. My mind and body need this day of rest, and my quiet time with God is extra special on these days.

Yep, today is Sunday - a day of rest. Have you thanked God for Sundays, or have you been too busy. Thank you, God!

Idleness

I was reading this morning from 2 Thessalonians 3:6-14. Some key points from this Scripture:

1) We are instructed to keep away from every brother who is idle, and does not live an obedient life according to God's word (my paraphrase of verse 6).
2) Being idle is the same as being "busy-bodies" in God's eyes (verse 11)
3) Never tire of doing what is right.

Life application for me:

1) I need to be careful who I hang out with. If I want to be an authentic Christian, then I need to attach myself to people who want, or more importantly, are the same. Obedience is the key to success - the success being finding God's will for my life.

2) Am I really doing something to help the Kingdom, or am I 'playing Christianity'? Being busy vs. busy-bodies? Obedience vs. superficial obedience? In a 24 hour day, how much of my time is authentic in my relationship with God? Am I doing what He wants me to do? Am I a good and faithful servant? (Tough questions.....with embarrassing answers.)

3) Being obedient will bring rewards and joy that will make 'doing what is right' a privilege and not a chore.

Dear God, please forgive me for my "business" and not 'being busy'. Thank you for this scripture and the opportunity to live up to it. Amen.

Scripture Friday

I thought I would just type a message from His word today and meditate on it. For anyone who may read this, may you find peace, comfort, strength, and perseverance in these words.

From Psalm 71 verse 1-5:

In you, O Lord, I have taken refuge;
let me never be put to shame.
Rescue me and deliver me in your righteousness;
turn your ear to me and save me.
Be my rock of refuge to which I can always go;
give the command to save me,
for you are my rock and my fortress.
Deliver me, O my God, from the hand of the wicked,
from the grasp of evil and cruel men.
For you have been my hope, O Sovereign Lord,
my confidence since my youth.

Amen.

Can I get a piece of that?

I love reading the blogs of a few "on-fire" Christians that I know. To hear their daily, yet life altering experiences - it just amazes me. One person in particular.....this one person seems to have a direct line with these God experiences. I check his blog daily to see if he has posted again.

Why can't I have those experiences? I'm not jealous, I just what a piece of it. The question that arises, "How can I, or can I"? The answer has a little uncertainty, because God uses each of us according to HIS purpose and the gifts HE gave us. There is one thing I can control in this........and that is how I am living my life. Am I in HIS word? Am I connected to a group of believers to keep me accountable? Am I dealing with any sin in my life? Am I constantly thinking about God in all my situations, decisions, and actions? Am I following the footsteps of Jesus? Is my path 'God's path' or 'my path'?

Some of these are hard to answer, but in all reality - I need to spend more time with God. (period) You know when you are in a restaurant, and someone decides to have dessert so you can sit and talk longer. They get their dessert, you see them enjoying it, so you say to the waitress/waiter - "Can I have a piece of that"?

The answer is YES, but I have to do some preparing so I can be ready to taste the best pie God has to offer me. I need to get ready to eat.

The Waiting Game

Yesterday, I stayed home in the morning waiting for the gas company to come and change our meter. It was one of those deals where they give you a window (7:30AM - Noon) when they will come. Surely they would come first thing in the morning.

I waited........and waited....and waited. Finally at 11AM they called to reschedule. At 9AM I was getting agitated. At 10AM, I was getting furious. At 11AM, when they called, I was at peace. What happened between 10 and 11? I started to enjoy the quiet time I had to think, to pray, to listen for God's voice. It was nice to be able to slow down. What did waiting to start my work day till 11 cost me? Let's speculate.......maybe God kept me from a bad accident?......maybe He saved me from a traffic jam that would have tried my patience?........Maybe He just wanted to slow me down, so I could spend more time with Him?

In our busy lives, we hate to be slowed down. We multi-task constantly, just to get the things done we need or want. We have our schedules.

The Waiting Game........it was great to play this, yesterday. God always knows what we need. I look forward to playing again.

Growing our faith

Last night was basketball night for a group of men at our church. It is always good to get out there and get some exercise, even though several of us are way past our primes. In January, I added a devotion time to our prayer time before we start playing. This has been a blessing. Last night, a person shared a testimony about faith and how his faith struggles from time to time. He commented we should have faith in fellow man to help us grow stronger in our faith in God. At first, I didn't get where he was coming from, until Joe got hurt.

Before we start playing, we always ask for God's protection over us, so no one gets hurt. Last night, Joe landed on another person's foot and rolled his ankle. He was on the floor in terrible pain. The first thing that I thought about was "wait a minute, God, we asked that no one would get hurt". I thought, what is everyone going to think about our prayer time with God? We have some people who come to play that do not have a real relationship with Christ. What will those people think? Will they lack faith in prayer to YOU?

As we helped Joe to the sidelines, I felt compelled to lay my hand on Joe's ankle and pray for healing and for relief from the pain. One other man had a hand on his shoulder as I prayed.

Let me ask the same question, "what will those people still searching think about prayer and faith?"

This is what I hope they grasp......

1) God doesn't answer all prayers the way we want.

2) God has reasons for the way he answers our prayers, AND we don't have to immediately understand them. This is where faith is needed.

3) Even though God did not answer our prayer for no one to get hurt, we still turned to HIM again for our needs. (Again...more faith needed.)

4) Prayers should be natural to a believer.......we should not hesitate.

Joe could not even stand after he got hurt. Five minutes after our prayer, he got up, gathered up his stuff, and limped his way out of the church. Did God hear our prayers that night? Absolutely. Did God answer our prayers that night? Absolutely. Did God answer our prayers the way we wanted? No. Did Joe feel God's presence after he got hurt? That one.....we need to ask Joe. I believe he did.

