Thoughts on Christ and His Word

In his book "Wild Goose Chase" , Mark Batterson wrote a few simple truths that God has been teaching me over the years. So I decided to list them below. These can be life-changing principles. Most of us are far too tentative when it comes to the will of God. We let our fears dictate our decisions. We are so afraid of making the wrong decision that we make no decision. An what we fail to realize is that indecision is a decision An it is our indecision, not our bad decisions, that keeps us in a the cage. We need people who are more afraid of missing opportunities than making mistakes. People who are more afraid of lifelong regrets than temporary failure. People who dare to dream the unthinkable and attempt the impossible. God has shown me that all the Hebrews 11 "Hall of Faith" believers are there because they dared to do great things because of their faith, not because they sat quietly and safely in prayer closets. At some point prayer in the closet must res

Remember the song? I'm not sure what made that song famous. Perhaps because we all have bad days once in a while. Sometimes God uses those bad days as a prelude for big things to happen in our lives. A bad day for Abraham was when he was asked to sacrifice his son. But that day turned out to be a day for which he gained the title "the father of the faith". The thief on the cross had a bad day when he was crucified. But that day, by putting his faith in Christ, was his day of salvation and being with Jesus in paradise for all eternity. Paul had a bad day when he was shipwrecked on the island of Malta. To make it a super duper bad day, he was bitten by a snake that came out of the firewood. The natives thought he was a murderer who although escaped from the ocean, would die by a snake bite. When he survived that, they said "he was a god". But God turned his bad day around when the natives took this "god" to the chief official of the island. Paul healed

Capital One made famous the line "What's in your wallet". Have you ever considered the question "What's in your life"? Our lives are lived out based on rules, norms, ideas, and idiosyncrasies we choose to guide us. These attitudes and behaviors are adopted from things we love - music, TV shows, parents, and our own personality preferences.. But above all these, God says that His Word should reign supreme in our lives. In fact He goes as far as saying that His words should be our life. After reviewing with the people of Israel all the laws God had given to them, Moses said to the people: "Take to heart all the words I have solemnly declared to you this day, so that you may command your children to obey carefully all the words of this law. 47 They are not just idle words for you — they are your life . By them you will live long in the land you are crossing the Jordan to possess." Deuteronomy 32:46-47 . Our life should be a living, breathing, walki

What's better, to serve God out of fear or love? And now, O Israel, what does the LORD your God ask of you but to fear the LORD your God, to walk in all his ways, to love him , to serve the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul, 13 and to observe the LORD's commands and decrees that I am giving you today for your own good? Deuteronomy 10:12-13 It would seem both are good reasons to serve Him. But here is what the Apostle John wrote: . There is no fear in love . But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love. 1 John 4:18 So I guess the answer is that it is better to serve God out of Love, rather than fear. However, fear of God is a close second best reason.

I was disgusted today as I read about how we in the great USA are loosing more of our freedoms every day. The radical homosexual crowd is bulldozing their agenda forward trampling on the rights and freedoms of the rest of us. The latest victim is eHarmony .com. I am no fan of eHarmony and do not endorse their service. But if the radical homosexual crowd can bring this private business to its knees, it's only a matter of time until they come knocking on church doors to force us (Christians) to accept their deviant lifestyle. Michelle Malkin describes the situation best. I hope you take the time to read her blog at http://www.onenewsnow.com/Perspectives/Default.aspx?id=329160

"If this is an emergency, hang up and dial 911". That's the message from your doctor's office message service. Here's God's message: "call upon me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you will honor me" Psalms 50:15 God desires to show his power on your behalf and deliver you from your problem. But you call upon Him in prayer. By the way it helps if you are living righteously, pray passionately, and trust Him to do the best for you. REMINDER: Pray Hard, Life is Short!

