Two men were on a hunting expedition. One morning as they were breaking camp, they saw a Grizzly bear in the distance. Standing erect, the bear seemed to be nine feet tall. The bear caught the smell of the men and began to charge their camp. One of the men was franticly attempting to put on his tennis shoes. His friend looked at him and said, “What are you doing? You can not out run a bear.” The friend replied, “I don’t have to out run the bear. I just have to out run you.”
This is hardly the type of friend that anyone would choose. Instead, most people would like a friend that would reflect the following words: “Oh, the comfort, the inexpressible comfort of feeling safe with a person, having neither to weigh thoughts, nor measure words, but to pour them all out just as they are, chaff and grain together knowing that a faithful hand will take and sift them, keep what is worth keeping, and then, with the breath of kindness blow the rest away.” (George Eliot, quoted in Today in the Word, July, 1989, p. 28) This kind of friendship does not happen automatically. It must be cultivated. Here are some characteristics that we can develop that will help us to build lasting, strong friendships.
One, we must understand the need for commitment in any relationship. Fair weather relationships do not hold up to the test of time. Storms will come to all relationships and they will not stand without commitment. Two, we must learn to be considerate in our dealing with people. We can not expect them to respect our feelings, if we do not respect theirs. We should never presume upon the friendship or take advantage of their like for us. Three, we need to learn the importance of confidentiality. We all need someone to which we can talk about our real feelings. We are not going to talk to someone who can not keep a confidence, nor should we expect someone to talk to us, if we have not proven to be reliable in this area. Four, we need to be constructive in any criticism that we give. A true friend will bring to the attention of his/her friend a blind spot that the friend may not see. It will always be done to buildup and to help. It will always be done in private and never in public. Five, we need to be consistent. It should not be predicated on how we feel at any given time. It should be built upon our commitment to the individual.
While acquaintances are a dime a dozen, true friendship is costly. It requires effort on our part. We must be willing to pay the cost of being a friend, if we are to expect to have a friend who will always be there. Yes, lasting friendship is costly, but it is worth the cost
Thursday, January 26, 2012
God’s Measure of Success
John Maxwell devoted an entire book to the initial failures of extremely successful people. In his book, Failing Forward, he wrote, “When it comes right down to it, I know of only one factor that separates those who consistently shine from those who don’t. The difference between average people and achieving people is their perception of and response to failure. Nothing else has the same kind of impact on people’s ability to achieve and to accomplish whatever their minds and hearts desire.”
While people understand the struggle for success in the temporal world, they don’t think about being successful spiritually. This is why so many people reach a high level of success in their field of expertise and still have an empty feeling inside that they can’t seem to satisfy. We see this in business executives, high paid athletes, movie stars, and other worldly endeavors. The reality is that temporal success plus spiritual failure does not add up to happiness.
If spiritual success is important, it would be to our benefit to understand how to measure it. I believe that there are four signs of spiritual success found in the first psalm. First, a successful spiritual life is one that has found and maintained moral stability (v. 1). Second, it is a life that is spiritually oriented and that takes delight in spiritual things (v, 2). Third, it is a life that bears good fruit. (v.3). Fourth, it is a life that has no doubt about its eternal security (v. 6)
Like temporal success, our spiritual success doesn’t come easy. We stumble and fall. With each failure, there is one lesson to be learned. It is that we can't succeed on our own. We need the daily guidance of God’s Spirit in our lives. He is the one who shines light on our failures but He is also the one who will extend a hand to lift us up. If we choose not to yield to His leadership, we will continue to fail and spiritual success will elude us throughout our lives.
If these words seem to be more discouraging than encouraging because you know that you have not been successful in your spiritual walk, reach out and take His hand. It is always extended toward you. Let Him lift you up and dust you off. He will lead you to success if you will follow His guidance. Do not dwell on past failures but remember, “It is not how hard you get knocked down but how fast you get up that really matters.”
