(Psalms 99:5 MKJV) Praise Jehovah our God, and worship at His footstool; He is holy.
“We don’t worship God because He needs it but because we do.” To worship something greater than us is natural because that is the way we were created. Look at any people group and you’ll see it, even here in America despite our “self-made” position with working professionals or our self-reliant attitude with the wealthy we still worship things such as sports, our jobs, money, our ability to influence you name it! When we worship God our eyes are taken from the lesser things and placed upon the one thing that deserves our praise. God has done many wondrous things but it is not these things that we worship but Him and Him alone! When this is our attitude our eyes are opened to just how wonderful He is. This leads to us living the abundant life not because we have money but because we know He is taking care of us, not because people have high opinions of us but because we hear what the Creator says about us, and not because we have built an empire but because we have built our lives upon the solid rock of Jesus Christ and this life on earth is just preparation for what is to come! When our perspective is right then we live as God’s kids – giving out of His abundance, not ours! Worshiping God is key to living the life we all want to live, even though at first it feels awkward. From my experience I know singing in front of a large group can feel awkward to but when you finally let go and give it all you’ve got it can be very rewarding. It is the same way with worshiping God and keeping a holy reverence towards who He is, only so much more! Worship and thankfulness go hand in hand and many times you don’t know what you have been given until you are about to lose it. Could it be this economic down turn that we are all feeling is God trying to get our attention so that our hearts are once again turned towards Him? If we believe life is over when we die then this economy is tragic but if we believe this life is preparation for what He has prepared for us then we begin to see how He can use it to shape us into something greater than we were before and when you understand that worshiping Him is no longer awkward but natural.
Wednesday, July 7, 2010
Friday, July 2, 2010
Your work matters to God (part I)
(John 5:17 MKJV) But Jesus answered them, My Father works until now, and I work.
Many times I have viewed work the wrong way, as a necessary evil so to speak but God wants me to give my all as if I were doing it for him, even if those I work for are not Christ like. I cannot go into details but I can say this, there is purpose in every area of you life and God wants to work through you to speak to others and to develop your own character. If we are found faithful then we put ourselves in a place that is rich with God’s blessings but if our attitude is wrong we will spend our lives in a dead-end job wondering why God never used us to do something great! I don’t want that for my life so I will work diligently as unto the Father of Lights, trusting that He knows best and His plan for my life is far better than anything I can come up with on my own.
Many times I have viewed work the wrong way, as a necessary evil so to speak but God wants me to give my all as if I were doing it for him, even if those I work for are not Christ like. I cannot go into details but I can say this, there is purpose in every area of you life and God wants to work through you to speak to others and to develop your own character. If we are found faithful then we put ourselves in a place that is rich with God’s blessings but if our attitude is wrong we will spend our lives in a dead-end job wondering why God never used us to do something great! I don’t want that for my life so I will work diligently as unto the Father of Lights, trusting that He knows best and His plan for my life is far better than anything I can come up with on my own.
Thursday, July 1, 2010
What is your attitude toward your child?
(Luke 15:20 MKJV) And he arose and came to his father. But when he was still a great way off, his father saw him and had compassion, and ran and fell on his neck and kissed him.
When listening to the story of the prodigal son many times my thoughts have been on the son and how he acted but as I get older my attention is maybe more on the father. The father did everything right, still the son refused to listen. The father had the opportunity to turn his back on his son as so many fathers do, after all there was nothing more that could done. The son was taught right from wrong and he made his choice. However, the father saw beyond the moment, the disrespect, and shame in order to win the heart of the son. I don’t mean he became a doormat to his son but that he was able to separate himself from the heat of the moment to see the bigger picture, knowing that one day the son would come face to face with the result of his choices and if the father stayed on track now he could in advance win back the heart of the son. I pray that I am that type of father and I know the closer I am to God in my daily walk the closer I’ll be to that goal.
