Tag Archives: Life

Questions

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We should live our lives in a way that raise questions.

We should live our lives in a way that people that aren’t Christian wonder, what’s the deal with them? Why do they live the way that they live? Why do they do what they do? Why do they act the way that they act?

Today, in 1 Peter 3:15, we are told that our lives should raise these questions in others:

but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect,

The light of Jesus should shine though us in such a way that it makes a difference. The grace of Jesus should just radiate out of us. The power of God should be apparent in our lives for all to see.

We shouldn’t have to go around announcing to people that we are Christians.

Our clothes shouldn’t be the the only thing that proclaims that we are Christian. Our music shouldn’t be the the only thing that proclaims that we are Christian. The symbols on our cars shouldn’t be the the only thing that proclaims that we are Christian.

Our lives must proclaim that we are Christians.

Our lives must produce questions in others.

And, we should always be ready to answer these questions; with hope, with gentleness; with respect.

Today, may our lives raise questions in others. And may give an answer to those questions – Jesus.

A Taste of Eternity

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One of the criticisms people can have of the church and of us as Christians sometimes is that we can be so heavenly minded that we are no earthly good.

We can focus on heaven to exclusion of other things.

Why work for change here upon the earth, when our reward is in heaven?

Why should we worry about the earth at all? Why should we try to change things at all. After all, this world is not our final destination.

Now, there is something to the notion that as Christians, this world is not our final home. This world is not our final security. This world is not our final hope.

Our final hope is in heaven.

Then, what is heaven?

Listen to what Jesus tells us in John 17: 1-3

When Jesus had spoken these words, he lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, “Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son that the Son may glorify you, since you have given him authority over all flesh, to give eternal life to all whom you have given him. And this is eternal life, that they know you the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent

We see here that knowing God as God, and His son Jesus Christ. That is eternal life. That is heaven.

In heaven, as Paul says in 1 Corinthians 13, we know know God fully, as He fully knows us. We will have that full knowledge of God and of everything.

Well, that journey starts now. Through knowing God here, through our walk with Christ here, we get a foretaste of heaven.

This is enteral life. Know God. So, today, through our knowledge of God, we are getting a taste of eternity.

Today, live in that great, joyous knowledge. Today is a day of eternity. Today, let’s live in that power.

The Stuff of Earth

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It’s tempting sometimes to think that our help comes from the stuff of this world.

Our help, our hope, our salvation – it comes from the economy. Or it comes from our job. Or it comes from our status. Or it comes from, well, whatever.

When the stuff of this world seems to be out of whack or out of character, we can think, well, what hope do we have? What chance to do we have? What prayer do we have.

We can only focus on the stuff of the world, and forget eternity.

Listen to Psalm 146: 3-6 this morning:

Put not your trust in princes,
in a son of man, in whom there is no salvation.
When his breath departs, he returns to the earth;
on that very day his plans perish.
Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob,
whose hope is in the Lord his God,
who made heaven and earth,
the sea, and all that is in them,
who keeps faith forever;

This Psalm reminds us that our hope is not in the stuff of this world. It’s not even in ourselves. For all of us, even the most awesome among us, are but a breath.

One day we will draw our last breath upon earth and our time here will be done.

This is not eternity. This is not forever.

Our hope is not the passing stuff of this world. It is in the eternal hope of God.

He will not disappoint us. He will not fail us. He will not forsake us. His hope is real and forever and lasting.

And we can truly trust in it today.

Today, where is your hope? Where is your trust? In the stuff of earth? Or the stuff of heaven?

Today, may we realize that our true hope is not in the stuff of earth. May we realize our true hope is in the king of heaven.

Good Gifts

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God wants good things for us.  Really, He does.

Now, saying that is a dangerous statement. Because our understanding of what good things are is not always the same as His understanding of what good things are.

Our understanding of good things often turns to earthly success or earthly possessions.

God giving me good things doesn’t necessary mean that Ole Miss is going to win the national title this year. Thought that would be AWESOME.  God giving me good things means that He wants to give me what is best for me.

And He wants to give you what is best for you.  This may not be what we want.  It will be what we need.

Listen to the story that Jesus tells today in Luke:

“And so I tell you, keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened. You fathers—if your children ask for a fish, do you give them a snake instead? Or if they ask for an egg, do you give them a scorpion? Of course not! So if you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him.”

We, as earthly parents want what is best for our kids. We want for them what will help them, help them grow, help them be the people that they were made to be. We want them to know life and love and success and purpose and happiness.