While people understand the struggle for success in the temporal world, they don’t think about being successful spiritually. This is why so many people reach a high level of success in their field of expertise and still have an empty feeling inside that they can’t seem to satisfy. We see this in business executives, high paid athletes, movie stars, and other worldly endeavors. The reality is that temporal success plus spiritual failure does not add up to happiness.
If spiritual success is important, it would be to our benefit to understand how to measure it. I believe that there are four signs of spiritual success found in the first psalm. First, a successful spiritual life is one that has found and maintained moral stability (v. 1). Second, it is a life that is spiritually oriented and that takes delight in spiritual things (v, 2). Third, it is a life that bears good fruit. (v.3). Fourth, it is a life that has no doubt about its eternal security (v. 6)
Like temporal success, our spiritual success doesn’t come easy. We stumble and fall. With each failure, there is one lesson to be learned. It is that we can't succeed on our own. We need the daily guidance of God’s Spirit in our lives. He is the one who shines light on our failures but He is also the one who will extend a hand to lift us up. If we choose not to yield to His leadership, we will continue to fail and spiritual success will elude us throughout our lives.
If these words seem to be more discouraging than encouraging because you know that you have not been successful in your spiritual walk, reach out and take His hand. It is always extended toward you. Let Him lift you up and dust you off. He will lead you to success if you will follow His guidance. Do not dwell on past failures but remember, “It is not how hard you get knocked down but how fast you get up that really matters.”
Thursday, January 12, 2012
Reciprocal Commands
When a church is being lead by the Holy Spirit, the following characteristics will be found in the fellowship of the body. When these characteristics are present in the body, it becomes a beacon to those who live day to day in a dog-eat-dog world.
Love one another (Jn. 13:34, 35).
Forgive one another (Eph. 4:31, 32).
Tolerate one another (Eph. 4:1-3).
Care for one another (I Cor.12:24, 25).
Accept one another (Rom.15:7).
Be subject to one another (Eph. 5:21).
Build up one another (Rom. 14:19).
Exhort one another (Heb. 3:13).
Teach one another (Col. 3:16).
Admonish one another (Col. 3:16).
Confess sins to one another Jm.:5:16)
Do not judge one another. (Rom.14:12, 13a).
Do not speak evil of one another. (James 3:1).
Do not lie to one another (Col. 3:9).
Do not bite and devour one another. (Gal.5:15).
Love one another (Jn. 13:34, 35).
Forgive one another (Eph. 4:31, 32).
Tolerate one another (Eph. 4:1-3).
Care for one another (I Cor.12:24, 25).
Accept one another (Rom.15:7).
Be subject to one another (Eph. 5:21).
Build up one another (Rom. 14:19).
Exhort one another (Heb. 3:13).
Teach one another (Col. 3:16).
Admonish one another (Col. 3:16).
Confess sins to one another Jm.:5:16)
Do not judge one another. (Rom.14:12, 13a).
Do not speak evil of one another. (James 3:1).
Do not lie to one another (Col. 3:9).
Do not bite and devour one another. (Gal.5:15).
Friday, January 6, 2012
Prayer Guide for Personal Revival
This is a prayer guide that one of my mentors gave me many years ago. It is as true today as it was when I first received it. I encourage you to use it as a prayer guide for your own personal revival and watch what God does in your life.
I. Be still and quiet for the first few moments until you are perfectly calm and aware of where you are, whose you are, and who you are.
II. THINGS TO DISCUSS WITH CHRIST
A. YOUR RELATIONSHIPS
1. with yourself
2. with Christ himself
3. with your family
4. with others
B. YOUR ATTITUDES
1. any bitterness
2. any anger
3. any resentments
4. critical spirit
C. YOUR ABILITIES
1. for Christ
2. for His Church
3. for His World
4. for others
D. YOUR CHURCH
1. Spiritual Power
2. Revival
3. Souls Saved
4. Spiritual Growth
III. THINGS TO LISTEN FOR FROM CHRIST
A. PROBLEM AREAS IN YOUR LIFE
1. use of time
2. use of possessions
3. use of talents
B. UNSEEN SINS THAT MUST BE CONFESSED
1. envy, jealously, etc.