When listening to the story of the prodigal son many times my thoughts have been on the son and how he acted but as I get older my attention is maybe more on the father. The father did everything right, still the son refused to listen. The father had the opportunity to turn his back on his son as so many fathers do, after all there was nothing more that could done. The son was taught right from wrong and he made his choice. However, the father saw beyond the moment, the disrespect, and shame in order to win the heart of the son. I don’t mean he became a doormat to his son but that he was able to separate himself from the heat of the moment to see the bigger picture, knowing that one day the son would come face to face with the result of his choices and if the father stayed on track now he could in advance win back the heart of the son. I pray that I am that type of father and I know the closer I am to God in my daily walk the closer I’ll be to that goal.
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
Make giving a lifestyle
(2 Corinthians 9:6-7 MKJV) “But I say this, He who sows sparingly shall also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully shall also reap bountifully. Each one, as he purposes in his heart, let him give; not of grief, or of necessity, for God loves a cheerful giver.”
I like the example of the mother bird teaching it’s young to fly and how flying, like giving, is what we were created to do. Giving of one’s self is unnatural until you start to do it. God reveals Himself as our great provider and no matter how much we give we cannot out give God. Something happened yesterday that made me realize just how much grace He gives to me. My first reaction was to be critical of myself for allowing the situation to happen but I heard God’s small quiet voice say, “No, Carl it is by my grace that you suffered no loss.” Because of this amazing grace and God’s Holy Spirit allowing me to accept it God was able to speak to my heart of an area where I did not give much grace to someone else the day before. God knows just what we need to motivate us, sometimes like the mother bird it’s a small push off the branch and sometimes He goes before us. I am confident in this God is for us and He loves us too much to let us stay the way we are. He is gentle and kind yet holy and righteous and if we will listen to Him He will teach us to be more like His Son Jesus. Giving is God’s way of making us grow. We grow so that we may please Him and tell others of the way to salvation. On my own I get things turned around calculating how to control situations when all along God wants my eyes to be upon Him and my heart to trust Him. I am to be busy about the business of the Father and trust that He will take care of all my needs.
I like the example of the mother bird teaching it’s young to fly and how flying, like giving, is what we were created to do. Giving of one’s self is unnatural until you start to do it. God reveals Himself as our great provider and no matter how much we give we cannot out give God. Something happened yesterday that made me realize just how much grace He gives to me. My first reaction was to be critical of myself for allowing the situation to happen but I heard God’s small quiet voice say, “No, Carl it is by my grace that you suffered no loss.” Because of this amazing grace and God’s Holy Spirit allowing me to accept it God was able to speak to my heart of an area where I did not give much grace to someone else the day before. God knows just what we need to motivate us, sometimes like the mother bird it’s a small push off the branch and sometimes He goes before us. I am confident in this God is for us and He loves us too much to let us stay the way we are. He is gentle and kind yet holy and righteous and if we will listen to Him He will teach us to be more like His Son Jesus. Giving is God’s way of making us grow. We grow so that we may please Him and tell others of the way to salvation. On my own I get things turned around calculating how to control situations when all along God wants my eyes to be upon Him and my heart to trust Him. I am to be busy about the business of the Father and trust that He will take care of all my needs.
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
You have the power, use it!
(Acts 1:8 MKJV) But you shall receive power, the Holy Spirit coming upon you. And you shall be witnesses to Me both in Jerusalem and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and to the end of the earth.
Jesus gave his disciples a gift and like all of God’s gifts meant for us we can either receive it or deny it. Accepting the gift of the Holy Spirit is not a requirement for salvation but what I can’t understand why a person who receives, by faith, their salvation from God would not accept all God has for them! As you read for yourself in the second chapter of Acts when God’s Holy Spirit came upon them they began to speak in other languages not known by them. This act was the evidence of them receiving this gift God gave them. Yes, there is power in receiving the Holy Spirit and praying in a heavenly language. No matter how practiced we get in praying God’s will there are times we do not know what to ask for or many times our physical wants and needs get in the way of what God is doing but praying in the Holy Spirit is equivalent to pushing our own understanding to the side and allowing God’s divine will to guide us.