Migrating birds come and go through Atlanta. They have Vision, Hope, and Strategy. According to the Georgia Dept. of Natural Resources " the Ruby-throated Hummingbird (Archilochus colubris), weighing less than a penny, [flies] non-stop over the Gulf of Mexico, a continuous 24-hour flight of about 500 miles." Now that's Vision and Hope! I wouldn't swim 50 feet into the Gulf for fear of not getting back. In his book "Tribes" Seth Godin writes: Hope without a strategy doesn't generate leadership. Leadership comes when your hope and your optimism are matched with a concrete vision of the future and a way to get there. People won't follow you if they don't believe you can get where you say you're going. Leadership isn't just about Vision. Any complainer can voice what would be a better future. Real leaders not only have a Vision, they have a Plan and Strategy on how to get there and then inspire Hope along the way. Like the the Ruby-throated

The Jewish spies felt like " grasshoppers " when they saw the size of the people who lived in the promised land (Numbers 13:33). So they got scared, lost their faith in God and discouraged the Israelites from crossing into it. As a result, they wandered aimlessly through a desert for 40 years until that generation of hardhearted, unbelieving, and ungrateful Jews died off. Insecurity is the fruit of comparison. When we compare ourselves to others we feel inadequate and insecure which can lead to hopelessness, anger, and rebellion. This is what happened to the Israelites. They sank so deep in frustration that they were ready to pick a new leader to take them back to Egypt (into slavery again) and stone Moses for leading them out of there. Therefore, it is unwise to compare ourselves to others, especially comparing our weaknesses to others strengths. We will always find people who are better than us in some things and worse than us in others. Comparing ourselves in these ways w

Seth Godin , a marketing and leadership guru, wrote about the type of person he would hire. Among other things he wrote: "I'd prefer to hire someone who is largely self-motivated, who finds satisfaction in reaching self-imposed goals, and is willing to regularly raise the bar on those goals. You're intellectually restless. You care enough about new ideas to read plenty of blogs and books, and you're curious enough about your own ideas that you blog or publish your thoughts for others to react to." . Would you or I be hired by this guy? Are these qualities biblical? Self-motivated? Goal setting? Attitude of self improvement? Reader? Writer? . It's not a sin to be the opposite of these qualities, but it would sure be a waste of God-given time and talent if we didn't do them. Leaders do these things and God's kingdom needs more of these type of people.

Yesterday I shared with the church how prayer unleashes the Mighty Hand of God on our behalf. My hope is that we will begin to pray more with honest and passionate hearts. Prayer is a discipline that takes time and effort. Which is one reason we don't do it more - because we are LAZY! It's easier to watch TV, connect to people on Facebook , or even read the Bible. Prayer takes concentrated effort. But the benefits are incredible. I've seen God's hand unleashed on my behalf. Not always on my time or in my way. But He has always come through for me. I love this verse because it motivates me to pray: "Behold, I am the LORD, the God of all flesh; is anything too difficult for Me?" Jeremiah 32:27

This weekend we held our parenting conference at The Rock. A verse I shared Friday night was one God gave me a couple of months ago. For I have chosen him [Abraham], so that he will direct his children and his household after him to keep the way of the LORD by doing what is right and just..." Genesis 18:19 Winning with our children entails training our children to "keep the way of the LORD by doing what is right and just..." If we fail to do this we will join the ranks of David, Samuel, and Eli the priest. All had children who sinned greatly against God and some died prematurely for their rebellion.

Seth Godin in his book "Tribes" wrote "In a battle between two ideas, the best one doesn't necessarily win. No, the idea that wins is the one with the most fearless heretic." This made me think of Martin Luther. He was considered a heretic by the catholic church. But his ideas won. Not only because they were true (and therefore "the best" ) , but because he was "the most fearless ". We got the best message in the world - The Gospel. It is the best idea - "Believe in Jesus and you wont end up in HELL!" The question is whether we will be fearless heretics (in the sight of the world) and proclaim it with the passion, wisdom and boldness that this idea deserves.