2. revenge, indifference, etc.
3. coldness, pride, etc.
C. GOD'S WILL FOR YOUR LIFE
IV PRAYER FORMULA
A. Adore and Praise God
C. Confess everything you know to Him
T. Thank Him for every blessing
S. Supplications for the needs you feel in your life.
I. Be still and quiet for the first few moments until you are perfectly calm and aware of where you are, whose you are, and who you are.
II. THINGS TO DISCUSS WITH CHRIST
A. YOUR RELATIONSHIPS
1. with yourself
2. with Christ himself
3. with your family
4. with others
B. YOUR ATTITUDES
1. any bitterness
2. any anger
3. any resentments
4. critical spirit
C. YOUR ABILITIES
1. for Christ
2. for His Church
3. for His World
4. for others
D. YOUR CHURCH
1. Spiritual Power
2. Revival
3. Souls Saved
4. Spiritual Growth
III. THINGS TO LISTEN FOR FROM CHRIST
A. PROBLEM AREAS IN YOUR LIFE
1. use of time
2. use of possessions
3. use of talents
B. UNSEEN SINS THAT MUST BE CONFESSED
1. envy, jealously, etc.
2. revenge, indifference, etc.
3. coldness, pride, etc.
C. GOD'S WILL FOR YOUR LIFE
IV PRAYER FORMULA
A. Adore and Praise God
C. Confess everything you know to Him
T. Thank Him for every blessing
S. Supplications for the needs you feel in your life.
Friday, December 30, 2011
Return to Our First Love
In chapters two and three in the Book of Revelation the Apostle John writes to the seven churches of Asia Minor. He first addresses the church in Ephesus. He commended it for carrying on its work in the face of great difficulties, for rejecting false teachers, for speaking against sin, and for not growing weary. It was loyal in its practices and doctrines and, like most or our churches today, it thought it was a church with which God would be pleased.
Following his commendations John pointed out one major complaint. It is found in Revelation 2:4. It is a complaint that all of our churches should heed. John wrote, “But I have this against you, that you have left your first love" (NASB). What was John saying? He was saying that they had become so mechanical in their motions that they had lost the miraculous devotion that they had experienced when Jesus Christ first became real to them. They had become caught up in their rituals and they had lost sight of the reality of the relationship that they had experienced with the One who made it all possible.
Does this sound like any church that you know? I think we would have to agree that many churches are so caught up in budget, programs, image, and hundreds of other things that they do not have energy left to simply bask in the good news of the Gospel. It is not that churches are doing the wrong things. It is that they are too often not doing the main thing. We would be wise to learn from the Shorter Catechisms derived from the Westminster Confession of Faith. In answer to the question, what is the chief end of man, it says, “Man’s chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy Him forever.”
When was the last time you glorified and enjoyed the person of Jesus Christ? Most of us have been so busy doing the business of the Church that we have not had any energy left to really enjoy the blessings of the church. Consequently, we have not fully enjoyed the peace, joy and abundance that He wishes us to have.
The good news is that John gives us a solution to this dilemma in the next verse. He wrote, “Remember therefore from where you have fallen, and repent and do the deeds you did at first” (Rev. 2:5a NASB). You could call this the “3R’s” of restoring the joy of our salvation. First, we need to remember the joy and excitement we felt when Christ first became real to us and we invited Him into our hearts to be our Savior and Lord. Second, we need to repent of becoming too busy to have time to spend in developing our personal relationship with Him. Third, we need to return to the things we were doing at the beginning of the relationship. We need to devote ourselves to private time for reading the Word, praising God for our blessings, and praying privately to Him about all of our needs.