And we as parents, we all know that we sincerely want these things for our kids. We all do.  We all know that.

Every parent wants that for their children.

In that, if we, who are sinful, imperfect people want this for our children, how much more does our loving, perfect Father want that for each of us?

Today, in your life, even when don’t believe it or can’t understand it, God wants what’s best for you.

He really does.

He wants to give you good gifts.

Today, may we see His goodness in all things, and may we know that God really does want what is best for us.

And may we learn to trust.

 

Do Something

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I tell folks that I’m not particularly useful in life. I’m a preacher!  There’s not much I can do in life that’s actually helpful! 🙂

I say that jokingly, but as someone who really does spend a lot of time preaching and counseling and preparing our church for what God has called us to do and to be, one of the things that I really enjoy, when I get the chance, is the opportunity to do mission work. It’s a neat thing to be able to “do” something like fix, or rebuild, or work in some fashion.

I remember once taking a group of youth to build a habitat house in Lauderdale County, MS, and it was a great joy to be able to “do” something, but just as importantly, see these kids learn to “do” something as well. To be the hands and feet of Jesus in this day.

Today, God is going to give you the chance to “do” something for Him.  It may be something in your eyes that is “big,” it may be something in your eyes that is “small.” But, both of these, the big and the small, they are something that you can do for His glory.

Listen to the words of one of my favorite passages, Colossians 3:17:

And whatever you do or say, do it as a representative of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through him to God the Father.

Everything you do today, you do it for God. Everything. From the biggest task, to the smallest errand. Everything you do today, you do it to glorify Him and to be an ambassador for Him.

You can influence many with your words, your actions, your heart, your smile, your attitude, your very being.

Everything you do today, everything, is done for God.

Today, you have the chance to “do’ something for God.

Don’t miss that chance. Don’t miss that moment. God has given it to you. Today, may we do what God is calling us to do.

And may we do it for His glory and for His purpose.

Follow Me – Intro Podcast

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The sermon podcast for Sunday, August 14, 2011 is up on Asbury Church’s website.  This is the first sermon in our series about discipleship and the transformed life entitled “Follow Me.”  It reflects upon many of the passages of scripture where Jesus called folks to lay everything down and follow Him.  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.

The Simple Things

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There are some books in the bible <cough Revelation cough> that are really confusing. Some books that are really tough to understand. Some that make us scratch our head, close our eyes, and just wonder, what was that?

Now, just a word, even those hard to understand books can very important and fruitful for our walk with God. Do I understand every part of Revelation?  No. But I do understand that it teaches that in the end, God wins. And those who have their hope in Christ have nothing to fear in this life.

And that’s good. So, even the hard stuff is important.

But there are days when I really look forward to reading out of Proverbs. This book is full of simple Godly wisdom, the kind of things that if we do, we will find our lives in a place where we need to be.

In the New Testament, the books of 1 Timothy and 2 Timothy are much like that. Good, simple, easy to understand wisdom. Listen to what Paul writes in 1 Timothy 4 today:

Teach these things and insist that everyone learn them. Don’t let anyone think less of you because you are young. Be an example to all believers in what you say, in the way you live, in your love, your faith, and your purity. Until I get there, focus on reading the Scriptures to the church, encouraging the believers, and teaching them.

Just good stuff.  Live a Godly life in front of others. Do what’s right.  Focus on reading the scriptures.  Encourage.  Teach. Preach. Live.

Not rocket science.  Not overly complicated. Simple.

The simple things matter. The simple things are important. The simple things are most often where life is found.

I had a friend that used to always encourage me – Pray, read your Bible, and go to church.  In doing these things you will put yourself in a position to be used by God.

In the simple things.

Today, don’t worry about the complicated things. Don’t worry about the things you can’t understand. Worry about the simple things. Are you doing them?  Are you praying?

Are you reading your Bible?

Are you going to church?

In the simple things, we find life. In the simple things we find that wisdom.  In the simple things we find our way.

Today, are doing the things we should be doing?

Jesus Saves

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Jesus saves!

That’s a statement you have probably heard a million times.  You’ve seen on signs.  You’ve heard it in sermons.   You’ve seen it on bumper stickers.  You know the phrase.

I remember one of the first times I read the phrase was when I was a kid and my parents were driving down to New Orleans to see family, I remember seeing where someone had spray painted the phrase “Jesus Saves” on one of the legs of a bridge crossing the interstate.  I remember seeing that a lot of bridges when I was a kid.

