Accept your limits

(Deuteronomy 2:2-3 MKJV) “And Jehovah spoke to me, saying, You have gone around this mountain long enough. Turn northward.”

This might be an unpopular subject but I believe today’s message is in line with the Word of God and very relevant for today. We are given limitations for our own good and for the good of others, let me explain. Though we have been given purpose and a dream that will stretch us we are not able to do everything. You may have heard it said before but it is true, “Pick one thing and do it well.” If that one thing is teaching or the ministry of helps or being an evangelist or pastor then give it all you have and stay on track. Don’t let other things distract you from that purpose. Too often the “good” can and does get in the way of God’s “best” for our lives. It has been said that in any volunteer organization eighty percent of the work gets done by only twenty percent of the people and from my experience I have seen no reason to doubt that but often those who are willing to do the work get loaded down by team leaders and in the case of church spiritual leaders i.e. pastors. Please if you are a pastor don’t be offended. A good pastor is instrumental in guiding us in understanding God has purpose for our lives but did you know it is not the pastor’s job to tell us what our dream is? Sometimes the lines get confused and yes there is much to be done but instead of putting more on the twenty percent the leaders are to bring more of the eighty percent on board. Let me say it again God does not intend for you to do everything, even if you could do you think that would be best? I say no! What would you become if you were able to do everything? In a very small way I have experienced this as I volunteered in the training and leading of a team of volunteers I found myself being depended upon beyond what was healthy. My constituents, even though they had been trained and tested were not comfortable making decisions on their own. So what did I do? As God allowed me to recognize what was happening He also opened a door for me to give them full responsibility while I went to another church to train a new team. I gave my team support and my cell phone number but you know what when I returned they didn’t need me as much and I believe God did something in their hearts because they no longer were just helping because it was good or fun but because they had ownership in the ministry! Was it difficult? You bet! When I am weak I find it easier to do things myself than teach someone else to do it but that is not what God’s best. In doing this I had to understand where my value came from – it wasn’t in the service I provided but that I am a beloved child of God, in Christ alone does my life mean anything!

That puts an entirely different perspective on life. If you are of that twenty percent, then God’s message to you is – stop striving, I love you for who you are not for what you do. I have called you to lead others in the area that I have gifted you. The question is not how much can you do but are you discipling others. If you are part of this group then there is a passion inside of you that others need to know. If anyone could have done everything on their own it would have been Jesus but instead we see him investing into his disciples right up until it is time for him to leave. Yes, we have been given limitations not only for our good but the good of others and we should embrace these boundaries for that is God’s plan.

If you would like to know more about what accepting your limits looks like I wrote a handbook for my constituents to use in my absence and I will email it to you just email me at prosound@cinci.rr.com and mention the Production Team Leader Handbook. It does not talk as much about technical skills as it does leadership and empowering others. It took a year to complete and as I look back I realize it was from God’s heart because I still have trouble getting it sometimes. No matter what I do in this life I will never forget that experience but still I look forward with anticipation of what is yet to come because I know I belong to Him and His heart is passionate for me and as I travel from one promise to the next I have learned not to hang on too tightly for all my hope and value is in Him!

The importance of worship - Part II

(Psalms 95:6 KJV) O come, let us worship and bow down: let us kneel before the LORD our maker.

A very important point is made today, “There’s a danger in any doctrine that focuses only on what we want from God and neglects the thing we were created and redeemed to do – worship Him (see Rev. 4:11).”

