"Do this!" "Why?" "Because I said so."
Maybe you have been on one or both sides of that conversation. The word "why" sums up the frustration whether you are giving the command or receiving it. We may want someone to do something, not knowing why, but just because that's the way it's always been done. On the other hand before we do something we would like to have the reason or belief of the purpose for doing it. Thus, a conflict.
Going through life as a Christian is extra difficult without knowing the why. If God commands us to do something, then I understand from biblical examples that it is not wise to ask why. But there are many answers to the whys throughout the Word...it's just taking the time to learn them. There are so many responsibilities and needs that require me to always be on the go that I forget to discover the whys. I put the go before the come. Here's what I mean...
Mark 3:13-15, "Jesus went up on a mountainside and called to him those he wanted, and they came to him. He appointed twelve--designating them apostles--that they might be with him and that he might send them out to preach and to have authority to drive out demons."
Going out to share the message of the cross (which is totally counter-cultural) and fighting against what is wrong are frightening thoughts. Individualism and blind acceptance of other's beliefs are messages taught in our public education, media, and many religions that can influence us as we are going out. But if I come to Jesus first and spend time with him, then my mind is transformed away from the patterns of our culture and into His mindset.
Jesus didn't call those he wanted and instantly send them out. He called them to come, to be in communion with him. By being with Jesus they learned a different way of living and thinking. They saw how he handled the attitudes and needs of their culture. Jesus taught them to depend on the Father for everything. What a great life experience and knowledge they had as they went out.
A key for me to go courageously with God is to first come to Jesus. The cup and the bread I take on Sunday are treasures left by Jesus, but my communion with him does not stop there. I need to come in communion with him daily as I go to do my Father's will.
How do you prepare to go courageously? Post a comment and let us know.
Saturday, December 12, 2009
Sunday, November 29, 2009
Clarity of Purpose May Start With A Challenge
One of my true highlights each month is when Jeannine and I have the opportunity to serve as facilitators for the Overcomers group. The many physical and mental challenges that are a part of the people in this ministry could be a Who's Who of Medical Issues. Certainly many would think our time together on the last Saturday of each month would be filled with complaining, self-pity, and the chant that nobody understands the pain we are in. But quite the opposite! I see genuine faith, glory and honor given to God, and eyes set on the goal of salvation. Their purpose is shown through their challenge.
A well known leadership author, Napolean Hill, stated, "Behind every adversity is the seed of an equal or greater benefit." Isn't that true that many good things don't come without first working through struggle or adversity? But I believe James 1:2-4 states it best, "Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything."
Perseverance is absent without something to persevere through. Many times the situation that requires perseverance is before us, but we dodge it and head to our comfort zone. The easy path is too appealing. The pain seems too great. It just doesn't make sense for us to keep trying, so we reason. We know what we have and it will just have to be enough. Being mature and not lacking anything are sacrificed to avoid the struggle.
At the end of my life I don't want others to remember me as one who stood for nothing and enjoyed a 'comfortable' life. I want to be remembered as one who battled for God, was willing to suffer for the name of Jesus, and never gave up in the face of adversity. I want to always walk courageously with God. How about you?
A well known leadership author, Napolean Hill, stated, "Behind every adversity is the seed of an equal or greater benefit." Isn't that true that many good things don't come without first working through struggle or adversity? But I believe James 1:2-4 states it best, "Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything."
Perseverance is absent without something to persevere through. Many times the situation that requires perseverance is before us, but we dodge it and head to our comfort zone. The easy path is too appealing. The pain seems too great. It just doesn't make sense for us to keep trying, so we reason. We know what we have and it will just have to be enough. Being mature and not lacking anything are sacrificed to avoid the struggle.
At the end of my life I don't want others to remember me as one who stood for nothing and enjoyed a 'comfortable' life. I want to be remembered as one who battled for God, was willing to suffer for the name of Jesus, and never gave up in the face of adversity. I want to always walk courageously with God. How about you?
Sunday, November 22, 2009
Do I Need Spiritual Glasses?
When I reached the magic age of 40 several years ago, my physical body decided to challenge me. One such challenge was the ability to read words in the distance that others seemed to read with ease. I would become frustrated during meetings when the PowerPoint presenter couldn't focus the projector, even after asking him or her to. And on top of that everyone else in the meetings would say it was fine. Then came my first experience with prescription glasses. WOW!