Years ago I heard a preacher say "God created Adam and Eve, not Adam and Steve". He was right. Lately, many Adams and Steves , and Julies and Jills have wanted the government to officially sanction and recognize their homosexual marriage. But I read good news from Don Wildmon , the President of the American Family Association . In his newsletter he wrote: No doubt, it was a disappointing night with overwhelmingly bad news. But there was some good news for those who support traditional marriage. In the states of Arizona, Florida and California voters said no to homosexual “marriage.” In fact, in the Sunshine State, 60% of the vote was needed to keep marriage only between a man and a woman, and our side was able to garner 62% of the vote. Finally, in California, our country’s largest and most liberal state, the citizens voted 52% to 48% to overturn the state Supreme Court’s decision to allow same-sex marriage. This is BIG news! Radical homosexual groups, Hollywood celebrities

Well, it was a bad day for pro-life, pro-traditional family values type of people. I woke up half-way depressed. I went for my prayer walk and mostly I'm over it. However, I know that in the next few years laws will come from Washington DC that will be an assault on the unborn and on Biblical values in general. It's time to pray and to act appropriately. Please read the article by Dr. Mohler , the president of The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. http://www.albertmohler.com/blog.php

Went to Nashville for a few days with Rosemary. We had a great time listening to country music, eating, shopping, and looking at museums. We visited the Grand Old Opry but Brad Paisley wasn't playing so we didn't see the show. We are back and ready for life in the fast lane in Canton, GA.

Today I prayed for many things - my family, church, and friends. But as I was reading Exodus 33:13 I decided to follow Moses' example and pray " If you are pleased with me, teach me your ways so I may know you and continue to find favor with you." I want to know God more and His thoughts. I want to please Him more for He deserves it.

My new and improved Blog will have shorter entries and have less teachings . I like to teach, but I will contain myself to Sunday's and whenever God shows me something really awesome. So I hope my blogs will be a little more digestible.

I was greatly blessed today as I saw how the angel of the Lord in the O.T. was Jesus. I read Exodus 23 and 24. The angel it talks about must be Jesus because he has the Name of God in him and God warns the Jews not to rebel against him.

Lot, Abraham's nephew chose to live in a place with a bad environment. Not that it's rivers were polluted or didn't have clean air. It simply was infested with people with evil character. When Lot was asked to choose where he wanted to live and raise his family and build his growing sheep and camel business, he choose what was good for his animals, not what was good for his family. Lot looked up and saw that the whole plain of the Jordan was well watered, like the garden of the LORD, like the land of Egypt, toward Zoar . Genesis 13:10 While the animals would enjoy good food and water, his family would suffer by living among the people of Sodom - a people bent on sexual perversion. Although Lot was righteous, his family would be stung by the immoral lifestyle and values of the city. Even Lot himself was infected with perverted thinking. When two angels from God came to investigate the city, all the men of the city came knocking on Lot's door to rape the men. Lot tr

If you are an angry person - getting angry easily or staying angry once you're there, then watch out. Sin is right at your doorstep. Abel brought fat portions from some of the firstborn of his flock. The LORD looked with favor on Abel and his offering, 5 but on Cain and his offering he did not look with favor. So Cain was very angry , and his face was downcast. 6 Then the LORD said to Cain, "Why are you angry? Why is your face downcast? 7 If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must master it." 8 Now Cain said to his brother Abel, "Let's go out to the field." And while they were in the field, Cain attacked his brother Abel and killed him. Genesis 4:4-8 Cain got angry, and worse, he stayed angry. His anger led him to to take it out on his brother Abel, who hadn't done anything to him. God had warned Cain "sin is crouching at your door&q

Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. 2 This is what the ancients were commended for. Hebrews 11:1 > "Being sure" (convinced) is an intellectual state of being. When we are sure of something it will affect our emotions and eventually our actions. It is dangerous to reverse this process and allow our emotions to lead our intellect and our lives. > But how can we be "sure" that what we believe is correct or that the One we are trusting in is Real and Trustworthy? > All the faith-acts of the people in Hebrews 11 are based on their belief that God exists (He is Real) and that He is Good. > And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him. Hebrews 11:6 > Therefore He is worthy of our Trust and Faithful obedience. > How do I know He is Real? Should I just believe in Him like kids believe in Santa Claus