This sounds spooky and weird I know but think about it do you really think we can comprehend at all times what God wants to do in our lives? Is that the definition of faith? If we limit God to our own understanding then we limit what He is allowed to do through us. I believe control over one’s self is good and needed. God does not want us to be controlled by anger, obesity, jealousy, hatred… (Galations 5:22-26). However, too much control also keeps us from God. Have you ever witnessed to someone about God’s love for them as they go through a really tough time who know of their need for God but fear letting God have control (Luke 18:18-24)? All who believe and follow Christ Jesus must walk through this doorway. It is the same for accepting the gift of God’s Holy Spirit. It is an additional layer of giving control to God – some can see this and accept it by faith others fear it and deny it. Paul makes it very clear that those who have accepted it are not to use it in such a way that it makes others stumble (1 Corinthians 14) but he also makes it clear that “speaking in tongues” is a gift from God meant for the good of God’s people.
(Matthew 7:7-11 MKJV) “Ask and it shall be given to you; seek and you shall find; knock and it shall be opened to you. For each one who asks receives; and he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, it shall be opened. Or what man is there of you, if his son asks a loaf, will he give him a stone? Or if he asks a fish, will he give him a snake? If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more shall your Father in Heaven give good things to those who ask Him?”
Jesus gave his disciples a gift and like all of God’s gifts meant for us we can either receive it or deny it. Accepting the gift of the Holy Spirit is not a requirement for salvation but what I can’t understand why a person who receives, by faith, their salvation from God would not accept all God has for them! As you read for yourself in the second chapter of Acts when God’s Holy Spirit came upon them they began to speak in other languages not known by them. This act was the evidence of them receiving this gift God gave them. Yes, there is power in receiving the Holy Spirit and praying in a heavenly language. No matter how practiced we get in praying God’s will there are times we do not know what to ask for or many times our physical wants and needs get in the way of what God is doing but praying in the Holy Spirit is equivalent to pushing our own understanding to the side and allowing God’s divine will to guide us.
This sounds spooky and weird I know but think about it do you really think we can comprehend at all times what God wants to do in our lives? Is that the definition of faith? If we limit God to our own understanding then we limit what He is allowed to do through us. I believe control over one’s self is good and needed. God does not want us to be controlled by anger, obesity, jealousy, hatred… (Galations 5:22-26). However, too much control also keeps us from God. Have you ever witnessed to someone about God’s love for them as they go through a really tough time who know of their need for God but fear letting God have control (Luke 18:18-24)? All who believe and follow Christ Jesus must walk through this doorway. It is the same for accepting the gift of God’s Holy Spirit. It is an additional layer of giving control to God – some can see this and accept it by faith others fear it and deny it. Paul makes it very clear that those who have accepted it are not to use it in such a way that it makes others stumble (1 Corinthians 14) but he also makes it clear that “speaking in tongues” is a gift from God meant for the good of God’s people.
(Matthew 7:7-11 MKJV) “Ask and it shall be given to you; seek and you shall find; knock and it shall be opened to you. For each one who asks receives; and he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, it shall be opened. Or what man is there of you, if his son asks a loaf, will he give him a stone? Or if he asks a fish, will he give him a snake? If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more shall your Father in Heaven give good things to those who ask Him?”
Monday, June 28, 2010
the journey
Several have wondered where I’ve been and what’s going on. First, I want to thank all of you who have been sincerely praying for me and secondly, I want to let you know that I have not fallen away from God or even grown tired of writing in this journal. Sometimes God takes us places that are completely private so that we are able to ask things of Him that we cannot ask before others, such is the case in my absence. Though not all of my questions have been answered many have and my spirit has been refreshed with deeper determination and things that seemed right before are now confirmed. There have also been things revealed in my life that need to change, as growing closer to God has that affect. Most of all this has been a time to align my thoughts with God’s direction for my life. As difficult decisions come we all have opportunities to lay our armor down and walk away, feeling tired and worn out or we can choose to draw closer to God and be renewed by His Holy Spirit. We read about this with king David time and time again in the Psalms, he finds strength in the current situation because he remembers the victories God has led him through in the past and he knows God does not change, what He has done yesterday He will do again and all he has to do is to remain faithful.
