Friday, August 27, 2010
Thankfulness
Colossians 1:7 says, "overflowing with thankfulness." It stuck out today. Do I overflow? I should. I don't. I will. At least today. At least this hour, minute, second..... I will choose to overflow with thankfulness.
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
A Worthy Life
All of us want to know that our lives count. We all want to know that we we have done made a difference. That our times has not been wasted. And, at times, we just need to keep on pushing ahead with determination, It's hard at times when we don't know whether what we are doing matters. That's why I like what Paul has to say in Colossians.
In Colossians 1, Paul encourages us to live a "life worthy of the Lord." He goes on to say that this is done by "bearing fruit," "growing in knowledge," and "being strengthened with all power." The interesting conclusion to this is that the result of us living a life this way is "great endurance and patience." But, the beginning of all this is "spiritual wisdom and understanding." And, Paul says he was praying for "them" to receive this.
Thus, it is fairly straightforward: Pray for spiritual wisdom and understanding so you bear fruit, grow in knowledge and are strengthened with all power resulting in "great" endurance and patience. Ask someone to pray for you. Pray for someone else. And, ask God for wisdom and understanding.
In Colossians 1, Paul encourages us to live a "life worthy of the Lord." He goes on to say that this is done by "bearing fruit," "growing in knowledge," and "being strengthened with all power." The interesting conclusion to this is that the result of us living a life this way is "great endurance and patience." But, the beginning of all this is "spiritual wisdom and understanding." And, Paul says he was praying for "them" to receive this.
Thus, it is fairly straightforward: Pray for spiritual wisdom and understanding so you bear fruit, grow in knowledge and are strengthened with all power resulting in "great" endurance and patience. Ask someone to pray for you. Pray for someone else. And, ask God for wisdom and understanding.
Monday, August 23, 2010
Kingdom Agenda
Probably my favorite verse in the Bible is Matthew 6:33: "But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well."
I was on the plane back from Monterrey and God's spirit spoke to me saying. "Do you have time for me? If not, I can arrange it." Many of us can go back to a time in which we had time in our "busy" day for God. But, as He blessed us, we had too much to do to give thanks to Him who provided it. There is an easy solution. If all the blessings are too much for me to handle, He can just take them away. And, that's where "seeking" comes in. On a daily basis am I seeking his kingdom and his righteousness?
Clearly, there are general "kingdom" and "righteousness" issues. But, to really seek them for my life, I have got to be still and listen. I have to take time out to receive His guidance. I was convicted by what went through my mind: "God can do more in 7 hours devoted to Him than 12 hours without Him." We all know this. We know that the majority of successes come from "breaks." You can have the best product or be the best attorney but you must have clients or investors or the right opportunities. And. what am I learning is that when I seek His kingdom for my life he provides "breaks" -- God ordained relationships. Relationships I could have never imagined of. But, it begins with seeking. That's it. So simple and yet so difficult. Life screams and God whispers.
Note to self: Be still, get rid of the noise and listen for the whisper.
I was on the plane back from Monterrey and God's spirit spoke to me saying. "Do you have time for me? If not, I can arrange it." Many of us can go back to a time in which we had time in our "busy" day for God. But, as He blessed us, we had too much to do to give thanks to Him who provided it. There is an easy solution. If all the blessings are too much for me to handle, He can just take them away. And, that's where "seeking" comes in. On a daily basis am I seeking his kingdom and his righteousness?
Clearly, there are general "kingdom" and "righteousness" issues. But, to really seek them for my life, I have got to be still and listen. I have to take time out to receive His guidance. I was convicted by what went through my mind: "God can do more in 7 hours devoted to Him than 12 hours without Him." We all know this. We know that the majority of successes come from "breaks." You can have the best product or be the best attorney but you must have clients or investors or the right opportunities. And. what am I learning is that when I seek His kingdom for my life he provides "breaks" -- God ordained relationships. Relationships I could have never imagined of. But, it begins with seeking. That's it. So simple and yet so difficult. Life screams and God whispers.
Note to self: Be still, get rid of the noise and listen for the whisper.
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
Rich Toward God
Luke 12:21 finishes the story of the rich fool (whose life was taken from him) by saying, "This is how it will be with anyone who stores up things for himself but is not rich toward God."
I got to thinking what does "rich toward God" mean? I timothy 6: 18&19 regarding the rich say, "Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life." Clearly, there is an element in the Bible that specifically addresses those that are "rich." The Bible says that we can be "arrogant" and are prone to put our "hope" in wealth.
So, the question now turns to who is rich? We would all probably say the person that has a "little more than I do." But, the reality is that most of us that read this entry are rich. Rich in the sense that we can fall into the trap of putting our hope in wealth and thinking that life is best in the abundance of possessions. Yet, Jesus tells us that this is wrong thinking.
The rich fool used the pronouns "I or my" EIGHT times in TWO verses. My perspective is that any of us can be that rich fool because it is a condition of the heart. I have seen many people that have very little and yet be very greedy and possessive. At the same time, I have seen very wealthy people be generous toward God. The reality is that it boils down to our hearts and when we have money it reveals our priorities in life. Being rich toward God is an internal, personal issue that we all must struggle with. But, I leave you with a few questions:
1. When you give, do you give freely with a gratefule heart or do you ask what is the minimum I can give?
2. While we are stewards of the possessions we have, do you disproportionately get angry if you child dings your car with his bike?
3. Do you make decisions largely based on "me, myself, and I"?
4. When is the last time you decided to not go on a vacation and instead give the money away?
5. When is the last time you did a "good deed" for someone that could not pay you back?
Take a few moments and think about these. Ask God to reveal to you where you have done well and where you can grow. If you are really daring, ask a friend.
I got to thinking what does "rich toward God" mean? I timothy 6: 18&19 regarding the rich say, "Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life." Clearly, there is an element in the Bible that specifically addresses those that are "rich." The Bible says that we can be "arrogant" and are prone to put our "hope" in wealth.
So, the question now turns to who is rich? We would all probably say the person that has a "little more than I do." But, the reality is that most of us that read this entry are rich. Rich in the sense that we can fall into the trap of putting our hope in wealth and thinking that life is best in the abundance of possessions. Yet, Jesus tells us that this is wrong thinking.
The rich fool used the pronouns "I or my" EIGHT times in TWO verses. My perspective is that any of us can be that rich fool because it is a condition of the heart. I have seen many people that have very little and yet be very greedy and possessive. At the same time, I have seen very wealthy people be generous toward God. The reality is that it boils down to our hearts and when we have money it reveals our priorities in life. Being rich toward God is an internal, personal issue that we all must struggle with. But, I leave you with a few questions:
1. When you give, do you give freely with a gratefule heart or do you ask what is the minimum I can give?
2. While we are stewards of the possessions we have, do you disproportionately get angry if you child dings your car with his bike?
3. Do you make decisions largely based on "me, myself, and I"?
4. When is the last time you decided to not go on a vacation and instead give the money away?
5. When is the last time you did a "good deed" for someone that could not pay you back?
Take a few moments and think about these. Ask God to reveal to you where you have done well and where you can grow. If you are really daring, ask a friend.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)