I have to admit being a father isn’t something I always want to do, sometimes it is difficult but I find great purpose in it and from it I receive some of the best rewards. More to the point being a father helps me understand better the heart of my Heavenly Father. Many times when I wonder if my attitude is pleasing to God I look at my children and imagine them having the same attitude and if it would be pleasing to me. Not that they worship me (and they shouldn’t), as they go through their teenage years I’m happy if the are respectful (occasionally they are reminded) but if their relationship existed solely for getting things from me how would that make me feel? If your heart is open to learning the lessons God has you go through there are many things that will be revealed. Worship tells God I love Him simply because of who He is and who He has made me to be in Him, without any conditions! The worship is for Him alone but when I do it my heart is replenished with His love and kindness. Worship causes my heart to be fertile ground so that His Word may bring forth bountiful crops. Loving God causes me to love others, in worship God reminds me of who He has made me to be and encourages me to be more than I currently am. Worship is not only the icing on the cake but the cake too! Meaning it’s not something we do on the weekend but it is to be intertwined in every moment of our lives! A thankful heart is pleasing to God and a life of thankfulness brings forth much joy and many blessings! Has it been a while since you smiled? Start worshipping God! Many times Israel was told to worship God even though that was the last thing they felt like doing.

(Leviticus 25:10 MKJV) And you shall make the fiftieth year holy, one year, and proclaim liberty throughout the land to all its inhabitants. It shall be a jubilee to you, and you shall return each man to his possession, and you shall return each man to his family.

(Deuteronomy 12:7 MKJV) And there you shall eat before Jehovah your God, and you shall rejoice in all that you put your hand to, you and your households in which Jehovah your God has blessed you.

(Psalms 2:11 MKJV) Serve Jehovah with fear, and rejoice with trembling.

Worshipping God also reminds us of who He is – Lord of all! Though He is closer than a brother or sister we must never forget He is the sovereign Holy God and Lord of creation! For no one is like Him, worthy of all praise and one day every knee shall bow to His authority! We have the opportunity today to serve Him because we want to. When I think about it my heart can’t contain the joy rising up from within! He has chosen me to serve Him, I can’t fathom how much He loves me! Lord for you are the Lord God over all the earth and one day every knee shall bow and every tongue confess that you are Lord.

Thank you for calling me out and preparing me for something wonderful! You have given me more than I dare ask and I worship you. You are my King and my Salvation! For nothing can compare to your greatness! Your works are full of wonder and your creation reflects your greatness. Lord, now open our eyes that we may see your fingerprints on all that was created and fill our hearts with worship so that we may know you! No way could we ever find something or someone to take your place, for you are mighty and glorious beyond compare! Thank you Father for loving me, in your Son’s name I pray, amen.

The importance of worship - Part I

(Psalms 150:6 NIV) Let everything that has breath praise the LORD. Praise the LORD.

Worship like anything else, is what you make it but what it is intended to be the ultimate experience between you and the Creator of all life! Worship says what words never can, through true worship as you focus your attention on God you willingly reveal to Him your true feelings for who He is and what He has done and it prepares you to receive His words as He tells of His heart for you! Yes worship is more than singing on Sunday mornings, it’s more than singing alone yet nothing surpasses worship through music. There are many times worshiping God has brought me through situations I could not have come through otherwise, look at the troubles king David faced in the book of Psalms and yet he praised God. There is something about it that brings a child closer to the Father than anything else possibly could, if this is not what you have experienced then press in harder by desiring to know God more, understand what He has done for you, and realize where you would be without Him. Search your heart and know just what He means to you then tell Him about it. Now put on a good worship CD and escape to a time and place where you will not be interrupted – you have just entered into true worship! Practice it often and you will soon find you too will have a strong desire to come there again and again. Worship gives life and meaning to the smallest things and makes fertile the soil of your heart. There is a reason why we offer our worship before hearing the pastor’s message on Sundays. It’s not just a ritual or a habit, if you put your heart into it the word you hear is God’s Word and the impact it has on your life will take hold. How many times have you left church feeling like you didn’t get much out of it? What was your worship like? Pay attention next time you feel this way, then determine next time you will put your full self into worshiping the King of Kings and see how it impacts the relevance of the message!

I’ve been taking a break from posting on the weekends but I will be here tomorrow to wrap up this two part series. Many blessings, draw close to God today and He will draw close to you!

You're in a spiritual battle

(Ephesians 6:10 MKJV) Finally, my brothers, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might.