(Psalms 42:1-11 MKJV) “To the Chief Musician. A contemplation; for the sons of Korah. As the hart pants after the water brooks, so my soul pants after You, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God; when shall I come and appear before God? My tears have been my food day and night, while they say to me all the day, Where is your God? When I remember these things, I pour out my soul on me; for I had gone with the multitude; I went with them to the house of God with the voice of joy and praise, a multitude keeping the feast. Why are you cast down, O my soul, and moan within me? Hope in God; for I shall praise Him for the salvation of His face. O my God, my soul is cast down within me; therefore I will remember You from the land of Jordan, and of the Hermons, from mount Mizar. Deep calls to deep at the noise of Your waterfalls; all Your waves and Your billows have gone over me. Jehovah will command His loving-kindness in the daytime, and in the night His song shall be with me, my prayer to the God of my life. I will say to God my rock, Why have You forgotten me? Why do I go mourning because of the cruelty of the enemy? As with a sword in my bones, my enemies shame me; while they say daily to me, Where is your God? Why are you cast down, O my soul? And why do you moan within me? Hope in God; for I still praise Him, the salvation of my face, and my God.”
“Deep calls to deep at the noise of Your waterfalls…” Have you experienced this in your walk with God? Have you ever stopped your normal routine to be submerged in the depths of His love and the knowledge of His grace? Understanding that He knows exactly what weighs on your mind, the decisions you face and the consequences that come because those decisions. Sure you can decide for yourself, be wrong and His grace will still cover you but to stop and ask for directions is better. This was a question before me during my time away and this verse kept coming to mind.
(1 Samuel 15:22 NLT) “But Samuel replied, "What is more pleasing to the LORD: your burnt offerings and sacrifices or your obedience to His voice? Listen! Obedience is better than sacrifice, and submission is better than offering the fat of rams.”
God will accept our sacrifice because He loves us but He prefers our obedience and if we are ever to get closer to Him we need to listen to the call of His Holy Spirit today! There is a check in my spirit about going into too much detail but this is at the heart of the matter.
(1 Samuel 8:7 MKJV) “And Jehovah said to Samuel, Listen to the voice of the people in all that they say to you. For they have not rejected you, but they have rejected Me, that I should not reign over them.”
Like Israel, too many times we find it easier to follow man than God. Rather than seeking His direction for our lives we would rather have someone tell us what to do but is that what has been required of us? You say, “But that is the Old Testament.” Jesus tells us the same thing again in Matthew (Matthew 23:8-10 NIV) "But you are not to be called 'Rabbi,' for you have only one Master and you are all brothers. And do not call anyone on earth 'father,' for you have one Father, and he is in heaven. Nor are you to be called 'teacher,' for you have one Teacher, the Christ.”
When we look to another man to lead us something happens to the heart of man. We take our dependence off God and place it on leaders of our choosing and that human leader struggles. King David was a godly leader that struggled with the authority given to him, even though being warned by God not to depend upon his own might when facing his enemy he took a census of the people. Here is what happened… (1 Chronicles 21:1-8 MKJV) “And Satan stood up against Israel and provoked David to take a census of Israel. And David said to Joab and to the rulers of the people, Go number Israel from Beer-sheba to Dan. And bring the number of them to me so that I may know. And Joab answered, May Jehovah add to His people a hundred times, but my lord the king, are they not all my lord's servants? Why then does my lord require this thing? Why will he be a cause of trespass to Israel? But the king's word prevailed against Joab. And Joab departed and went up and down all Israel, and came again to Jerusalem. And Joab gave the sum of the census of the people to David. And in all Israel there were one million and a hundred thousand men who drew sword. And in Judah were four hundred and seventy thousand men who drew sword. But Levi and Benjamin he did not count among them; for the king's word was evil to Joab. And it was evil in the eyes of God as to this thing. And He struck Israel. And David said to God, I have sinned greatly because I have done this thing. But now, I beseech You, remove the iniquity of Your servant for I have done very foolishly.”
