Monthly Archives: November 2010

What You Were Made For

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Not to go all Joel Olsten on you, but you were created by God to be something special.

You were formed to be something uniquely you. You are unlike anyone else in all of creation.  You are unlike anyone else that’s ever been born.

There’s no one like, and you have a purpose in this life that only you can achieve for God.

It’s something I can’t do, it’s something no one else can do.

Only you can do it. You were made for this.

Listen to what God says through Isaiah today in Chapter 49:

Listen to me, O coastlands,
pay attention, you peoples from far away!
The Lord called me before I was born,
while I was in my mother’s womb he named me.

Before he was ever born, the Lord had called him to be a prophet.  Before he had ever breathed his first breath, the Lord had given him this purpose.

He was to be a prophet for God, to announce God’s favor, God’s plan, and God’s will.

This was God’s plan for Isaiah before he was born

God has the same thing for you.

Maybe it’s to be a prophet, maybe not. Maybe it’s to teach, maybe not. Maybe it’s to work with children, maybe not.

I don’t know what your purpose is.

You might not know what your purpose is yet.

But God does.  Keep seeking. Keep listening.  Keep praying.  Keep knocking.

And God will open the door. He will show you.  He longs to show you.  He longs for you to be doing what you were made for.

You were created for something amazing. Don’t ever forget.  Don’t ever lose sight of that.

You are His prize creation. Live with that confidence. Live with that purpose.  Live with that hope.

Today You are Forgiven

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Sometimes we think we’ve gone too far.

That the deeds we have done are too great.

That there is no way God can forgive us.

After all, look at the terrible thing we’ve done. Look at the secret shame we bear. Look at the guilt we carry.  Look at the hurt that we’ve caused others.

There’s no way God can forgive. We’ve gone too far.

Or, maybe it’s not that. It’s not the we’ve done some “awful” sin.

It’s that we keep doing the same thing, over and over again.

Everyday, we wake up, intending to do better. To live right. To live for God.

This will be the day!

And before we even leave the house, we’ve blown it. We’ll never get it right. We’ll never get it straight. It will never happen.

Listen to the words of Isaiah this morning:

18 “Come now, let’s settle this,”
says the Lord.
“Though your sins are like scarlet,
I will make them as white as snow.
Though they are red like crimson,
I will make them as white as wool.

God is a God that longs to forgive you. That longs to give you grace and mercy and hope.

That longs to have you start fresh today.

That’s God’s plan for you. That’s God’s will for you. That’s what God wants.  God wants to forgive you.

And God wants you to know that you are forgiven.

Sometimes, the hardest person to forgive is yourself.

Today, through the power of Jesus Christ, you are forgiven.

Go out and live.  You are forgiven. Go and live in that assurance.

A New Hope Podcast

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The sermon podcast for Sunday, November 28 is up on Asbury Church’s website. This is the first sermon in our Advent 2010 series “All Things New.” This is entitled “A New Hope” and the text is Colossians 1:27.  You can listen to it by clicking here, or you can listen to it here on this blog by clicking below. And, as always, you can subscribe to my sermon podcasts through iTunes.

Thanks!

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This is Thanksgiving week, and I want to say thank you!

I’ll be off-line the rest of the week, or as off-line as I can possibly be. My family and I are headed over to Bogue Chitto to see my family. No internet access there, so I’ll have to survive with only my phone and my iPad. It’s gonna be tough.  Pray for me 🙂

Of all the things I’m thankful for this eventful, busy, amazing year, the words, comments, emails and other communications I receive from my blog are among the things I’m most thankful.

I enjoy blogging almost every day, I find it a welcome release and a way to keep my thoughts stirred up. And I’m aways amazed that God somehow uses to help folks on their walk.

So, if you’ve taken the time to read any of this thank you. I appreciate it. And I really do hope it’s been a help to you on your walk.

Happy Thanksgiving! We’ll see you next Monday!

The Foundation

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We can lay the foundation for our lives in a lot of places.

The foundation of our life could be our job. . .

Our family. . .

Our finances. . . .

Our hobbies. . . .

Our status and success. . . .

Other’s view of us. . . .

All these things could vanish, even family.  All these things can fail us.  All these things are not eternal.  Only one thing is eternal.  Only one thing will not fail.  Only one thing is unchanging.

Jesus

Paul writes these words today in 1 Corinthians:

11 For no one can lay any foundation other than the one that has been laid; that foundation is Jesus Christ.

Today, a simple thought and reflection as we draw close to Thanksgiving.  Is He your foundation?

Is Jesus Christ the foundation of you life?

Is everything built upon Him?

All else could fail you.  He never will.

Is He your foundation?

You will never know true life, peace, joy, and purpose until He is your foundation.

May He be that foundation for you life today.

Bearing Along

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Paul tells us something interesting today in Galatians 6.  He seems to give us two different commands. First, He says in verse 2-3 this:

2 Bear one another’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ. 3 For if those who are nothing think they are something, they deceive themselves.

Then, in verses 4-5, he says this:

4 All must test their own work; then that work, rather than their neighbor’s work, will become a cause for pride. 5 For all must carry their own loads.

So, he tell us first to bear each others burdens. But then, he tell us carry or “bear” our own burdens.  How can do both?