Does it seem as of late you have been paddling up stream? Without being aware you may be in the midst of a spiritual battle. Life is consistently going through seasons and many times after passing a test comes a battle. It makes sense God brings you to a place of testing in order to prepare you for battle and that is good. However, if we are not careful the tendency will be to assume things are just getting worse. Often it seems you go from the frying pan into the fire so to speak and the enemy would have you look at it that way in order to discourage and ultimately defeat you. He does not want you to know that you have passed the test through faithfulness and now God has entrusted you with battle – that would mean you are gaining ground. So be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might as Paul wrote to his brothers in Ephesus and remember this…

(Ephesians 6:11-13 MKJV) “Put on the whole armor of God so that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the world's rulers, of the darkness of this age, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Therefore take to yourselves the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.”

In other words as opposition comes at you through people remember who is behind it. See past the surface and know there is a spiritual battle raging. Stand strong in the Lord, as you did in the test you just came through. Remember the battle belongs to the Lord and if you remain in Him you will see a great victory! God has proven His faithfulness to you, pray for spiritual eyes so that you may know He is with you as Elisha did.

(2 Kings 6:15-17 MKJV) “And the servant of the man of God arose early and went out. And, behold, an army surrounded the city, and horses and chariots. And his servant said to him, Alas, my master! What shall we do? And he answered, Do not fear, for those with us are more than those with them. And Elisha prayed and said, I pray You, Jehovah, open his eyes so that he may see. And Jehovah opened the eyes of the young man, and he saw. And behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire round about Elisha.”

(Ephesians 6:14-18 MKJV) “Therefore stand, having your loins girded about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness and your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace. Above all, take the shield of faith, with which you shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God, praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching to this very thing with all perseverance and supplication for all saints.”

What's your core gift

(Romans 12:6 NLT) In His grace, God has given us different gifts for doing certain things well. So if God has given you the ability to prophesy, speak out with as much faith as God has given you.

Have you ever met someone who seems larger than life? Others tend to follow them without knowing them personally but because of what they have done for an organization, this person has discovered their core gift and built their life around it. Each of us do certain things well and if you pay attention the things we do best point to our core gift. It is our job to discover what makes us come alive, very few find that on their own and when they do if God is not included part of the puzzle is still missing but God wants to make known the gifts He has given. If you know God the place to start is asking Him to reveal His gift in your life. Be careful to always seek Him above the gift. (Matthew 6:33 NLT) “Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and He will give you everything you need.”

As a parent if my child began to desire the gifts I could give them more than relationship with me then in my heart I would know something was not right. God’s not against giving us things that cause us to be happy, this includes talents and abilities as well as things that allow us to better develop those gifts. If I liked photography something that might make me happy is a new camera but the key is to always keep things in perspective. If I let that new camera become more important than a person, even a stranger than I’ve missed the mark. Even more so with spiritual gifts! If I am a teacher and I knew and taught the truth but did not love those I spoke to then I am not operating the capacity that God intended. If I continue God’s blessing will depart from that area of my life. (1 Corinthians 13:1 NLT) “If I could speak all the languages of earth and of angels, but didn't love others, I would only be a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.”

Living life around your core gift, you’ll find, will cause you to come alive, meaning as you discover it you’ll be passionate about it and God will bless you in it, as you seek Him first. Amazingly the very thing that causes you to come alive is the very thing He wants you to be because you discovering your core gift is part of God’s big plan for all humanity and at the same time necessary for you to find contentment in purpose.

In church but lonely

(Psalms 142:4 NLT) “I look for someone to come and help me, but no one gives me a passing thought! No one will help me; no one cares a bit what happens to me.”

One of the first things noticed about the follower of Christ by the world is Christ’s great love! This love embraces the broken and the downcast regardless of current personal situations but all too often we get stuck on how people are different. Remember how scary change was prior to coming to Christ? Some have never dealt with how they look at change, once they switched to the other side of the track all that apprehension for change was directed at who they use to be. Before we came to Christ we too were different but now we’ve made a lifestyle out of going to church, reading our bibles, and our friends do the same. Unfortunately, if we are not careful we begin to think that is why we are different but that’s not it! We are different through Christ alone and daily we must stay in Him! For only He can change a broken and contrite heart. Instead of allowing our pre-Christ experiences compel us towards compassion for others somehow we’ve become too comfortable where we are at and thus our impact for Christ has dwindled to a handshake and stiff smile on Sunday mornings.