Over time we have seen religious leaders fall. One very prominent leader before falling had his name on everything he did. He had his own bible, college, TV show, and more. The people looked to him for spiritual guidance, he was very influential, yet he quietly struggled. Though the original intent was meant for good long before he fell in the public’s eye he got off track and his communication with God suffered but unknown to his followers. He still taught the Word of God, his words did not change but the anointing quietly left and the latter part of his ministry was being done under his own strength. New believers who did not develop a relationship with God fell with that man and that is the reason why this numbing of our souls is so very costly – we need a direct connection with the Source. So not only did the leader struggle but the people made a decision to follow the easier path. O, this leader told his followers to grow close to Jesus but somewhere in the translation the message was lost. Anytime we make something more important than our own relationship with Christ Jesus we lose our way. If we listen to evangelical tapes in place of prayer, if we depend upon someone else feeding us instead of us opening the Bible ourselves, if we think the message we get on Sunday mornings is enough then we are missing it. A day may come in your lifetime when these things are taken away. Will you still follow Christ Jesus or fall away? Now is the time to check, when you come upon hard times where do you turn to? Is it a pastor, parent, a church leader or older Christian? These people can certainly help but they cannot take the place of a personal relationship with Christ Jesus. The devil is cunning he will use success to keep one person weak and use failure to break the other but in all situations we are to turn to Christ.
We have all fallen short and in need of a Savior, no one is exempt! It is important to remember what and who we fight against. It is not your brothers or sisters or even those who would set themselves against you but you being bought with the blood of Christ have a spiritual enemy who works to see you fail! When God reveals something to you and you know it is His voice because it aligns with the Word of God and His Spirit has confirmed it within your own heart do not be puffed up with pride lest you fall, keep in mind the many things that you have been forgiven and proceed cautiously. The Bible tells us to not try and remove the splinter from your brother’s eye with a log in your own. (Mat. 7:3) – to that end DO NOT JUDGE but if God convicts you of something don’t go against it because it is unpopular with the people. With that being said I caution being led by tradition or the majority. When those things become the governing factor instead of our dependence upon God’s Holy Spirit to lead something is wrong. Tradition can cause us to feel safe and large numbers seems to point to protection but it is a false hope, instead we are to practice waiting upon God and listening for His voice. In the end whatever gets in the way of that is not of God and the whatever foundation we stand on if it is anything other than Christ Jesus it will fail.
(Psalms 42:1-11 MKJV) “To the Chief Musician. A contemplation; for the sons of Korah. As the hart pants after the water brooks, so my soul pants after You, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God; when shall I come and appear before God? My tears have been my food day and night, while they say to me all the day, Where is your God? When I remember these things, I pour out my soul on me; for I had gone with the multitude; I went with them to the house of God with the voice of joy and praise, a multitude keeping the feast. Why are you cast down, O my soul, and moan within me? Hope in God; for I shall praise Him for the salvation of His face. O my God, my soul is cast down within me; therefore I will remember You from the land of Jordan, and of the Hermons, from mount Mizar. Deep calls to deep at the noise of Your waterfalls; all Your waves and Your billows have gone over me. Jehovah will command His loving-kindness in the daytime, and in the night His song shall be with me, my prayer to the God of my life. I will say to God my rock, Why have You forgotten me? Why do I go mourning because of the cruelty of the enemy? As with a sword in my bones, my enemies shame me; while they say daily to me, Where is your God? Why are you cast down, O my soul? And why do you moan within me? Hope in God; for I still praise Him, the salvation of my face, and my God.”