In my last blog entry we talked about training wiser to become holy as Jesus is holy. In this entry lets discuss training our spiritual eyes. Our daily focus is critical to walking courageously with God, but as we all experience there are many things that catch our attention. From the moment we wake up till we drift off to sleep, we choose what to look at, both physically and in our hearts.
Part of Ephesians 1 reads, "17I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. 18I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, 19and his incomparably great power for us who believe." Being 'enlightened' is like putting on a pair of glasses that correct our eyesight. We see with clarity and amazement what was once blurry and dull.
One type of training I find helpful for my spiritual eyesight is meditation. When I am still and quiet, letting my thoughts get in tune with the Holy Spirit, then God uses that time to speak clearly about His will for my life. Busyness does not equate to success of our efforts. Working out in a gym doesn't guarantee the health results that we may desire. Most successful athletes have very focused workout regimens to accomplish set goals. Business professionals are like that, also. There is much focused planning that goes into a major project before plans are implemented. They do not come up with an idea and just start doing.
Meditation for me can involve various moments such as prayer, reading the Bible, reading a good book, walking, or just sitting. But with any of these it requires quiet and stillness of mind. Too many times I try to fit my walk with God into my run through life. I pray on the go, complete an assigned reading and go, eat on the go, deal with an issue and go, go-go-go! If I don't allow myself to be quiet before God, then my life bears the results (the results I don't want). Jesus needed a solitary place where he could talk with his Father without interruption (Mark 1:35). I definitely need to imitate him.
So one aspect of my spiritual training to walk courageously with God involves meditation, a discipline of being quiet and still before my Father. What about you? How do you train spiritually? What are your thoughts about meditation? How do you get a spiritual eye checkup so that your focus stays on the hope to which he has called you? Post your insight and ideas so that we can all continue learning how to walk courageously with God.
In my last blog entry we talked about training wiser to become holy as Jesus is holy. In this entry lets discuss training our spiritual eyes. Our daily focus is critical to walking courageously with God, but as we all experience there are many things that catch our attention. From the moment we wake up till we drift off to sleep, we choose what to look at, both physically and in our hearts.
Part of Ephesians 1 reads, "17I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. 18I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, 19and his incomparably great power for us who believe." Being 'enlightened' is like putting on a pair of glasses that correct our eyesight. We see with clarity and amazement what was once blurry and dull.
One type of training I find helpful for my spiritual eyesight is meditation. When I am still and quiet, letting my thoughts get in tune with the Holy Spirit, then God uses that time to speak clearly about His will for my life. Busyness does not equate to success of our efforts. Working out in a gym doesn't guarantee the health results that we may desire. Most successful athletes have very focused workout regimens to accomplish set goals. Business professionals are like that, also. There is much focused planning that goes into a major project before plans are implemented. They do not come up with an idea and just start doing.
Meditation for me can involve various moments such as prayer, reading the Bible, reading a good book, walking, or just sitting. But with any of these it requires quiet and stillness of mind. Too many times I try to fit my walk with God into my run through life. I pray on the go, complete an assigned reading and go, eat on the go, deal with an issue and go, go-go-go! If I don't allow myself to be quiet before God, then my life bears the results (the results I don't want). Jesus needed a solitary place where he could talk with his Father without interruption (Mark 1:35). I definitely need to imitate him.
So one aspect of my spiritual training to walk courageously with God involves meditation, a discipline of being quiet and still before my Father. What about you? How do you train spiritually? What are your thoughts about meditation? How do you get a spiritual eye checkup so that your focus stays on the hope to which he has called you? Post your insight and ideas so that we can all continue learning how to walk courageously with God.
Saturday, November 14, 2009
Trying Harder or Training Wiser
"I'm going to try harder to be a better parent and not get so angry and impatient with my kids." "I'm going to try harder to treat my spouse with more respect." "I'm going to try harder to serve God." "I'm going to try harder not to sin." "I'm going to try harder to get in better shape." "I'm going to try harder to..."
How many times have you made that statement, with the best intentions, to only be disappointed so quickly with yourself once again? Trying harder is a common mantra of those wanting to improve who they are, but in and of itself one of the quickest ways to just giving up. We can only handle so much failure by our own will before we no longer have the will. We lose the courage to try again.