Imagine if every church followed John’s instructions to remember, repent and return to the way things were spiritually in the beginning. For to happen, it must start somewhere .We may not be able to speak for our entire church, but each one of us can speak for himself or herself. If enough of us would follow John’s admonition to remember, repent and return, we could revolutionize our churches. Sounds like an exciting way to start a New Year.
Following his commendations John pointed out one major complaint. It is found in Revelation 2:4. It is a complaint that all of our churches should heed. John wrote, “But I have this against you, that you have left your first love" (NASB). What was John saying? He was saying that they had become so mechanical in their motions that they had lost the miraculous devotion that they had experienced when Jesus Christ first became real to them. They had become caught up in their rituals and they had lost sight of the reality of the relationship that they had experienced with the One who made it all possible.
Does this sound like any church that you know? I think we would have to agree that many churches are so caught up in budget, programs, image, and hundreds of other things that they do not have energy left to simply bask in the good news of the Gospel. It is not that churches are doing the wrong things. It is that they are too often not doing the main thing. We would be wise to learn from the Shorter Catechisms derived from the Westminster Confession of Faith. In answer to the question, what is the chief end of man, it says, “Man’s chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy Him forever.”
When was the last time you glorified and enjoyed the person of Jesus Christ? Most of us have been so busy doing the business of the Church that we have not had any energy left to really enjoy the blessings of the church. Consequently, we have not fully enjoyed the peace, joy and abundance that He wishes us to have.
The good news is that John gives us a solution to this dilemma in the next verse. He wrote, “Remember therefore from where you have fallen, and repent and do the deeds you did at first” (Rev. 2:5a NASB). You could call this the “3R’s” of restoring the joy of our salvation. First, we need to remember the joy and excitement we felt when Christ first became real to us and we invited Him into our hearts to be our Savior and Lord. Second, we need to repent of becoming too busy to have time to spend in developing our personal relationship with Him. Third, we need to return to the things we were doing at the beginning of the relationship. We need to devote ourselves to private time for reading the Word, praising God for our blessings, and praying privately to Him about all of our needs.
Imagine if every church followed John’s instructions to remember, repent and return to the way things were spiritually in the beginning. For to happen, it must start somewhere .We may not be able to speak for our entire church, but each one of us can speak for himself or herself. If enough of us would follow John’s admonition to remember, repent and return, we could revolutionize our churches. Sounds like an exciting way to start a New Year.
Monday, December 26, 2011
The Power of Thinking Right
Someone once said you could tell more about a person from their checkbook and their calendar than from anything else they have. The reasoning is simple. People spend their time and money on the things that are important to them. There is another important gauge of a person’s interest that is much more difficult to identify. If you can determine the things that a person thinks about all the time, you can know who they really are.
It has also been said that we become what we think. This line of thinking prompted William Barclay to write, “This is something of utmost importance, because it is the law of life that, if a man thinks of something often enough, he will come to the stage when he cannot stop thinking about it.” In other words, our thoughts can consume our time and energy and can go along way toward determining who we are going to become. Obviously there are some limitations in this theory. For example, if someone is 5’4’’ tall and weighs 240 lbs. and has a vertical jump of 6 inches, he is not going to play in the NBA no matter how much he thinks about it. Such an extreme illustration doesn’t change that it is important how we think because our thoughts play an important part in who we are and who we become.
Since our thoughts are this important, it would behoove each one of us to make a resolution at the beginning of this year to think right thoughts during the coming year. In Philippians 4:8 the Apostle Paul wrote, “Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, let your mind dwell on these things” (NASV). It would not be a bad idea for each one of us to adapt this verse for our resolution for 2012.
If we are serious about such a resolution, it will affect our lives dramatically. It will influence where we go, what we watch, what we read, and what we listen to. The results could be a changed life. Changed lives could mean happier homes and better communities. Considering the possible benefits, it is a resolution worth at least thinking about. After all, if you think about it enough, it may become who you are.
