It's been a little while since I last posted. Life is not a good excuse so I will not try and make on up. God should be foremost and He is the reason I started this whole blog. So I must rededicate my efforts to keep this going as strong as it ever was before, if not stronger. So now, I just want to talk for a minute about action.
What is the definition of the word action? It can mean one thing to me, yet another to someone else. It all comes down to context. When it comes to Christ, action is way more than most of us can fathom. It's a change of attitude and a change of heart for doing as Christ has instructed and as He has moved us to. Lately, I have tried to explain away my IN-action as life getting in the way. It's been more like me getting in the way. Don't get me wrong, life can drain us of our drive to take action for anything, let alone Christ. But Christ should be the whole reason that we take action in all that we do.
Look at all the examples we have in Scripture for those who decided not to let life take away their ability to act for Christ: Peter, Paul, Moses, David, and I could go on and on. We must look at their example and model our lives after their strong will and love for the God.
As I go about the next 15 days in fasting and prayer, looking forward to celebrating the awesome day when we remember the priceless gift Jesus gave to us on the cross, I am going to work harder than ever and kick myself into action.
Jump starting myself,
Jesus Freak Out!
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Friday, March 6, 2009
Purple People Pleaser
For as long as I can remember, I have been enveloped by a cloud that follows me like the little rain clouds that follow cartoon characters. This is not one of those torrential downpour type rain clouds. This is just one of those London, dreary day clouds that pours on some days, drizzles on others, yet on others, just keeps a shadow over my life. I have fought myself and fought the humiliation of others, only to find recently that I was truly disobeying what God commands.
"(5)Slaves, obey your earthly masters with fear and trembling, with a sincere heart, as you would Christ, (6) not by the way of eye-service, as people-pleasers, but as servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart, (7) rendering service with a good will as to the Lord and not to man........" (ESV, Eph. 6:5-7).
The Son is peaking through my cloud a little more each day that I read Paul's words. But what is Christ really saying through Paul's letter to the church at Ephesus? He is not saying that we run around and do everything that we are told like robots on an assembly line. But we must respect our authority figures, respect and adhere to the commands of those appointed as our leaders and "masters." We must work in a way that is not only evident when our earthly "bosses" are looking, but those same "bosses" are not looking and when God always is. Our service to others here on earth is in direct correlation to our service to God. What I am saying is that they are interrelated. Serving those in authority is "doing the will of God from the heart."
We may not always agree with decisions that are made and we may not always agree with the ethics of those appointed over us, but when we live out our own integrity through Christ and for Christ, we begin to lift the basket off the lamp of our Christ following lives and show this world who He really is.
In 1 Thessalonians chapter 4 (ESV), Paul also talks about making it our "(11) ambition to follow a quiet life, to mind [our] own business........(12) so that our daily life may win the respect of outsiders and so that [we] will not be dependent on anybody." This does not mean that we become an ostrich and stick out heads in the sand when adversity comes along. This means that we do not make unnecessary waves through disrespect and animosity. We "win the respect of outsiders" by exemplifying Christ through our work ethic in everything that we do. I for one must be someone who stops looking for kudos from the world and starts looking for kudos from the One.
It now makes me uncomfortable when I get praise for playing the drums well during the worship service or when I get an attaboy for working hard to serve. It's not about me anymore, it's about Him. I serve for only one: Jesus Christ. We must also commit to serving our "bosses" just as if we were serving Jesus Christ himself, whether we agree with who they are or not. Warning though: don't compromise your integrity, values, or beliefs just to serve an authority figure.
Serving the One now more than ever,
Jesus Freak Out!
"(5)Slaves, obey your earthly masters with fear and trembling, with a sincere heart, as you would Christ, (6) not by the way of eye-service, as people-pleasers, but as servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart, (7) rendering service with a good will as to the Lord and not to man........" (ESV, Eph. 6:5-7).
The Son is peaking through my cloud a little more each day that I read Paul's words. But what is Christ really saying through Paul's letter to the church at Ephesus? He is not saying that we run around and do everything that we are told like robots on an assembly line. But we must respect our authority figures, respect and adhere to the commands of those appointed as our leaders and "masters." We must work in a way that is not only evident when our earthly "bosses" are looking, but those same "bosses" are not looking and when God always is. Our service to others here on earth is in direct correlation to our service to God. What I am saying is that they are interrelated. Serving those in authority is "doing the will of God from the heart."
We may not always agree with decisions that are made and we may not always agree with the ethics of those appointed over us, but when we live out our own integrity through Christ and for Christ, we begin to lift the basket off the lamp of our Christ following lives and show this world who He really is.
In 1 Thessalonians chapter 4 (ESV), Paul also talks about making it our "(11) ambition to follow a quiet life, to mind [our] own business........(12) so that our daily life may win the respect of outsiders and so that [we] will not be dependent on anybody." This does not mean that we become an ostrich and stick out heads in the sand when adversity comes along. This means that we do not make unnecessary waves through disrespect and animosity. We "win the respect of outsiders" by exemplifying Christ through our work ethic in everything that we do. I for one must be someone who stops looking for kudos from the world and starts looking for kudos from the One.
It now makes me uncomfortable when I get praise for playing the drums well during the worship service or when I get an attaboy for working hard to serve. It's not about me anymore, it's about Him. I serve for only one: Jesus Christ. We must also commit to serving our "bosses" just as if we were serving Jesus Christ himself, whether we agree with who they are or not. Warning though: don't compromise your integrity, values, or beliefs just to serve an authority figure.
Serving the One now more than ever,
Jesus Freak Out!
Monday, March 2, 2009
Energy
Energy comes in all shapes and sizes. 55 gallon drums of oil from beneath the ground, a 16 ounce can of sugar and taurine flavored like coffee, a little black rock from the hills of West Virginia, the raw power of carbohydrates. All of these things are sources of energy for us as humans and the world as a whole. But where does our energy for life come from? I'm not talking about the food we eat or the workouts we do. I'm talking about our spiritual lives.
"In your steadfast love give me life, that I may keep the testimonies of your mouth" (Ps 119:88).
The energy drink for our spirit comes from no where else than the very love that God bestows upon us because we are His. His "steadfast love" is what fuels our spirit and should drive our lives everyday. When this happens, when we truly believe and God looks upon us like a loving Father, our life becomes energetic and alive. When we nurture that love by relying on Him and devoting our lives to the work of His kingdom, then we can keep "the testimonies of [His] mouth" because we want to and we love to. We live out Christ in our lives because we are pumped up for Him. And then the world's eyes will open..................
Cracking open a can,
Jesus Freak Out!
"In your steadfast love give me life, that I may keep the testimonies of your mouth" (Ps 119:88).
The energy drink for our spirit comes from no where else than the very love that God bestows upon us because we are His. His "steadfast love" is what fuels our spirit and should drive our lives everyday. When this happens, when we truly believe and God looks upon us like a loving Father, our life becomes energetic and alive. When we nurture that love by relying on Him and devoting our lives to the work of His kingdom, then we can keep "the testimonies of [His] mouth" because we want to and we love to. We live out Christ in our lives because we are pumped up for Him. And then the world's eyes will open..................
Cracking open a can,
Jesus Freak Out!
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