Do It Today!

I don’t know about you, but over the past two years it has felt like there was a rapid rate of death. Yes, I know we’ve been in a pandemic for the past two years and it has definitely resulted in a large number of deaths. But I don’t mean those. It feels as if there has been an increase in cancer diagnoses. People have died from other illnesses and rather young, too. I don’t know if it’s true or it’s just my perception of it since I’ve been home more than would usually be normal. 

Either way, it has made me think about how I live my life and the need to be present in every moment. I’m sure I’ve said this before, but it bears saying again – none of us know how long we have on earth (Prov 27:1). While we are chasing whatever dream or working long hours, time is passing us by. There is only so much time to spend with children or parents or siblings or friends or so many others who are important parts of our lives. I’m not suggesting that any one should renege on their responsibilities. I’m only recommending that we determine what’s really important. Then spend some time doing that. Don’t put it off (Prov 6:4). 

Of course, our relationship with the Lord should be the most important relationship we nourish (Matt 6:33). When everyone and everything else is gone, He will still never forsake or leave us. But, then, we need to remember the other relationships that are most important to us – and spend time feeding them (Prov 27:23-24). We need to spend time with those closest to us to strengthen those relationships. We need to remember why careers and such are so important – not just to buy stuff or to make a name for ourselves but to take care of those closest to us and to bless others. Nothing we have is for us and us alone – we are here to be a blessing to someone else (Phil 2:4). That includes our time. Sometimes time is much more important that money. 

The blessing we share might look like a phone call or a note in the mail or a text just to let someone know you’re thinking of them. Maybe it’s sending a small gift. That can be the encouragement someone needs to get up. You never know what someone is going through. A small kindness could make all the difference for them. If someone crosses your mind, don’t take it lightly and don’t put it off. Call or text them. Pray for and with them. You never know how that may impact their lives and possibly the lives of others as they imitate our behavior. We have the opportunity to impact the world. What are we going to do with it?

Sister or Brother Friends

Yesterday, I spent several hours at an event designed for women to fellowship and consider the different seasons of life. It was amazing to be in the presence of a group of women (in person) and to share and talk and laugh and eat with them. It’s been such a long time since we were together and I didn’t realize how much I needed it until I was in the room with them. 

What a blessing it was. Yes, it was different than it was before COVID. We were screened and masked and spread out, but what a time we had together. 

As I’ve contemplated it, I realize how much we need friends in our lives.  I mean real friends, not just acquaintances.  I have some wonderful women in my life who share life with me, and I have on a very limited basis spent time with them over the past two years. But, oh, how we need people in our lives who can just be supportive when we need to vent or talk through a situation or just sit with us when we don’t feel like engaging in anything else (Prov 17:17). 

Sometimes, we just need those who we can be vulnerable with and not have to put on faces or masks. We need ones we can trust not to take what we share and attack us with it later (Prov 20:6). God places people in our lives who can fill these roles, but it’s up to us to take full advantage of the opportunities God affords us. We also need to make sure these friends know how much we appreciate them. 

If you have a sister or a brother friend who is always someone you can lean on and just be yourself with, don’t forget to give them love and let them know how much they mean to you (1 Pet 4:8). If the last two years has shown us nothing, it’s that we don’t know how long we have with people. At every opportunity, we need to show love and kindness, because we may not get another chance. Love on someone close to you today. We all need it.

Are you Fulfilling the Great Commission?

This week I have really wondered if I’m in the right place – I know that I am, but some days are more difficult than others. Yes, as I mentioned last week, we can’t get bogged down with whatever is happening around us, we have to move forward and place our trust and dependence on the Lord learning more about Him and ourselves. But we have work to do as well. When Jesus left to be with the Father in Heaven, He gave us a job to do – go and make disciples of all nations. Are we doing that each day as we go to and from work? Are we doing that as we go to the grocery store? Are we doing that when we go to the ball game? I know I haven’t been. I mean, I work the Lord into most conversations, but I don’t go into the details of the Gospel. I just haven’t. 

