Sunday, July 26, 2020

We Can Do Nothing Without Him

I’ve said a few times before that God won’t do for us what we can do for ourselves.  I’ve thought about that and while it’s true, I need to put it in perspective.  We have to do the work that is within our power, but nothing we do will ever be successful without God in the midst of it.  He gets all the glory for whatever we achieve because we can do nothing on our own.  

The Bible says, God gives us the power to gain wealth (Deut 8:18) and if we seek Him first, He will add everything we need to us (Matt 6:33).  Any success we achieve, is not because of anything inherent in ourselves.  It is all due to God’s power and grace even when we’re not saved.  He’s still giving us an opportunity to turn to Him, because He doesn’t move – He is constant. 

God made us in His (the trinity) likeness (Gen 1:26), so he gave us all we would ever need to accomplish great things – if we do the work and prepare.  But, we can never forget that it’s because of God that we live and move and have our being (Acts 17:28).  When you think about it, we control very little of our lives.  Look at what’s going on the world right now.  So, we have to understand that God is in control of it all (Luke 12:22-26).  God woke us all up this morning and gave us the mobility of our limbs.  Don’t ever get it twisted and believe that you’ve done anything on your own.  

So, next time you are thinking about what a great job you did on that last work project or how you really nailed that assignment, remember to give thanks to the One who gave you the ability to do so.  He is faithful!

Sunday, July 19, 2020

I Get Distracted….What About You?

Today I had an epiphany, I get distracted a lot….a whole lot.  I mean, I have these plans for my day or my week or for a meeting, and all of a sudden something else has drawn my attention.  One of my co-workers said it best about me, “You get distracted by shiny objects.”  I realized today, they don’t have to be shiny to distract me. It could be a song on the radio or a video game or an email, and while none of those things are bad, if they are keeping you or me from our God-given purpose, they need to be minimized or eliminated.  I don’t mean you can never listen to the radio or play a video game or read email, I mean they need to be given the proper priority and put in their proper place.  

I know this sounds insane given the world we currently live in.  I know I feel almost lost without my phone where I can check text messages and my email, but the fact is that most of the text messages and emails can wait until a planned task is completed.   More than anything, I need to make plans and stick to them.  What usually happens is I get distracted by something other than what I’m doing, I go down a rabbit hole, and I still have to come back to whatever I was doing initially.  This ultimately takes more time away from other equally important things.  

For me, that means I have to focus and remove the distractions I can when I’m working on important projects.  If I don’t, the project just takes longer and ultimately, I’m the one who suffers as a result.  This applies to reading my bible, cooking dinner, reading a book, cleaning house, writing, etc.  I’ve got to gain some discipline to ensure I’m working and living smarter instead of harder.  Jesus came that we might have life and it more abundantly….all aspects of life (John 10:10).  He doesn’t want us to struggle, especially with things we have the power to change.  That doesn’t mean we won’t have hard times, but even in those, He’s there to lead and guide us in the way we should go while He’s working out the situation for our good (Romans 8:28).  I’ve said before that He will not do for me what I can do for myself.  I say this because, a lot of times, someone will say I need to pray about this or that, and really we just need to act.  Do what is right to do….there is no need for confirmation when you know the answer.  Just do it.  

For the past few weeks, I’ve been putting this blog up late on Sunday night, which in turn caused me to be up later than I should and not get a good night’s sleep before starting the work week on Monday mornings.  Today, I was determined to get the blog up before dinner time and I'm gonna reach that goal.   So, I still might get distracted by something else that keeps me up, but my intent is not to.  I turned off the TV and put down my tablet and phone and started writing.  I’m working on making this a habit.  We’ll see how it shakes out, because we’re striving for progress and consistency.  

We all have a purpose and assignments.  Are you giving them your full attention….your best?  I pray you will take a look at your life and discern the distractions keeping you from the getting the important things done.  God deserves better!

Sunday, July 12, 2020

Who is God Leading You to Minister to?