That’s one of the things that we believe as Christians.  Jesus saves. Jesus saves for eternity, and Jesus saves now. In John 17, Jesus prays that His followers would have eternal life, and that eternal life is found in knowing God the Father through Jesus the Son. And that eternal life begins now.

Life is not something we have to wait until heaven to receive.  Life begins now.

Jesus saves.

But, what does that mean?  Listen to what Jesus says in Mark 8 today:

Then, calling the crowd to join his disciples, he said, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross, and follow me. If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake and for the sake of the Good News, you will save it. And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul?

Jesus promises us life.  He promises to save our lives. But, the only way that we can know that life and live in that life is to lay down our life.

Wait, what?  What does that mean?

The only way that we can truly find that life is to realize that we weren’t put upon the earth to live for ourselves. We weren’t put here for our “stuff.”  We were put here for Him.

It’s not about us.

And as long as we are living for ourselves and for what we want and for our will, we’ll never know life.

But, when we lay down our lives and follow Him, we will know life.

Jesus saves.  In stopping living for we want, and starting to live for what He wants, we find life.  To save our life, we must lose it. To know the life we are desperate for, we must stop living for ourselves.

Jesus saves.  In laying down everything to Him and for Him, we find life.  In holding onto it, we will never know it.  It laying it down, we find more life than possible.

Today, may we lay down our lives and follow Him. And in following Him, may we find the life we seek.

Go and Tell

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I like to brag on those that I love.  I like to tell folks about my kids, my wife, and my family.

I like to tell folks about my church and what God is doing at Asbury Church.

I like to talk about good experiences I have at difference places.  I like to go and tell others about the things of that I’ve experienced that have brought me joy or happiness or was just a good experience.

I like to go and tell others about the good things that I’ve seen in my life.

Namely, Jesus.  He is the best thing I’ve experienced and the best thing that I’ll ever experience. And, I want to tell others about Him.  Listen to what happens today in Mark 5:

As Jesus was getting into the boat, the man who had been demon possessed begged to go with him. But Jesus said, “No, go home to your family, and tell them everything the Lord has done for you and how merciful he has been.” So the man started off to visit the Ten Towns of that region and began to proclaim the great things Jesus had done for him; and everyone was amazed at what he told them.

Jesus had healed this man of many issues. He had made Him whole.  He had changed this man’s life forever.  And this man wanted to follow Jesus.  He wanted to get on the boat and follow Jesus.

Jesus said – this is how you will follow me.  Go and tell.  Go and tell others about me. Go and tell others about what I’ve done.  Go and tell others about what change has come to pass in your life.

Go and tell.

Sometimes to go and tell others means you have to go far away. Sometimes it means you have to you have to stay in your own family. Whatever it looks like, each of us are called to go and tell.

Go and tell what Jesus has done for us. Go and tell about His salvation and His hope.  Go and tell about His life. Go and tell.

Go and brag on Jesus like you do your family. Or your favorite restaurant. Or your favorite pair of shoes. Or your favorite hunting spot. Go and tell. Go and tell others what He has done in your life.

Go and show His mercy in your life.

Go and brag on what He’s doing in your life.

Go. Go and tell.

Nothing

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Sometimes in a devotional, there is the need to tell a story to help connect someone the truth of scripture to their life. Sometimes there is the need to further explain what is happening in the text, or what is happening behind the scence or what the intent was, or whatever.

But, here’s the thing about the Bible. It doesn’t need my (or anyone’s) help. It speaks for it’s self.  It proclaims truth in it’s self. At the end of the day, there’s nothing to add to it. It speaks truth.

Today, I want to share a passage with you that I read, and really, there’s not a lot I can add to it. This is from Romans 8:

And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Today, nothing will seperate you from God’s love.  Nothing.

Not life, not death, not anything created, nothing in your life, no worries, no fears, no doubts, no mistakes, no failiures, no nothing (yes Enligsh majors/teachers. That’s a double neagive. Sorry 🙂 ). Through Jesus,  nothing can separate us from God’s love.

So, today, remember though Jesus Christ, nothing is going to separate you from God’s love.  He loves you. And He wants you to live in the reality of that love.  That’s where life, hope, peace, everything is found in.  God and His love.

Today, let’s God’s love form you.  Let it shape your actions.  Let it shape your thoughts.  Let it form your very being.  You are loved.  Today.  You are.  Live in that knowledge. Live in that hope.  Let that sink down deep in your soul.  You are loved.

And nothing can take that from you.  Nothing.

Live in that knowledge today.  Live with that confidence today.  Live in that assurance today.  Through Jesus Christ, nothing can separate you from God’s love.

Nothing.