Monthly Archives: November 2013

What Counts

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flat,550x550,075,fEverything in life demands something of us.  Our time.  Our resources.  Our heart.  Our passion.  Our work.  Our sweat.  Our schedule.

Everything in life that’s good, that has a purpose, that can accomplish something, it demands something of us.  Everything.

Everything.

So, the question is not will you give of your time or your talents or your gifts.  It is not will you give of your resources.  The question is this.

To what will you give these things to?  Will you give these things to things that are passing, or will you give these things to things that counts.

Jesus poses it this way in Matthew 16: 25-26:

For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what shall a man give in return for his soul?

So, if you give everything, and gain everything, but in that process lose your soul, what have you really gained?  If you give yourself to your work.  Or your hobbies.  Or your whatever . . .

And you lose your soul, what have you gained?  Nothing.

Are you giving yourself to what counts?  Are you living for what counts?  Are you focused on what counts?

Today, we will give part of ourselves, our stuff, our everything away.  Are we giving it to what counts?  Are we living for what counts?

Cause if we can everything that this world has to offer, but focus on the wrong thing, what have we done?

Faith, family, friends.  These things.  They matter.

May we live for what truly counts.

Don’t forget, you can click here to download Asbury’s mobile app and read these devotionals, as well as listen to my sermons on your smart phones.

Older Brother Syndrome

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18prodigalsonThe story of  the prodigal son is a story that most of us know and love.  It’s a story that we are familiar with, a story that makes us feel better, that teaches us grace, that allows us to know that God love us, no matter what!

We love reading that story.  We love hearing that story.  And for many of us, when we read or hear that story, we picture ourselves as the older brother, returning home, feeling the love of the Father.  But, the prodigal isn’t the only brother in this story.

There’s an older brother.  And, for many of us that are believers, we have what I call the older brother syndrome.  Listen to what happens in Luke 15: 25-32:

“Now his older son was in the field, and as he came and drew near to the house, he heard music and dancing. And he called one of the servants and asked what these things meant. And he said to him, ‘Your brother has come, and your father has killed the fattened calf, because he has received him back safe and sound.’ But he was angry and refused to go in. His father came out and entreated him, but he answered his father, ‘Look, these many years I have served you, and I never disobeyed your command, yet you never gave me a young goat, that I might celebrate with my friends.  But when this son of yours came, who has devoured your property with prostitutes, you killed the fattened calf for him!’  And he said to him, ‘Son, you are always with me, and all that is mine is yours. It was fitting to celebrate and be glad, for this your brother was dead, and is alive; he was lost, and is found.’”

The older brother did everything right.  He behaved.  He acted like he should have.  He had his stuff together.

He is the one that we want our kids to grow up and be like.  He is a good guy.

But yet, here he is as well when his brother comes home and says, huh.  That’s not fair.  My no account, good for nothing brother comes home from wasting his wealth, and he gets a party.  And yet, here I work, and nothing. I get nothing. It’s not fair.

And the father reminds him that his brother was dead and is now alive. And that is to be celebrated.  Not resented.

So, today, to those of us that may be tempted to be older brothers, tempted to look down in judgement at the prodigal coming home, tempted to think, huh, why them?  Look at all that they have done!  And look how good I am!  I’m the good one!  I’ve got it all together!  What about me!

Let’s stop. And breathe.  And remember. That we too are saved by grace. That we are all prodigals. That we can’t earn it. And that God loves us.  No matter what.

Let’s be slow to judge. And quick to give grace. Let’s celebrate the when the lost come home, and when the messy, broken, prodigal comes home, let’s be thankful.  Not full of judgement.

Because as much as we older brothers are tempted to think that we have earned it and have it all figured our, remember this. We are just sinners saved by grace.

We are just prodigals coming home.

Don’t forget, you can click here to download Asbury’s mobile app and read these devotionals, as well as listen to my sermons on your smart phones.

Do Everything. Everything.

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I tell people that before I got saved as a senior in high school, I was not a pleasant person to be around when I played ball. I really wanted to win, which is a good thing.  I still feel that way.  If you are playing with a scoreboard, you should play to win!

But, for me the problem was when I didn’t win.  I’d act hateful.  I’d just act wrong.  I’d act in ways that just weren’t good.