Many years ago I completed a marathon, 26.2 miles. Why you may ask! Well, that is another blog. But one thing for certain, if I had woke up that morning in October, 1994, without ever training for the run and decided, "You know, there's a marathon today. I think I will go try to run it..."; you know what the results would have been. Without the many months of proper training, both physically and mentally, I would have quit before crossing the finish line. But because I followed a training regimen I was able to "try hard" and succeed.
Do you just try harder to be who God has created you to be, or do you train wisely for it? Let's explore what it means to train for righteousness in future blogs. What type of "spiritual training" do you do? What has enabled you to run the race that leads to heaven? How do we follow Paul's writing in 1 Corinthians 9:24-27 to not run aimlessly that will disqualify us from the prize, but to run in such a way to get a crown that will last forever?
Let's learn together how to have the courage to walk (and run) with God!
How many times have you made that statement, with the best intentions, to only be disappointed so quickly with yourself once again? Trying harder is a common mantra of those wanting to improve who they are, but in and of itself one of the quickest ways to just giving up. We can only handle so much failure by our own will before we no longer have the will. We lose the courage to try again.
Many years ago I completed a marathon, 26.2 miles. Why you may ask! Well, that is another blog. But one thing for certain, if I had woke up that morning in October, 1994, without ever training for the run and decided, "You know, there's a marathon today. I think I will go try to run it..."; you know what the results would have been. Without the many months of proper training, both physically and mentally, I would have quit before crossing the finish line. But because I followed a training regimen I was able to "try hard" and succeed.
Do you just try harder to be who God has created you to be, or do you train wisely for it? Let's explore what it means to train for righteousness in future blogs. What type of "spiritual training" do you do? What has enabled you to run the race that leads to heaven? How do we follow Paul's writing in 1 Corinthians 9:24-27 to not run aimlessly that will disqualify us from the prize, but to run in such a way to get a crown that will last forever?
Let's learn together how to have the courage to walk (and run) with God!
Saturday, November 7, 2009
Join Me In Learning How to Walk Courageously
I have started this blog to seek help in living the courageous life God has created me to live. One thing for certain...I have proven to myself that I can't do it alone.
I invite you to share your thoughts, insights and personal experiences. We can all learn from each other's victories and failures. Nothing encourages me more while fighting life's battles than to realize I have others on my side.
A Swedish proverb states that in calm water every ship has a good captain. I think too much energy is spent on looking for calm waters. Instead, let's help one another become great captains in the rough seas. Let's learn how to make the tough, but right decisions. Let's follow through on being holy as He is holy.
I invite you to share your thoughts, insights and personal experiences. We can all learn from each other's victories and failures. Nothing encourages me more while fighting life's battles than to realize I have others on my side.
A Swedish proverb states that in calm water every ship has a good captain. I think too much energy is spent on looking for calm waters. Instead, let's help one another become great captains in the rough seas. Let's learn how to make the tough, but right decisions. Let's follow through on being holy as He is holy.
To Be Courageous
"Courage is not the absence of fear, but the perception that there is something far more important at stake." - Robert Morrisette
Walking with God is an adventure for those willing to focus on His Glory and not our own. Could this be where courage comes from? It doesn't seem like courage comes from my ability to muster up strength inside of me as much as the strength of my convictions.
Study any person of courage that you know, personally or from history. You will find that what drives him or her is a conviction that is worth any cost. Without this same kind of conviction and focus we are not willing to pay the price.
How do we endure the many setbacks, failures and heartaches of life? Certainly if we focus on what is happening to us then we will shrink back from being courageous to a place of self-comfort. Lives are defined by those special moments when we must choose between comforts and convictions.
"Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be men of courage; be strong." 1 Corinthians 16:13
Walking with God is an adventure for those willing to focus on His Glory and not our own. Could this be where courage comes from? It doesn't seem like courage comes from my ability to muster up strength inside of me as much as the strength of my convictions.
Study any person of courage that you know, personally or from history. You will find that what drives him or her is a conviction that is worth any cost. Without this same kind of conviction and focus we are not willing to pay the price.
How do we endure the many setbacks, failures and heartaches of life? Certainly if we focus on what is happening to us then we will shrink back from being courageous to a place of self-comfort. Lives are defined by those special moments when we must choose between comforts and convictions.
"Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be men of courage; be strong." 1 Corinthians 16:13
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