This morning, one of our church’s Elders ministered, and she laid out our commission really clearly. We don’t have to sell Jesus to anyone, but we do have a command to tell people about him and why we all need him. We were born sinners (Rom 3:23) and the wages of sin is death (Rom 6:23). There is nothing we can do on our own to pay for it – we were condemned (Heb 9:2; Eph 2:8-9). But God loved us so much that He provided a way out of that punishment for us (John 3:16). He sent His son Jesus, a perfect sacrifice, to pay the penalty for our sins (Rom 5:8). Jesus served as a bridge for us be reunited with the Father in Heaven, both now and forever (1 Pet 3:18). When we believe on Jesus, we receive eternal life (John 1:12). That is a story of the Gospel. 

Do you have any idea how many people we pass on the street or in the aisle at the grocery store who are lost in darkness and may not even know it? I don’t and that’s really the point. People can be nice people and still be lost. How many people in our families are in the same predicament? They may be going about their lives, knowing something is missing, but not understanding what that is. I don’t want to be held accountable for their loss. I have to do better and I challenge you to do the same. 

I don’t know what to say, you might be thinking. Well, you can use the words above or you can tell your story about how Jesus saved you or you can study and let the Holy Spirit give you the words to say or you can admit you don’t know the right words, but you know Jesus saved you and he’ll do the same for them. I also have a tool for you – The Navigators Discipleship Tool. It provides a graphic and the scriptures above to explain how Jesus and his sacrifice on the cross are our bridge back to Father God. It tells the story of our redemption and how Jesus wants to have a relationship with each one of us (Rev 3:20). I highly recommend it. I’m by no means recommending anyone go on an evangelist journey, unless God is leading you to that. But I am suggesting that all of us have interactions with people who don’t know Jesus and this is a way for us to make sure they’ve heard of Him and why we need Him. They may not accept Him, but that is above our pay grade. Another tool for you is a YouTube video that moved me. It’s all about the G.O.S.P.E.L and it’s about 5 minutes long (Thanks Elder Melinda for all the tools today). 

At the end of the day, we have no excuse for not following Jesus’ direction. Make sure you’re doing your part. Be present and intentional. The Holy Spirit will do the work, you just have to step into it. I love you all and wish you the very best as you do your part in pointing people to Jesus. Be blessed! 

Press Forward!

This week I took my first real business trip since COVID started. I spent a week with senior executives from my organization working on our leadership skills and it was very rewarding. I learned about myself and I had the opportunity to be creative. I got to interact with a Cabinet Secretary and was in Washington, DC during the State of the Union address. So, the past week was eventful. It was also hard. 

For the past two years, I’ve had to walk less than 80 feet to my computer in the guest room and while I’ve been dressed, I haven’t needed to wear a business suit in all that time. I have gone into the office a few days, but no more than one or two days in a week and that has been rare. So needless to say, having to get up early every day to be at the DC office has been a challenge. Add to it, we had early start times and a brisk walk to and from the office every day. 

Through it all, God was faithful. Last week was a lot of work and an intense reentry into the world. Plus, there were some nights with little sleep due to a nearby fire station. But God was there with me. He said He’d never leave nor forsake us and He kept His Word, as He always does. I found myself seeking to please Him and while this week was for work, I still worked to glorify Him and the calling He has on my life (Phil 3:12-14). 

I understand more and more that God can use anything to help us mature into who He is calling us to be. Every experience we have is to drive us to be more like Him and learn more about the things that don't line up with His leading. The more we recognize who we are, the more we realize how much we need Him…how flawed we really are (Rom 12:3). It is both humbling and insightful. 

This week I learned about more of my weaknesses and it made me more grateful for His lordship over my life (2 Cor 12:9-10). I realized all the more how dependent I am on the Lord and how much growing I still have to do. By worldly view, I might be considered to have it going on, but I know that I have so much more to learn about Him and about myself. I don’t know what He has for me, but I know it’s more than I can imagine....so I’m pressing toward the prize. What about you? What are you moving toward?