Taking risks for God and his kingdom is scary, but can be very rewarding. John Ortberg writes: It is the very fact that the outcome [of our actions] is unknown that gives courage and hope and daring meaning. If the outcome were always known ahead of time, there would be no point in playing the game. Not-knowing is our fear, and our growth. - from "When the Game is Over, It all Goes Back in the Box > It reminded me of something God showed me a long time ago (in August of 2004 to be precise). Having my time with God by the lake near my house in Miami, I was struck by these words uttered by Mordecai, Esther's cousin: > And who knows but that you have come to royal position for such a time as this? Esther 4:14b > This reveals that while Mordecai had no direct promise of God or command of God to tell Esther to go to the king and deliver Israel from its enemies, he sensed and was convinced that this was her duty. He believed God would deliver the Jews, but he wasn't s

"If your goal is purity of heart, be prepared to be thought very odd." -Elisabeth Elliot > Recently someone questioned my definition of "sexual immorality". In my messages on holiness and sexual purity I define sexual immorality as "any sexual activity that is outside of marriage." So if I am willfully engaging in some act with another person (not my wife) that is sexually stimulating I would consider it a sexually immoral act. > I later went to my Bible dictionaries to see if perhaps I had misunderstood this topic or strayed from what is doctrinally sound or accurate. So here's the most detailed definition I found ("fornication" is the old English word; modern translations like the NIV use "sexual immorality") > FORNICATION — sexual relationships outside the bonds of marriage. The technical distinction between fornication and ADULTERY is that adultery involves married persons while fornication involves those who are unma

This will be my third visit to you. "Every matter must be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses." 2 I already gave you a warning when I was with you the second time. I now repeat it while absent: On my return I will not spare those who sinned earlier or any of the others, 3 since you are demanding proof that Christ is speaking through me. He is not weak in dealing with you , but is powerful among you. 4 For to be sure, he was crucified in weakness, yet he lives by God's power. Likewise, we are weak in him, yet by God's power we will live with him to serve you. 2 Corinthians 13:1-4 > Paul wrote that he would "not spare those who sinned earlier or any of the others " because Christ was not weak, but powerful in dealing with habitual, pervasive and gross sin in the church. > What sin was Paul talking about? The sins of "many who have sinned earlier and have not repented of the impurity, sexual sin and debauchery in which they have

I was asked this question recently and I have been pondering it ever since. Obviously the person who asked was not engaging in a mere game of 20 Questions. This person was considering leaving church. Nowadays people switch churches just as fast as they do hair dressers. Some people are loyal to their hairdressers and some are not – probably at the same rate as loyalty to their church. This cannot bring a smile to God’s face. I’m talking about leaving a church where the person has been attending and involved for over six months, in some cases 6 years or more. They checked it out, decided that this was their church, and then they leave. Sometimes people leave a church because it is no longer meeting their needs. Is that OK? Sometimes they leave because of a disagreement with the pastor on perhaps minor or major doctrinal issues or church values. Is that OK? In either case I would say the process of leaving is more important than if they leave. Do they follow a process that promote

Lately I’ve been thinking about this topic because of the destructive ramifications of Cultural Christianity. I’ve seen people destroy what were once good, solid relationships because they buy into the subtle lies of Cultural Christianity – which at its core is selfish, self-centered, and spiritually immature. Cultural Christianity is where a person’s Christianity is submissive to the values of the popular culture around them. Biblical Christianity is where a person’s Christianity is submissive to Biblical authority and the principles contained therein. A cultural Christian in our American culture would put a lot of emphasis on his/her own Freedoms and Rights. I have the right to wear a bikini I have the right to see whatever movie I want I have a right to come and go into various churches as I please Biblical Christians understand that the Bible’s emphasis is on our responsibilities. You, my brothers, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the

Not everyone of us is going to be fulfilling the Great Commission the same way. We know that Paul traveled and preached the gospel in various cities in the Middle East, Asia, and Europe. It seemed the longest place he stayed was Ephesus, and he only stayed there two years. On the other hand we see Philip, one of the first deacons of the Jerusalem church. After persecution came to Jerusalem he ended up in Caesarea where he seemed to grow roots. Leaving the next day, we reached Caesarea and stayed at the house of Philip the evangelist, one of the Seven. He had four unmarried daughters who prophesied. Acts 21:8-9 > Many years had passed since Philip had arrived in Caesarea (Acts 8:40). While Paul did his part to fulfill the Great Commission by traveling and preaching, Philip stayed in one place building up the church. > All of us must be involved in the Great Commission, but how we do it will depend on how God has gifted us. Our personality, gifts, talents, and passions will dete