This message is first and foremost for me, I am quite by nature and if I am not careful can be seen as unfriendly, even though that is not the intent. For some to be warm and inviting takes more work but that does not mean we do not try, people are depending upon you, especially you, loving them closer to Christ Jesus whether they realize it or not. Regardless of the talents you have been given loving others is something we can all do!

Jesus said, (Matthew 7:3-4 NLT) “And why worry about a speck in your friend's eye when you have a log in your own? How can you think of saying to your friend, 'Let me help you get rid of that speck in your eye,' when you can't see past the log in your own eye?”

Lord, thank you for first loving me, even before I knew you. Thank you for your tender ways and for loving me into relationship with you. You do call me to change daily but your love is not based on performance, if it were I would surely fall away. What is it in me that makes it so easy to judge others? Help me Lord to be more like you each day. Give my eyes the ability to see how your heart is moved with compassion for people who don’t know you yet. You said that you being the Good Shepherd would leave the ninety-nine to rescue the one and that all heaven rejoices when just one makes the decision to follow you. Break away this hard outer shell around my heart O, Lord and make it new again. It’s difficult to go through life with the doors of your heart wide open but that was the example you gave us when you walked this earth. Thank you for that and help me to be mindful of it each day and give me strength to do the same, in Jesus name I pray, amen.

Character

(Matthew 7:24 NLT) “Anyone who listens to My teaching and follows it is wise, like a person who builds a house on solid rock.”

There are no shortcuts to a godly character. What is godly character – following Jesus and forsaking all things that would hold you back. One who has character knows right from wrong (as he follows Christ) and does what is right, regardless of the cost. He does it no matter if people are watching or if he is alone. Jesus said it would cost you everything to follow Him, so consider the cost! (Luke 14:33 MKJV) “So then, everyone of you who does not forsake all his possessions, he cannot be My disciple.”

With reckless abandonment the disciples left all they ever knew to follow Jesus. Still others gave up the opportunity to follow Him because of comforts and riches they had accumulated. (Luke 18:22-25 NLT) “When Jesus heard his answer, He said, "There is still one thing you haven't done. Sell all your possessions and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow Me." But when the man heard this he became very sad, for he was very rich. When Jesus saw this, He said, "How hard it is for the rich to enter the Kingdom of God! In fact, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the Kingdom of God!"

(Luke 16:13 NLT) "No one can serve two masters. For you will hate one and love the other; you will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money."

Still others do not even care to follow Jesus or ever intend to, for they are too busy seeking pleasures or simply living life. (Luke 14:18-20 NLT) “But they all began making excuses. One said, 'I have just bought a field and must inspect it. Please excuse me.' Another said, 'I have just bought five pairs of oxen, and I want to try them out. Please excuse me.' Another said, 'I now have a wife, so I can't come.'”

Jesus told the crowd that day, (Luke 14:26 NLT) “If you want to be My disciple, you must hate everyone else by comparison--your father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters--yes, even your own life. Otherwise, you cannot be My disciple.”

Yes we have responsibilities but they are not our priorities! Again and again God’s Word tells us make Him our only priority! (Matthew 6:31-34 NLT) “So don't worry about these things, saying, 'What will we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear?' These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs. Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and He will give you everything you need. "So don't worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today's trouble is enough for today.”

If godly character requires that we follow Jesus then to follow Him we must have faith – faith that Jesus is who He says He is, faith that He is good and intends good for us. We must understand that in order to prepare us for all that He has planned sometimes we must go through difficult things in this life because this life is just a journey. How we live this journey will determine how we live eternity! Yes, godly character is costly but living our own lives apart from God is more costly!