“Deep calls to deep at the noise of Your waterfalls…” Have you experienced this in your walk with God? Have you ever stopped your normal routine to be submerged in the depths of His love and the knowledge of His grace? Understanding that He knows exactly what weighs on your mind, the decisions you face and the consequences that come because those decisions. Sure you can decide for yourself, be wrong and His grace will still cover you but to stop and ask for directions is better. This was a question before me during my time away and this verse kept coming to mind.
(1 Samuel 15:22 NLT) “But Samuel replied, "What is more pleasing to the LORD: your burnt offerings and sacrifices or your obedience to His voice? Listen! Obedience is better than sacrifice, and submission is better than offering the fat of rams.”
God will accept our sacrifice because He loves us but He prefers our obedience and if we are ever to get closer to Him we need to listen to the call of His Holy Spirit today! There is a check in my spirit about going into too much detail but this is at the heart of the matter.
(1 Samuel 8:7 MKJV) “And Jehovah said to Samuel, Listen to the voice of the people in all that they say to you. For they have not rejected you, but they have rejected Me, that I should not reign over them.”
Like Israel, too many times we find it easier to follow man than God. Rather than seeking His direction for our lives we would rather have someone tell us what to do but is that what has been required of us? You say, “But that is the Old Testament.” Jesus tells us the same thing again in Matthew (Matthew 23:8-10 NIV) "But you are not to be called 'Rabbi,' for you have only one Master and you are all brothers. And do not call anyone on earth 'father,' for you have one Father, and he is in heaven. Nor are you to be called 'teacher,' for you have one Teacher, the Christ.”
When we look to another man to lead us something happens to the heart of man. We take our dependence off God and place it on leaders of our choosing and that human leader struggles. King David was a godly leader that struggled with the authority given to him, even though being warned by God not to depend upon his own might when facing his enemy he took a census of the people. Here is what happened… (1 Chronicles 21:1-8 MKJV) “And Satan stood up against Israel and provoked David to take a census of Israel. And David said to Joab and to the rulers of the people, Go number Israel from Beer-sheba to Dan. And bring the number of them to me so that I may know. And Joab answered, May Jehovah add to His people a hundred times, but my lord the king, are they not all my lord's servants? Why then does my lord require this thing? Why will he be a cause of trespass to Israel? But the king's word prevailed against Joab. And Joab departed and went up and down all Israel, and came again to Jerusalem. And Joab gave the sum of the census of the people to David. And in all Israel there were one million and a hundred thousand men who drew sword. And in Judah were four hundred and seventy thousand men who drew sword. But Levi and Benjamin he did not count among them; for the king's word was evil to Joab. And it was evil in the eyes of God as to this thing. And He struck Israel. And David said to God, I have sinned greatly because I have done this thing. But now, I beseech You, remove the iniquity of Your servant for I have done very foolishly.”
Over time we have seen religious leaders fall. One very prominent leader before falling had his name on everything he did. He had his own bible, college, TV show, and more. The people looked to him for spiritual guidance, he was very influential, yet he quietly struggled. Though the original intent was meant for good long before he fell in the public’s eye he got off track and his communication with God suffered but unknown to his followers. He still taught the Word of God, his words did not change but the anointing quietly left and the latter part of his ministry was being done under his own strength. New believers who did not develop a relationship with God fell with that man and that is the reason why this numbing of our souls is so very costly – we need a direct connection with the Source. So not only did the leader struggle but the people made a decision to follow the easier path. O, this leader told his followers to grow close to Jesus but somewhere in the translation the message was lost. Anytime we make something more important than our own relationship with Christ Jesus we lose our way. If we listen to evangelical tapes in place of prayer, if we depend upon someone else feeding us instead of us opening the Bible ourselves, if we think the message we get on Sunday mornings is enough then we are missing it. A day may come in your lifetime when these things are taken away. Will you still follow Christ Jesus or fall away? Now is the time to check, when you come upon hard times where do you turn to? Is it a pastor, parent, a church leader or older Christian? These people can certainly help but they cannot take the place of a personal relationship with Christ Jesus. The devil is cunning he will use success to keep one person weak and use failure to break the other but in all situations we are to turn to Christ.