I read the following today from John Maxwell’s book The 360 Degree Leader: “Without a Leader, Conflicts are Extended. One of the most important roles of a leader is conflict resolution. In the absence of clear leadership, conflicts always last longer and inflict more damage. Often it takes a leader to step up, step in, and bring everyone to the table to work things out. When you lead others, you should always be ready to do what it takes to help your people resolve their conflicts” > I think this is so true in our home groups, ministries and church. In Philippians 4 Paul asked the leaders of the church to help restore unity and peace between Eudia and Syntyche, two women who had labored side by side with Paul. Most of us don’t want to get involved in conflicts between brothers out of fear of rejection, fear of becoming part of the problem, or out of simple laziness. But as leaders God has called us to be peace-makers and to help reconcile fighting brothers. We must be willing to ste

I need to stand firm as a God- pleaser , not a People- pleaser . Jesus warned that some people would not believe in him because they loved the praise of man more than of God. > How can you believe if you accept praise from one another, yet make no effort to obtain the praise that comes from the only God? John 5:44 Fear of man, trying to win man’s approval, loving to be liked, is all a trap. Not only do these make us slaves of others (in a bad way), they nullify our usefulness for Christ. Paul said he could not even be called a servant of Christ if he was still trying to be a People- pleaser . Obviously, I'm not trying to win the approval of people, but of God. If pleasing people were my goal, I would not be Christ's servant. Galatians 1:10 NLT Paul was so radical on this point that he wrote to the Corinthians: I care very little if I am judged by you or by any human court; indeed, I do not even judge myself. 4 My conscience is clear, but that does not make me innocent. It is

Yesterday, I was reading the First Epistle of Clement to the Corinthians. Clement was one of the elders of the church at Rome and was seen by some as an apostle. He wrote to the Corinthians about a schism (division) in the church brought about by envious (power hungry) brothers. He pleads with those causing division to stop and submit to their elders. What struck me was this one sentence: "Let us then also pray for those who have fallen into any sin, that meekness and humility may be given to them, so that they may submit, not to us , but to the will of God." His appeal was not to submit to him or the elders because of they were great and very wise, but because their division was outside the will of God being fueled by envy, not truth. Some exalt loyalty to themselves to their own harm. Their is definitely a need to promote the virtue of loyalty. But when it is raised too high (or one of the highest virtues) we run the risk of manipulating people or at least be perceived tha

I have been thinking lately about the importance of maintaining clear thoughts and healthy values. Without these we will eventually and unintentionally harm others. Think about the following situation: 10 On a Sabbath Jesus was teaching in one of the synagogues, 11 and a woman was there who had been crippled by a spirit for eighteen years. She was bent over and could not straighten up at all. 12 When Jesus saw her, he called her forward and said to her, "Woman, you are set free from your infirmity." 13 Then he put his hands on her, and immediately she straightened up and praised God. 14 Indignant because Jesus had healed on the Sabbath, the synagogue ruler said to the people, "There are six days for work. So come and be healed on those days, not on the Sabbath." 15 The Lord answered him, "You hypocrites! Doesn't each of you on the Sabbath untie his ox or donkey from the stall and lead it out to give it water? 16 Then should not this woman, a daughter of Abr

If you saw this title and thought "into the future", you are getting old. Why? Because that's the lyrics of an old song. But it's true. Time is ticking away fast. Ephesians 5:16 in the Phillips translations says "Make the best use of your time..." What follows are some quotes from the book "Spiritual Leadership" by J. Oswald Sanders that I thought were awesome: "The quality of a person's leadership will be in part measured by time: its use and its passage. The character and career of a young person depends on how he or she spends spare time. We cannot regulate school or office hours---those are determined for us---but we can say what we will do before and after those commitments. The way we employ the surplus hours, after provision has been made for work, meals, and sleep, will determine if we develop into mediocre or powerful people." "Our problem is not too little time but making better use of the time we have." &