And here’s the thing.  That still continued after I became a Christian.  I still acted in ways that I shouldn’t have.  And one day a friend of mine pulled me aside and told me to read the following verses.  So, I read Colossians 3:16-17, and this is what it said:

Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

Cross in hand prayerIt was that last verse, verse 17, that got me.  Do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus. Everything.

Do everything in Jesus name. I realized that I wasn’t doing that. By the way that I was acting, the way that I was behaving, I was not doing it in His name, and I was not bringing Him glory.  So, I has to stop and think about how I was acting. And I had to change the way that I was acting.

Because the Bible was clear.  I had to do everything. Everything.  In His name. And for His glory. And for Him.

So, I needed to change my behavior to give Him glory.  That lesson stuck with me. And I still try to live by it, every day.

Today, may we seek to do all things in the name of Jesus. All things, big or small, important or non important.  All things in Jesus name and for His glory.

May we use every moment of our life for that purpose.

 

Don’t forget, you can click here to download Asbury’s mobile app and read these devotionals, as well as listen to my sermons on your smart phones.

O Be Careful Little Mouth What you Say

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As I was reading today’s text, I thought of the old children’s song, O Be Careful, Little Eyes.  I know that you’ve heart it before, but the last verse of that song goes like this.

O be careful little mouth what you say
O be careful little mouth what you say
There’s a Father up above
And He’s looking down in love
So, be careful little mouth what you say

I thought of that when I read the words that Jesus spoke in Luke 12: 1-3:

In the meantime, when so many thousands of the people had gathered together that they were trampling one another, he began to say to his disciples first, “Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy. Nothing is covered up that will not be revealed, or hidden that will not be known. Therefore whatever you have said in the dark shall be heard in the light, and what you have whispered in private rooms shall be proclaimed on the housetops.

whispering-smallThere is that great truth that we see in both the children’s song, but more importantly in God’s Word, for us to be careful what it is that we say.  For our words matter.  The way that we talk about people matters.

How we live, it really does matter.  The little song reminds us to be careful about what it is that we say.  Jesus reminds us to be careful about what it is that we do. And what we do, even in secret, is seen by God.

That’s not a scare tactic by Jesus. It’s not there to beat us up. But it is there to remind us that our lives matter.  How we live matters.

And we we engage or talk that is hurtful, it isn’t just hurtful to them, it’s hurtful to us. What we do in the dark, it causes us hurt.  It causes us pain.  It causes us destruction.  It hurts us too.

So, be careful today.  Live loved, because you are.

And love each other. Because we all need that love.

Don’t forget, you can click here to download Asbury’s mobile app and read these devotionals, as well as listen to my sermons on your smart phones.

Jealousy

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Paul is the man.  He was faithful.  Seriously, he started tons of churches.  I jokingly say that he wrote half the New Testament (he did write a large part of it!).  If anyone in the Bible served God to the fullest, we see that Paul did.

And we see another thing from scripture.  Paul suffered.  Paul went through a lot. It was never easy for Paul.  He suffered abuse, he suffered rejection, he suffered so very much for the sake of the gospel.

And, for many of us in our human skin, Paul had  to face the temptation for what may be the hardest thing for us to deal with as humans, jealousy

Listen to what he says in Philippians 1:15-18:

Some indeed preach Christ from envy and rivalry, but others from good will. The latter do it out of love, knowing that I am put here for the defense of the gospel. The former proclaim Christ out of selfish ambition, not sincerely but thinking to afflict me in my imprisonment. What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is proclaimed, and in that I rejoice.

eggsPaul said, some folks preach for the right reasons.  Some for the wrong.  That doesn’t matter, what matters is that Jesus is preached.  And now, it would be very easy for Paul to get jealous of those that are preaching for the wrong reason.

Perhaps get a little righteous.  Perhaps get a little angry.  Perhaps get a little jealous.

After all, here he is, doing it the right way.  Doing it right. Living right.  Doing right.  Making sure everything is done the way that God wants.

And there they are, not caring. Doing it wrong!  That’s not right!  It would be very easy to get jealous or judgmental.

And as long as they are the focus, that will happen.  When Jesus it the focus, it’s all ok. Because then He will be glorified and proclaimed, in all things.

And that was Paul’s purpose and point. And that’s what he lived for.  He kept his focus on the right thing.