What is he talking about here?

What are we to do?

As Christians we are to always be looking out for each others. We are to always be looking to help one another, care for one another, bear each other’s burdens.

We need to be about the business of helping each other out.

Bear each others burdens.

But, the only way I can help you, the only way I can bear your burdens is if I’m taking care of my own.  I am to take care of myself, so I can help you.

If I am taken care of, then I have the time, the strength, the ability to help you.

Bear your own burdens.

What it looks like is this. There are going to come times, when all is good. We can fix our problems. Life is good, life is easy. It’s all good.  We bear our own problems.

But, there are others when it’s hard. When it’s not easy. When life is difficult. When we can’t do it.

We need help. We need someone to help us in our burdens. Someone to help us bear them.

We need each other.

Some days we can bear our own. Some days, we can’t.

In all days, we need God. And each other.

Bear your burdens. Bear each other’s burdens.  Love God.  Love each other.

In these things, we are being who God has called us to be.

Today

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The book of James serves as a reminder today of something that can change the way we live today.

The reminder is this – today is all we have.

Nothing more is promised.  Today is it.

This moment, this instance, this time, it is all that we are assured of.

James writes today in chapter 4:

13 Come now, you who say, ‘Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a town and spend a year there, doing business and making money.’ 14Yet you do not even know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. 15Instead you ought to say, ‘If the Lord wishes, we will live and do this or that.’

This moment is all that we know for sure that is ours.

Who knows what will happen tomorrow or the future.

We have this moment.

Let’s not waste it.  Let’s not take it for granted.  Let’s not live today at half speed.

Let’s live fully today. Let’s live boldly today.  Let’s not waste today.  It’s all that we know that we have.

Don’t let the regrets of yesterday or the worries of tomorrow occupy your mind.  Live today.  Live in this moment.  Live in this  time.

You’ve got it.

It’s all that is promised.

Don’t waste it.

Don’t take it for granted.

Live today.  It’s all that we know that we have.  Let’s live it to the fullest.  Let’s live it for God’s glory.

Let’s live today.

Give Thanks

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Today, in Luke’s Gospel, we read about Jesus healing some folks.  This one of those miracles that has something expected in it.

In fact, what happens after the miracle is more amazing than the miracle it’s self.

Listen to what happens today in Luke 17

15Then one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, praising God with a loud voice. 16He prostrated himself at Jesus’ feet and thanked him. And he was a Samaritan. 17Then Jesus asked, ‘Were not ten made clean? But the other nine, where are they? 18Was none of them found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?’

Ten folks were healed by Jesus.  Only one returned to give Him thanks.

Only one.

Why is that?  The text doesn’t say. We don’t know why only returned.  But we know that it happened.

Perhaps they were busy. Perhaps they were seeing family and friends they hadn’t seen in a while. Perhaps in joy, they just forgot.

But, they didn’t return to give thanks. For whatever reason, they didn’t come back to give thanks.

And, even more amazing, the only one of the nine to return and give thanks was a Samaritan. He wasn’t even one of the “chosen.” He didn’t know who Jesus was. He wasn’t one of the people.

So, of the ten, the nine that were Jesus’ people, that we were Jewish, they didn’t return to give thanks.

And the only one that did, was a Samaritan, a foreigner.  He gave thanks.

Today, are we thankful. Are we thankful for grace?

For life?

For family?

For health?

Today, yes, life may be hard.  You may have a lot of challenges ahead of you in the days to come. Yes, it may not be easy.

But, you are here.  You are breathing. You gotta a chance!

Be thankful. For the little things. For life. For the love of God and family. For all He has done.

And particularly those of us that are Christians, we should be most thankful.

For we know this – we are loved, we are forgiven.

We, among all folks, should be most thankful.

Today, give thanks, for God is good. And His love endures forever.

Not Be So

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I’ve heard it said that the Bible doesn’t need to be defended or argued about.

It just needs to be listened to and applied to our lives.

Each morning I try to listen to what God is saying through different text that I read, and I’m always amazed at the emails and responses I receive from these reflections.

Today is one of the days, when one of these text say so much, I think there’s very little I can add to it. Listen to what James says today:

7 People can tame all kinds of animals, birds, reptiles, and fish, 8 but no one can tame the tongue. It is restless and evil, full of deadly poison. 9 Sometimes it praises our Lord and Father, and sometimes it curses those who have been made in the image of God. 10 And so blessing and cursing come pouring out of the same mouth. Surely, my brothers and sisters, this is not right!

What are we saying today?

Not just with our lips, but with our lives?

What are we saying?  Are we using our tongues to build up?  To praise God?  To bless?

Or are we using our tongues to tear down?  To hurt?  To cause pain?  To mock? To harm?

What are we saying today?

So often, we say things and literally the moment the words leave our mouth, we wish we could pull them back in.

We can’t though.  What’s done is done, what’s said is said.

So, we must be careful.  With the same mouth flows both praises to God and hurt to others.

This must not be so.

What are you saying today?   How are you speaking today?

May you, may I, may each of us honor God with our tongues today.  May we used our tongues to life up, not to tear down.  To bless, not to curse. To give glory to God and help each other.

Not to bring harm.