This weekend God reminded me of how flawed I could be - being right on the issues and wrong in the attitude. I corrected a couple of brothers for not following my instructions. Clearly they were not doing what they were told to do. When I approached them to correct them, I was right (on the issue) & I was wrong (in my execution and timing). I really didn't seek to understand their hearts - why they were disregarding the instruction. I was just angry and frustrated at their casual and blatant violation of instructions. I could have waited to speak to them later (patience). The world would not have collapsed if I had done so. But my anger got the best of me and it showed. I did apologize later and forgiveness was given and received . But I wanted to go deeper into me and my understanding of correcting others. So as I prayed and sought God's face this morning God spoke to me through his Word. According to Jesus our words and actions reveal our hearts: You brood of vipers, how

I was reading Zechariah this morning and found some great verses: "This is what the LORD Almighty says: 'Administer true justice; show mercy and compassion to one another. 10 Do not oppress the widow or the fatherless, the alien or the poor. In your hearts do not think evil of each other. Zech 7:8-9 We need to favor "true justice" (God's justice); not this world's perverted version of justice. True Justice seeks justice for the unborn - they have a right to live. True Justice seeks justice for victims of crimes - they have a right for wrongs to be made right (which includes the death penalty for murderers). True Justice is we as Christians doing the right thing towards everyone (not stealing, lying, cheating, etc...). We need to favor "mercy and compassion" to one another, the widow, the fatherless (orphans), the alien and the poor. We need to balance out our sense of justice with "mercy and compassion". But our compassionate love i

God is a God of HOPE and MERCY. The prophet Micah anticipated God’s mercy on his life. > But as for me, I watch in hope for the LORD, I wait for God my Savior; my God will hear me…Though I have fallen, I will rise. Though I sit in darkness, the LORD will be my light. Micah 7:7-8 In Micah 6:8 God says He wants us to “act justly and love mercy”. Acting justly is doing the right thing all the time – acting rightly towards God and man. Loving mercy is not holding grudges against others who have sinned against us. Releasing them from our judgment and punishment and letting God judge the person for “…judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful. Mercy triumphs over judgment!” James 2:13 Today I choose to forgive and release those that have sinned against me. I am ready to receive God’s mercy for my life.

The prophet Micah spoke out against wiked leaders: 8 But as for me, I am filled with power, with the Spirit of the LORD, and with justice and might, to declare to Jacob his transgression, to Israel his sin. 9 Hear this, you leaders of the house of Jacob, you rulers of the house of Israel, who despise justice and distort all that is right; 10 who build Zion with bloodshed, and Jerusalem with wickedness. 11 Her leaders judge for a bribe, her priests teach for a price, and her prophets tell fortunes for money. Yet they lean upon the LORD and say, "Is not the LORD among us? No disaster will come upon us." 12 Therefore because of you, Zion will be plowed like a field, Jerusalem will become a heap of rubble, the temple hill a mound overgrown with thickets. Micah 3:8-12 Of course as part of the Old Testament Prophet's Club this type of rebuke of government and religious leaders was part of his job description. Micah rebukes government leaders and rulers for dispising justice and

Erwin McManus, in his book An Unstoppable Force wrote: "There is no true leadership without facing problems." This should be obvious to us all by now. But concerning this truth David Ping in his book Quick to Listen Leaders writes: "Exposing problems sounds like fun, huh? Given the choice, most people would rather avoid dealing with even the most blatantly proverbial 'elephant in the room'. They'd rather blunder along turning a blind eye... As leaders intent on following Christ, we can't afford this kind of selective blindness. If we see problems coming, we need to name them and face them head-on." "...leaders bring problems into the light, not with condemning announcements or dramatic trumpet flourishes but with 'gentleness and respect.' We are not the source of the truth we quietly make known, but we must be its champions. It is not enough just to listen; we must also learn to practice the skill Ephesians 4:15 calls 'speaking the t