Hopefully Joe has some faith that the rest of us there last night care about him, and are there for him when he falls. I hope we all feel that way. Wait a minute....that would be having faith in our fellow man. You add in prayer...and maybe, just maybe......our faith grows in God. Sounds like something I heard earlier in the night. Very interesting.

Get well, Joe.....I am praying for you.

I was

Yesterday, I had a very brief conversation with a person who was angry with something a Pastor said in a service the previous week. Without going into any particulars, this person said they wanted to stand up and confront them. I defended the Pastor....even though I didn't attend the service this person did. I said it was not said that way at the service I was in.

I thought a lot about this brief communication yesterday. Something really bothered me about it. I was very upset with this person I call a friend. I truly felt (and still do) that this person heard what he wanted to hear. I think their personal opinions invaded what was heard....or at least, how it was received.

Why was this bothering me?

After much thought, I realized I use to be this person several years ago. I was the person who was quick to disagree with something said from the pulpit, and be critical of that person speaking. I was the person who complained to other members about what was being said. I was the person who thought I was morally above the action of division. I was the person that helped cause some dissension in a church. I was that person.

I had a choice to make.....continue to judge this person I spoke with yesterday.......or start realizing that the person I am today is not the person I was several years ago. The difference was a personal relationship with Jesus. If Jesus could change me, then surely HE can change this other person. If Jesus could offer grace and forgiveness to me, then surely HE could offer it to this person.

It is often uncomfortable having God use situations from our past to develop our character for the future. These "growing pain" moments is where the rubber meets the road, so to speak. It becomes a spiritual marker in our lives (if we let it), because it reminds us of where God brought us from. It reminds us of how ugly we were to God, yet he loved us anyway. It reminds us not to judge others, because we were once in their same shoes. It reminds ME that I still have a lot of growing to do in my walk.....and Jesus is still working at my character.

What's next? What is the best way to handle a situation or conversation like the one I experienced yesterday? I'm not completely sure. I do know that I was reminded that I once was that person, so I should not be judging....but to offer grace and forgiveness. My character has changed because of Jesus.

I was that person. I am different, now. Jesus did that for me. I pray HE will do it for this person, as well. Jesus takes the 'I was' to 'I am' because HE IS! Amen.

Facing the Giants

Our church showed this movie tonight as part of a celebration of our most recent building campaign, and more importantly - what God is going to do through and with us; and probably in spite of us.

I have seen this movie before. I remember crying through some scenes where God was changing peoples' lives. I also remember the acting being a little cheesy. As we were getting ready to watch this, my wife was telling a friend isn't this a true story - which I kind of laughed and chuckled to myself -"are you kidding?"

As the movie progressed, I found myself laughing a little more about how everything seemed to turn out the way the football coach wanted. Even the wind changed directions just in time for the game-winning kick. I laughed out loud.

After it was over, I began to think about one scene in the movie where it basically stated we need to prepare our field as if God will bring rain in the middle of a drought. This made me think about my prayer life....I pray to God for miracles, but I have done nothing to prepare myself, or my life, to be ready to receive it. God can do anything. He can change the direction of the wind at just the right moment......He can have someone donate a brand new vehicle to a coach who desperately needed one......He can provide the miracle of birth in a woman who was told cannot have kids.......He can help a bunch of under-achievers win the big game.....He can use a movie with cheesy acting to drive home a point. The point is: God can do anything and we should be preparing for when God overcomes the obstacles in our lives. We need to spend some time preparing for a harvest that only God can reap. Never give up. Never back down. Never lose faith.

Maybe...just maybe, we miss out on so many blessings from God, because we fail to do the necessary work, because we cannot see the result. Hebrews 11:1 - "Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see." When I look deep into that verse, the key words for me are BEING SURE. Sure of what. Sure of a God who can do anything. BEING SURE means to prepare for answered prayer. I think about some of the prayers I have said........am I really prepared for Him to answer them? Excuse me while I go do some preparing........................

Journaling (blogging)

Bill Hybel states in his book (Too Busy Not To Pray) that, "Journaling is the important first step to slowing down to pray."

Who doesn't need to spend more time in prayer? If you're like me, you pray when there is a need, a want, or plea for help. That sums up my prayer...at least lately. Lately, I have been in a spiritual rut...a valley.....a low point. It has lasted far longer than I ever imagined or desired. About two months ago, I began to doubt all my decisions. I could not make commitments....I take that back....I would make commitments to things, and then back out of them. I stopped being involved in all the ministries I was or wanted to be active in (except men's basketball because I need to lose weight AND love the fellowship time we have). I basically slow downed my life.

At first, I thought this was a horrible thing to do....BUT, after spending more time reading God's word, praying, and listening to God...I realized that God used my indecisiveness and withdrawal from ministry to get my attention. Thank you God!

I am blown away by your love for me, your forgiveness, your grace, your mercy.....your Son!

You stick with me when I think nobody should. You have made me realize (again) that I need you....I need more of you......I need to give more of me......all of me...so you can fill me up.

This is my first ever entry in the 'blog world'. I don't know if anyone will even read it, but I don't care. I am excited. I have re-opened the communication with my Savior. This venue will be my daily journal as I look to grow in Christ and be more like Him...one day at a time.

God had to slow me down. I love Psalm 46.

"Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the
earth. The Lord Almighty is with us..."

Did you catch the comma after 'be still'. Commas mean we are to pause or slow down. That is what I plan on doing. Be still........and know that I AM God.