How do you fight against jealousy?  Keep your focus on the right thing.

Don’t forget, you can click here to download Asbury’s mobile app and read these devotionals, as well as listen to my sermons on your smart phones.

Listen

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listenOne of the pieces of advice that I offer to people quite often is to trust your gut.  Listen to what you gut tells you.

Why do I say that?  Why do I recommend that?  Well, I believe that all us, within us, have a conscience.  Now we are all broken and make mistakes and are prone to choose wrong. But, I also believe that each of us has within us a conscience that will let us know that somethings are just wrong.

That is part of God’s image within us, that the fall has not corrupted.  That is part of what God has made that is good.  And yes, sin has greatly affected us, part of God’s goodness remains.

And, for those of us that are Christians, we have within us the spirit of God.  God’s spirit lives within us, it calls us, convicts us, challenges us, comforts us, draws us to Himself.

God’s spirit within us will lead us.

Listen to it.  Listen to what God is trying to say.

Listen.

Hear what happened to Paul today in Acts 17: 16-20:

Now while Paul was waiting for them at Athens, his spirit was provoked within him as he saw that the city was full of idols. So he reasoned in the synagogue with the Jews and the devout persons, and in the marketplace every day with those who happened to be there. Some of the Epicurean and Stoic philosophers also conversed with him. And some said, “What does this babbler wish to say?” Others said, “He seems to be a preacher of foreign divinities”—because he was preaching Jesus and the resurrection. And they took him and brought him to the Areopagus, saying, “May we know what this new teaching is that you are presenting? For you bring some strange things to our ears. We wish to know therefore what these things mean.”

Paul listened.  His spirit was provoked.  He was faithful.  And God did great things.

Today, what is God wanting to do in you and through you?  Are you listening?  Do you hear?  Listen for God.

Listen.  And you will hear.

Don’t forget, you can click here to download Asbury’s mobile app and read these devotionals, as well as listen to my sermons on your smart phones.

It Will Get Better

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it_gets_better_by_incessant_star-d30th5dThe worst thing about trouble and pain and suffering is that we sometime think that they will never end.  They will never get better.  It will never stop.  It will always be like this.  It will never change.

This is just the way that it’s going to be ever.  It will never change.

That’s what we can think when we are in the midst of a tough or tragic situation.  We can think, we can believe that this just the way that it’s going to be.  This is the new normal.  The tears will not end, the pain will not stop.

This is just the way that it is.

Ever felt that way?  I know that I have.  I know that’s what pain makes us think sometimes.  But, that’s just not true.  It will get better.  Listen to what Jesus says in John 16: 20-22:

Truly, truly, I say to you, you will weep and lament, but the world will rejoice. You will be sorrowful, but your sorrow will turn into joy. When a woman is giving birth, she has sorrow because her hour has come, but when she has delivered the baby, she no longer remembers the anguish, for joy that a human being has been born into the world. So also you have sorrow now, but I will see you again, and your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take your joy from you.

It will get better.  Your sorry will end.  Your pain will end.  Your tears will turn to laughter.

It will get better.  Don’t forget that.  Don’t give up hope. Don’t quit.  This moment is not the end.  It will get better.

Jesus loves you, He is here for you and He has not left you.  It will get better.  It will.

Don’t give up.  No matter what.  Don’t give up.

Don’t forget, you can click here to download Asbury’s mobile app and read these devotionals, as well as listen to my sermons on your smart phones.

Liar, Lunatic, or Lord

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I’m basically stealing today’s reflection from one of my heroes, CS Lewis.

Lewis had an argument for the divinity of Jesus that went along these lines.  Everyone believes that Jesus was a good moral teacher.  Even folks that don’t believe that He was the Savior of the Son of God, they would believe that He had some really great things to say. Even folks that would discount miracles would like His moral teachings.

But, CS Lewis would say that could not be the case.  Why?

Because Jesus said that He was the Son of God.  Some ways He said this are very bold, others are vague.  But Jesus left no doubt in who He was.  He even knew that folks would not believe Him and said this, in John 10:19-21:

There was again a division among the Jews because of these words. Many of them said, “He has a demon, and is insane; why listen to him?” Others said, “These are not the words of one who is oppressed by a demon. Can a demon open the eyes of the blind?”