The Life You’ ve Always Wanted by John Ortberg (My Thoughts) Chapter 13 “Suffering alone does not produce perseverance, only suffering that is endured somehow in faith”. Page 220 When God allows suffering, pain and trials into our lives it will only produce the desired result (spiritual growth) only if we endure it by faith---faithfully obeying God’s principles. True faith always expresses itself through obedience. If in the midst of suffering I mistreat others, cease praying or reading the Word, and throw myself into the illegitimate pleasures of this world to escape the pain, I am not acting in faith. The trial and suffering will have no positive spiritual value to me. I think my greatest time of spiritual growth was the 1 ½ years prior to moving to Georgia. The suffering, anguish, and difficulties associated with the move helped transform me for the better. I grew in: Loving others who acted unlovingly towards me Perseverance and hope when things were looking bad Faithfulness in

The Life You’ ve Always Wanted by John Ortberg (My Thoughts) Chapter 12 God give me a well-ordered heart – To Love The right thing To the right degree In the right way With the right kind of love. Lord, let me love you supremely, above everything and everyone. Let me love others with the love of Jesus. Let me enjoy life and the things you give me. But more importantly, let me use the things you give me to love God and to love others. 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' 38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' Matthew 22:37-39

The Life You’ ve Always Wanted by John Ortberg (My Thoughts) Chapter 11 “Take it and read” the voice spoke to Augustine. The Bible greatly impacted Augustine and has greatly impacted my life. I would not be the man I am today without the influence of the Bible. I want to be a man of one book; a man with a pure heart desiring one thing: to please Go in everything. Paul wrote: “So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.” 1 Cor. 10:31 This is my desire, my prayer, my hope for my life.

One sister tells another some inside information about what another sister is planning to do. The second sister can do nothing with this information, she will simply have to let it sit in her heart and stew over it convinced by this new info that the third sister is trying to get at her - to do her harm. But she can't try to confirm the info because the first sister asked her not to tell anyone. So the long loose tongue of the first sister has done Satan's work. The second sister now has a bitter heart against the third, but can do nothing with the info because she is sworn to secrecy. The third sister is oblivious to the fact that her words spoken in confidence have run their course and made their way to a destination it was never intended for. Perhaps she had no intended malice in speaking those words, but she is now, guilty or not, the object of the second sister's anger. Unfortunately, this story is true. I can only imagine that similar stories can be written by

What is the purest form of worship? Singing Chris Tomlin songs with our hands raised high? Paul said this about worship: Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God — this is your spiritual act of worship . 2 Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is — his good, pleasing and perfect will. Romans 12:1-2 > When we offer our "bodies as living sacrifices" and separate them (make them holy) only for God's use, we are in the purest sense worshiping God. Like Abraham offered up Isaac turning him over completely to God (by almost killing him and burning his body) so too we give our bodies completely over to God's use. Thus our bodies are in a state of continual worship as we become "living sacrifices" . > We get to that state of continual worship b

Today I find myself in Honduras on some mountain in the middle of the country. I’m here to pray and fast and seek God’s face with the other pastors from GCLA . As I sat on a rock overlooking the mountains and valleys, I read Romans 5 through which God reminded me again of my need to “Rejoice” and practice “Joy” in my life. “Now that we have been put right with God through faith, we have peace with God, through our Lord Jesus Christ.” (Romans 5:1 TEV ) As I read this verse I was able to rejoice today because right now, I enjoy “PEACE with God”. God is holding nothing against me today. I am “right with God”. Furthermore, by faith, God has brought me “into this experience of God’s grace” in which I now live. (Romans 5:2 TEV ) In this experience of God’s grace I now greatly REJOICE! AS one who is “right with God”, is enjoying “peace with God”, and is experiencing “God’s grace” I can, along with Paul boast of “the hope we[I] have of sharing God’s glory.” (Romans 5:2 TEV ) One day I

The Life You’ ve Always Wanted by John Ortberg (My Thoughts) Chapter 7 “Pride destroys our capacity to love…Pride moves us to exclude instead of to embrace. Pride moves us to bow down before a mirror rather than before God. Pride moves us to judge rather than serve.” page 110 Pride in Eve got us into this mess we are all in. She wanted to be more like God than she already was, for she was made in the image and likeness of God when she was created. Pride messed her up and messed it up for us all. Pride in my life is still at the root of all my problems. It moves me to be isolated from others, judgmental of others, and extremely preoccupied with self. So I must search for pride in my life, pursue it, and destroy it. I must discover its various manifestations in my soul and hunt it down. One way I want to begin pummeling pride in me is by serving others and doing it in secret. “The flesh whines against service but screams against hidden service. It strains and pulls for honor and recogn