It has also been said that we become what we think. This line of thinking prompted William Barclay to write, “This is something of utmost importance, because it is the law of life that, if a man thinks of something often enough, he will come to the stage when he cannot stop thinking about it.” In other words, our thoughts can consume our time and energy and can go along way toward determining who we are going to become. Obviously there are some limitations in this theory. For example, if someone is 5’4’’ tall and weighs 240 lbs. and has a vertical jump of 6 inches, he is not going to play in the NBA no matter how much he thinks about it. Such an extreme illustration doesn’t change that it is important how we think because our thoughts play an important part in who we are and who we become.
Since our thoughts are this important, it would behoove each one of us to make a resolution at the beginning of this year to think right thoughts during the coming year. In Philippians 4:8 the Apostle Paul wrote, “Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, let your mind dwell on these things” (NASV). It would not be a bad idea for each one of us to adapt this verse for our resolution for 2012.
If we are serious about such a resolution, it will affect our lives dramatically. It will influence where we go, what we watch, what we read, and what we listen to. The results could be a changed life. Changed lives could mean happier homes and better communities. Considering the possible benefits, it is a resolution worth at least thinking about. After all, if you think about it enough, it may become who you are.
Friday, December 23, 2011
A Proper Reaction to Christmas
An old missionary, who had served primitive, island people groups his entire career, recounted a story of a Christmas gift he received from one of the natives. It was a beautiful shell. He commented on the beauty of the shell and inquired about where the native had found it. The native told him that he had traveled by foot to the far side of the island to find the shell. His journey had taken him across mountains and through dense forest. The missionary expressed his gratitude but he also expressed an apology for the man having to go such a long distance. In response to the apology the man explained that the journey was part of the gift.
On the first Christmas long ago, God gave the world its most valuable gift. He gave the gift of Himself. He stepped out of eternity into time. He stepped out of the realms of glory into a fallen world. He did not come with great pomp and ceremony. He came as a child. He came to a tiny stable, not a glorious palace. His journey was a part of His great gift of love.
The world’s reception of this marvelous gift is much the same today as it was two thousand years ago. We see today the same three responses to this gift received in the second chapter of The Gospel of Matthew. Like Herod, many grow anger and feel threatened by the Christ Child. They fear that He will threaten their way of life. They refuse to even entertain the idea that they too are recipients of this gift. Like the scribes and priests, who were caught up in their own activities and did not investigate these claims, many have heard of the gift but are so busy with life that they do not take the time to stop and reflect upon its significance for their lives. Like the Wiseman, many understand that there is something special about this child and they greet His coming with adoration.
Things have changed little. There is still one birth and three reactions, anger, apathy or adoration. As it was then, it is now; each individual must choose his/her response. The later response certainly brings a greater sense of awe and wonder during the Christmas Season.
On the first Christmas long ago, God gave the world its most valuable gift. He gave the gift of Himself. He stepped out of eternity into time. He stepped out of the realms of glory into a fallen world. He did not come with great pomp and ceremony. He came as a child. He came to a tiny stable, not a glorious palace. His journey was a part of His great gift of love.
The world’s reception of this marvelous gift is much the same today as it was two thousand years ago. We see today the same three responses to this gift received in the second chapter of The Gospel of Matthew. Like Herod, many grow anger and feel threatened by the Christ Child. They fear that He will threaten their way of life. They refuse to even entertain the idea that they too are recipients of this gift. Like the scribes and priests, who were caught up in their own activities and did not investigate these claims, many have heard of the gift but are so busy with life that they do not take the time to stop and reflect upon its significance for their lives. Like the Wiseman, many understand that there is something special about this child and they greet His coming with adoration.
Things have changed little. There is still one birth and three reactions, anger, apathy or adoration. As it was then, it is now; each individual must choose his/her response. The later response certainly brings a greater sense of awe and wonder during the Christmas Season.
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