As I’ve written over the past weeks, the current pandemic and racial issues in our world have caused me to truly consider my actions and my thoughts.  With that, my small group’s study of the Book of Acts, has caused me to consider how I interact with others.  The Book of Acts gives history and foundation for the church, as it lays out the actions and working of the Holy Spirit in the early church.  This week’s lesson emphasized how God does not show partiality between us.  He loves us all the same, no matter what we have or what we’ve done.  He sent Jesus to die for all our sins.  Of course, it’s up to us, whether we accept Him.  

However, Jesus told his disciples (followers) to go into all the world and tell the Good News of who Jesus was and the sacrifice He made so that we could all be reconciled to God.  Like many of us, who are saved, the early Christians thought they were special and that Jesus died just for them.  That was not the case.  Jesus came that all men (and women) would have the opportunity to receive the salvation He paid for with His life (John 3:17).  

The more I thought about that, the more I see that I may be delinquent in my service to Him.  Without a doubt, He is my Savior.  But, have I done all that He’s told me to do?  There are some people I just don’t care for.  I mean, I love them as people, but I don’t “like” some of them very much.  I’m sure there are many people who feel the same way about me.  I can honestly say, I’ve never thought I was better than anyone else, but I have shied away from some characters because they were just “too much.”  

I wonder now if I’ve hesitated or ignored the leading of the Holy Spirit to share God’s love for them.  I’d like to hope that I haven’t, but I’m not sure.  The Lord loves all of us and I need to make sure that I love people and do for them, just as I would want someone to do for me.  I know we’re on a journey through this thing called life and the Bible and the Holy Spirit are our guides, if we have a relationship with Jesus as our savior.  The thing to remember is that Jesus is Lord. His Word reigns supreme.  He said to love God first and then my neighbor as myself (Luke 10:27).  That means I’ve got to be more intentional about sharing the love of Christ even with those I wouldn’t normally.  James said it best, in James 4:17, to one who knows the right thing to do and does not do it, to him it is sin.  This is a process and as we learn better, we have to do better.  That’s my plan going forward.  


Sunday, July 5, 2020

What are you not doing that you should?

In these extraordinary times, there’s lots of time for self-reflection.  I know I’ve been doing a lot of that over the past few months.  I’ve been taking stock of my life and what’s really important to me.  As always, God, family, friends, purpose, hobbies, etc.  So I’ve been more consistent with reading my bible and my devotionals.  In this time when I couldn’t get out in the public, I’ve been having virtual get-togethers with friends.  I check in with family members more frequently. 

Fortunately, I’ve been working the entire time we’ve been social distancing, except for a couple of weeks of vacation, so I haven’t had a lot of down time.  With the alone time I’ve had, I’ve been asking God and myself, what should I be doing with it?  What can I do to change the world in this time?  Who can I help during this time?  A few weeks ago, that looked like making notes for kids’ lunches for Action Ministries, who provides meals for kids who otherwise wouldn’t have lunch during the summer months.  It wasn’t a lot of effort but it was one way for me individually to help. Some may include donations, some may include time, some may be gifts and talents.  There are all sorts of ways to help.  You just have to look for them.  

What talents and gifts do you have that can be used to help someone else?  Everyone has gifts and talents and skills.  How are yours being used to make the world a better place?  Who can you help with their reading during the summer?  Or who needs you to pick up a few groceries?  What might your neighbor need from you?  It’s time for each of us to step out of our comfort zone and be what the world needs to move forward.  How can we with nothing but ourselves help someone?  What do you individually need to do?  James 2:26 indicates that faith without works is dead.  If you have faith, there should be some works because of it.  God did not give us gifts and talents to just sit on and be comfortable. He gave us exactly what we need to glorify him in not just our words but our actions (James 4:17).  It’s really between you and God, but know that He knows everything we do and everything we don’t.  Don’t be held accountable for the things you didn’t do.