Life Goes On

To say that the election this coming November is critical to the direction of our country is an understatement.  For those who are Christ followers it is crucial that we pray for God's guidance and we cast our votes.  With this in mind, we should learn from the Israelites, God's Chosen People.  In 1 Samuel 8, as the old prophet neared the end of his earthly life, it became apparent that his sons would not be good leaders for the country.  In v 6, "So all the elders of Israel gathered together and went to Samuel at Ramah.  They said to him, 'Look, you are old, and your sons do not walk in your ways.  Therefore appoint a king to judge us the same as all they other nations have.'"  Samuel was a bit offended by their request and he told God so.  The Lord replied to him in v 7 "But the LORD told him, 'Listen to the people and everything they say to you.  They have not rejected you; they have rejected me as their king.'" As we pray to God for guida...

Monday is always tough for pastors.  Replays of the Sunday sermons run through their (at least my) head.  Woulda, coulda, shoulda is the thought process.  However, life goes on (interesting title for a blog) and the focus must turn to next Sunday's messages.  The truth of the matter is that there is no score card so far as God is concerned.  There are no stats (decisions recorded, points made, etc.) in God's play book. Yesterday is gone.  I can't change it, but I can learn from it.  I can decide to be better prepared spiritually and from the standpoint of preparation next week.  I can re-order my priorities so that I give adequate time to study and preparation.  Whatever I do, it must be in the "now".  Planning is wonderful, but the greatest plan in the world is of no use unless it is implemented moment by moment, step by step.  This applies to every area of life. An example is establishing a healthy lifestyle of eating and exercis...

As I watch on C-span the Glen Beck rally in Washington D.C. I'm struck with the contradiction between man's approach to change and the plan that God gave us in the Bible to bring about lasting change. While man opts for "events" such as this rally, God's emphasis is on the individual; each one reaching and discipling one (Matt. 28:18-20) The result of disciple-making is that each disciple is then empowered to make disciples, and a movement is set in motion, not just an event. Jesus set the example for us in that He spent the majority of His time discipling and equipping a small group of men. Although He did, on occasion, speak to multitudes, the bulk of His time was invested in His disciples. If the money and man power that went into this rally were expended through disciple-making churches to train, equip and send out disciples of Jesus through our nation, lasting change would result. Once this rally is over, it is over. However, a disciple-making movement ...

I'm constantly amazed at the reaction of Believers to the current headlines. Many of them react just the same as unbelievers with worry and almost panic. It is as if God didn't know what was coming down the pike, and had to find out from our frantic prayers what was happening in the world. Should we be concerned? Yes. Should we worry? No! Should we pray? Absolutely! Our Sovereign God has fore-knowledge of every event that takes place on earth. He could intervene and change things before we even know about them. Instead, He allows them to occur and uses them as tools to shape and conform Believers into the image of Jesus. Our possible responses to events such as the oil spill are either FAITH, FEAR, or APATHY. As I mentioned in a blog post not long ago, some of what we consider to be disasters result in a new creativity and ingenuity on the part of man-kind. This occurs when we seek God's wisdom and understanding of what has happened and why. I was glad to read t...

After 50+ years in local church ministry, I'm convinced that most churches/Christians don't understand the power or purpose for prayer. Fully 90% of the prayer topics addressed in most churches are health related; 5% is asking blessing upon whatever meeting is taking place, with only 5% left to deal with such issues as the Good News of the Kingdom, salvation of the lost, missions, elected civil leaders and spiritual growth of the saints. (all of which are Biblical) If we learn to use the formidable tool that God has given us, I believe we will see the church come alive and our nation once again impacted by the Gospel of Christ. A study of the prayers of Jesus, Paul, David, Daniel and Nehemiah gives insight into prayer that prompts God's response. I think that God is waiting for His people to seek Him as something other than an EMT. We need to learn to seek His face, not just His hands. Once we begin to pray as the Bible teaches, we will see God's intervention in al...

In the gospels of Matthew and Mark, we find quotes from Deuteronomy 6:5 reminding us of the need to love God with our total being. One aspect of our being is "strength". A good definition of strength is "power", "might", or "exertion". Consequently, if we are to love God with all our strength, it will require us to work up a sweat for His sake. Mark Batterson in his book PRIMAL reminds readers that the words of Jesus at the judgment are "Well DONE good and faithful servant" not "well SAID". I thought of this as I watched cross-country skiers collapse across the finish line at the Olympics the other night. The athletes were totally spent. They were gasping for breath, they fell face first into the snow. All of this for a medal? Those of us who know and love Christ are vying for a much greater reward and yet, few of us are expending that kind of energy in expressing our love for God. I'm convinced that the heart o...

Most Christians are familiar with Matthew 6:33 "Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you." However, there is a wide discrepancy as to what this means. The question that needs to be addressed is "what is the kingdom of God"? In scripture we find references to the "kingdom of heaven", as well as the "kingdom of God. In the New Testament there are at least 27 references to the kingdom of heaven or the kingdom of God. In several parables Jesus told us what the Kingdom of Heaven is like; a man who sowed good seed, but his enemy sowed weeds; a mustard seed which, though very small, produces a tree or bush capable of providing a perch for the birds of the air; and yeast that is folded into a measure of flour. With this background, we can assume that the kingdom of heaven is a kingdom in which the will of God is done immediately and gladly by all it's inhabitants. It is a kingdom where love prev...

I have several friends who are extremely upset over the situation in our country. While I understand and appreciate their concern, I refuse to let it dominate my life. Daily I remind myself of the truth of Proverbs 21:1 "A kings heart is a water channel in the Lord's hand; He directs it wherever He chooses." Before you think that this is a cop-out on my part, stop and realize that the ultimate fate of this nation is not in the hands of the politicians, but rather in the hands of Almighty God. Even before I've done my part in voting and have spoken my mind through communication with elected officials, the most important thing I can do is pray for our nation. I've made a covenant with God that whenever I wake up during the night that is my call to prayer for our nation. Primarily I pray for repentance beginning in the halls of government and moving throughout the nation. I'm using Ninevah as my example. I'm asking God to send a prophet or prophets th...

This past week in my daily Bible reading I came across John 14:12 where Jesus said, "Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in Me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I am going to the Father. " Every time I read that, I ache for it to be true in my life. The word, "believe" is the same here as in John 3:16. Therefore, if I "believe" enough to be granted eternal life, I should also be doing the works of Jesus. I'm really tired of living beneath the privilege of a child of God and spiritual younger brother of Jesus. According to Romans 8:29, God intends to conform me to the image of Jesus. I know that the speed with which this happens depends on my obedience. God doesn't just arbitrarily mature some folks faster than others. I take far too many "Jonah side-trips" instead of obeying immediately. I long to be in a church that believes and acts upon the Word of God. I know that it ...

This morning while reading Amos 9, I began to think that perhaps the main problem with the church (universal & local) is that we/they are seeking "all these things" instead of seeking first the kingdom of God. As I follow lots of pastors & staff folks on Twitter, it appears that the pursuit is always the "things" and seldom the Kingdom of God. Maybe I don't know what seeking the Kingdom of God really is, but I think it would involve tailoring everything we do with pleasing God as the sole outcome. Instead we spend untold man hours and dollars pursuing the latest "in" thing with our peers or our heroes. Seldom do I encounter a church or pastor & staff who set aside regular, daily/weekly time to seek God & His kingdom. Most always I find staff meetings, dream sessions, conferences, books, etc. that aim toward "how do we attract people to our church? How do we become better leaders? or What is the next 40 day emphasis?" I...