People who fail to acknowledge God for who He is and refuse to gratefully allow Him to lead their lives are in danger eternal destruction. It all starts with disrespect and thankless hearts. In Romans 12:1 Paul writes how a person with an irreverent and unthankful heart will descend down a spiritual black hole that will lead to all kinds of sin and darkness. These people end up worshiping other gods (idols, material stuff, other people). Then God "gives them over" (vs. 24, 26, 28) to greater and greater wickedness. I want to be like Paul who said of God " I serve [Him] with my whole heart in preaching the gospel of his Son " -Romans 1:9

The Life You’ ve Always Wanted by John Ortberg (My Thoughts) Chapter 4 “God is the happiest being in the universe.” page 63 “The Bible puts joy in the non-optional category. Joy is a command. Joylessness is a serious sin, on the religious people are particularly prone to indulge in. It may be the sin most readily tolerated by the church.” page 63-64 “There is a being in the universe who wants you to live in sorrow, but it’s not God” page 64 I need to practice joy in my life. I need to discipline myself to do the things that will make my life more joyful. So here’s what I propose to do: 1. Practice Gratefulness – Thank God more for the great things in my life and the mundane. For “every tick of the clock is a gift from God.” Page 65 2. Enjoy the Moment – Enjoy my present activity and stop anticipating the next one. Live in the present. Enjoy the NOW. Enjoy those who are with me now. Stop thinking about what I could be doing. 3. Schedule Days of Celebration – O

The Life You’ ve Always Wanted by John Ortberg (My Thoughts) Chapter 3 Spiritual disciplines are not a barometer of spirituality nor are they ways to earn God’s favor. I already have God’s favor and am already accepted by God through Christ. Spiritual disciplines “have value only insofar as they help me morph” (page 46)… "Our task is to use these activities to create opportunities for God to work” (page 52). If I truly understand these truths, I can learn to relax and enjoy those disciplines (reading the Word, prayer, etc…). The goal isn ’t how many verses I read or to see if I can pray more than yesterday, rather the goal is to have God transform my life through these activities. So reading, meditating and applying one verse is better than reading the entire book of Psalms in one sitting and thinking I am more spiritual for doing so. A sincere two-minute prayer of repentance and surrender is better than 1 hour of boisterous prayer if it was meant to impress others with my pass

The Life You’ ve Always Wanted by John Ortberg (My Thoughts) Pages 35-40 “Spirituality wrongly understood or pursued is a major source of human misery and rebellion against God.” -Dallas Willard When the focus of our lives is to appear to be spiritual, it is exhausting. Doing spiritual activity only to appear to others that we are spiritual or to deceive ourselves into thinking we are spiritual, leads to a miserable and tired life. What we do for God should flow from a heart that loves God and is seeking to know Him more. Therefore, spiritual activities such as Quiet Times, going to church and church activities, reading good Christian books, or witnessing should be done with the attitude of loving God and loving others. If these activities are done solely to follow the rules of good Christian conduct, we will miss the point, become judgmental of those not following the rules, and eventually become so weary of trying to measure up to “God’s” standards that we will drop out of the r

The Life You’ve Always Wanted by John Ortberg (My Thoughts) Chapter 2 Pages 30-34 – “…if we are not marked by greater and greater amounts of love and joy, we will inevitably look for substitute ways of distinguishing ourselves from those who are not Christians.” This is called “pseudo transformation” – fake transformation that focuses on outside appearances rather than interior change. This is why: Jesus focused on the heart – the center of mankind. The greatest commands were to Love God and Love People. Paul said that if we can do great and miraculous deeds but don’t have love we are nothing (1 Cor. 13). John said that “Everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, for God is love.” (1 John 4:7-8) If we focus only on exterior deeds to determine spirituality, we will harm ourselves by buying into pseudo-transformation rather than what Jesus wanted – real transformation of the heart (loving God and loving people) which expresses itself by doin