451105132_640So, Jesus knew who He was. And Lewis said this, Jesus simply cannot be a great moral teacher.  He claimed to be the Son of God, and  is either a liar, a lunatic, or Lord.

If He’s lying, and not who He says He is, you wouldn’t take moral teaching from a liar, would you?

And if He is suffering illusions of grander, and claimed to be something that He wasn’t, you wouldn’t take moral teaching from him, would you?

No, the only way Jesus’ teaching has any relevance to us is if He is who He said that He is.

Lord.

So, in our lives, if we are going to take His teaching seriously, we must take who He is seriously.  We must take all of Him, not just the parts that we like.  We must follow Him.  We must.

He can’t just be a good man.  He can’t just be a good teacher.  He can’t.  He must be Lord.

Today, in our lives, who is Jesus to us?

Don’t forget, you can click here to download Asbury’s mobile app and read these devotionals, as well as listen to my sermons on your smart phones.

When We Don’t Know What to Pray

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Sometimes in life, we just don’t know what to pray.  We don’t have the words.  Or know what the words are.  Or even know how to say them?

Have you ever felt that way?

Have you ever struggled with what to pray or how to pray?  I know that I have.  I know that it’s a feeling that I have felt and I’m sure that all of us, at sometime, have felt.

Maybe the pain is too much.  Maybe we are in a bad place.  Maybe we just don’t have the words for the situation we are in.

Maybe we just do know what it is that we are supposed to say.  We can fill frustrated, and maybe not even fill like we have faith.  When you feel like that, listen to what Paul says in Romans 8:26-27:

Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.

prayerToday, when you pray, God knows your heart.  God knows your soul.  God knows what you need more than you do.  God knows what your fears are, He knows you.

Don’t worry about what to say.  If your words fail you, that’s ok.

If you don’t know what to pray for, that’s ok.

If you are unsure what you should do, that’s ok.

God knows.

Pray is not about what we say.  It’s about realizing that we are in the presence of Almighty God.  And He knows.  And we can trust in Him.  In all things.

Today, trust.  He knows what we need.

Don’t forget, you can click here to download Asbury’s mobile app and read these devotionals, as well as listen to my sermons on your smart phones.

What Matters is Jesus

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One of the struggles for the church when Paul was evangelizing and starting churches was this – how much of the old life and the old tradition should they hold to?  Many of the new believers had come out of the Jewish tradition, while many of the newest believers were Gentiles (non-Jews). So, the question emerged, what should all Christians do?

Should they hold to the traditions of their ancestors and keep the laws about what to eat and what to drink?  Should they hold onto the old?

Or, should they break away completely?  Should they start over and walk away from the old traditions of the past? What are they to do?

Listen to how Paul writes about this in Romans 14: 17-21:

For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking but of righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. Whoever thus serves Christ is acceptable to God and approved by men. So then let us pursue what makes for peace and for mutual upbuilding. Do not, for the sake of food, destroy the work of God. Everything is indeed clean, but it is wrong for anyone to make another stumble by what he eats. It is good not to eat meat or drink wine or do anything that causes your brother to stumble.

cu_jesus_kidsPaul tells us this – what you eat or not eat, that’s not important.  What matters is Jesus and the Holy Spirit. What matters is being lead by the spirit, walking with the spirit, living by the spirit.

Not if you eat clean or unclean, if you wash or don’t wash.

It’s Jesus.

Now, Paul would say that if you choose to eat only certain foods, that’s fine.  Just don’t judge others (who love Jesus) that don’t have the same conviction as you.  If they love Jesus, that’s what matters.

So is it today.  Just because there is something in your life that you feel like is the most important thing in all the world, and someone else doesn’t share that same passion, or doesn’t agree with you, or doesn’t go to the right church, or listen to the right music, or do the “right” thing, it doesn’t mean that they aren’t Christian.

Point folks to Jesus today, not to your traditions or the things that are you preference. Do what you need to do for you faith. But don’t mistake the way that you live your faith out for your faith.

Love others.  Love Jesus.  Point to Jesus.  Live for Him.

And let God take care of the rest!

Don’t forget, you can click here to download Asbury’s mobile app and read these devotionals, as well as listen to my sermons on your smart phones.