We have all fallen short and in need of a Savior, no one is exempt! It is important to remember what and who we fight against. It is not your brothers or sisters or even those who would set themselves against you but you being bought with the blood of Christ have a spiritual enemy who works to see you fail! When God reveals something to you and you know it is His voice because it aligns with the Word of God and His Spirit has confirmed it within your own heart do not be puffed up with pride lest you fall, keep in mind the many things that you have been forgiven and proceed cautiously. The Bible tells us to not try and remove the splinter from your brother’s eye with a log in your own. (Mat. 7:3) – to that end DO NOT JUDGE but if God convicts you of something don’t go against it because it is unpopular with the people. With that being said I caution being led by tradition or the majority. When those things become the governing factor instead of our dependence upon God’s Holy Spirit to lead something is wrong. Tradition can cause us to feel safe and large numbers seems to point to protection but it is a false hope, instead we are to practice waiting upon God and listening for His voice. In the end whatever gets in the way of that is not of God and the whatever foundation we stand on if it is anything other than Christ Jesus it will fail.
Friday, June 4, 2010
What's good for the goose
(Matthew 6:26 NLT) Look at the birds. They don't plant or harvest or store food in barns, for your heavenly Father feeds them. And aren't you far more valuable to Him than they are?
Today’s subject looks at the “point goose” in yearly bird migrations. This goose takes on the challenge of making the way for others by taking resistance off of the group and barring the load himself. Just like that a church’s pastor prays for and cares for its members. Eventually the “point goose” grows weary and needs help and in the same way the pastor depends on volunteers. A big problem in today’s church is that there are many more consumers than there are volunteers! Everything that I have seen indicates the old saying is true – 80% of the work is done by 20% of the people but it should not be that way. Jesus made it very clear that being a Christian isn’t a spectator sport, instead the words “take up your cross and follow me” came out of His mouth many times.
It is true we are saved by grace and nothing we can do adds to our salvation but it is also true that we are known by our actions. If the love of Christ is in us then it will compel us to action but if we are nothing more than consumers then we truly do not know Him! This should be an indicator that something is not right and the Jesus we consume on Sunday mornings is a stranger to our way of living! It is easy to become complacent in a world of consumerism but if we have relationship with our Heavenly Father and our ears are ready to receive His direction then He will guide us by our hearts. He calls to each one of His children to get involved so look around and ask Him where you are needed most. Your brothers and sisters in the Body of Christ depend upon the gifts and talent God has given you!
Today’s subject looks at the “point goose” in yearly bird migrations. This goose takes on the challenge of making the way for others by taking resistance off of the group and barring the load himself. Just like that a church’s pastor prays for and cares for its members. Eventually the “point goose” grows weary and needs help and in the same way the pastor depends on volunteers. A big problem in today’s church is that there are many more consumers than there are volunteers! Everything that I have seen indicates the old saying is true – 80% of the work is done by 20% of the people but it should not be that way. Jesus made it very clear that being a Christian isn’t a spectator sport, instead the words “take up your cross and follow me” came out of His mouth many times.
It is true we are saved by grace and nothing we can do adds to our salvation but it is also true that we are known by our actions. If the love of Christ is in us then it will compel us to action but if we are nothing more than consumers then we truly do not know Him! This should be an indicator that something is not right and the Jesus we consume on Sunday mornings is a stranger to our way of living! It is easy to become complacent in a world of consumerism but if we have relationship with our Heavenly Father and our ears are ready to receive His direction then He will guide us by our hearts. He calls to each one of His children to get involved so look around and ask Him where you are needed most. Your brothers and sisters in the Body of Christ depend upon the gifts and talent God has given you!
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