Devotion

September 27, 2008

“Guard the secret theater of your heart. See nothing there that you do not want to see happen in reality.” Roy H. Williams

“The difference between school and life? In school, you’re taught a lesson and then given a test. In life, you’re given a test that teaches you a lesson.” Tom Bodett

If you knew you only had one month to live, you would want to live fully and completely in a way that honors God and the people you love. You would want the live with integrity. The root word is integer. It is a whole number rather than a fraction. Integrity means that you are a whole person, a person who is consistent. It means to be authentic, to remove all masks and refuse to masquerade as someone else.

“Better a poor man whose walk is blameless than a rich man whose ways are perverse.” –Proverbs 28:6

Frequently, people suffer regret at the end of their life because they have not lived consistently according to their values that are truly close to the heart. Image can easily take over substance. In our culture “Image is everything” and substance is nothing.

Part of what builds a life well lived is honesty. When you tell the truth, it should be done with love, not like Simon Cowell of “American Idol,” who uses the truth as a weapon to crush the contestants. True integrity is speaking the truth in love. It means being able to face the truth about ourselves and make adjustments in our life as necessary.

Make It Count Moment

In what areas of your life are you most likely to cut corners or put aside your values? Relational? Financial? Spiritual? What part of your life is most challenging to integrate with the other parts?

September 26, 2008

“God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks to us in our conscience, but shouts in our pains; it is His megaphone to rouse a deaf world.” C. S. Lewis

“Pain is inevitable, but misery is optional. We cannot avoid pain, but we can avoid joy.” Tim Hansel

One of the things you can count on in life is that your life will be shaken. The very things that you feel are most secure will be tested and tried. That’s the way life is. Jesus said in John 16:33 “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”

Your marriage, your business, your health are all things we can take for granted, but require a solid foundation that can withstand the storm. Jesus told a story about how to build a life:

“Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock.” Matthew 7:24-2

The key is to build your life on Christ. Jesus says it’s building your life on obeying God’s word and putting what you know into practice. It’s not just knowing a lot about the Bible, but putting those things into practice. We call that obedience.

“In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.” Proverbs 3:6

To do that, we need a spiritual family that we invest in and are invested in by. God designed us for the church. We are the church. We are the body. We were designed to need one another; when life falls apart, the church family is to pick up the pieces.

We also turn to prayer.

“And call upon me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you will honor me.” –Psalm 50:15

“Unless the Lord had given me help, I would soon have dwelt in the silence of death. When I said, ‘My foot is slipping,’ your love, O Lord, supported me. When anxiety was great within me, your consolation brought joy to my soul.” –Psalm 94:17-19

Whenever we pray, we cease to worry. Whenever we worry, we’ve ceased to trust. God has promised to never leave us and to never forsake us.

Make It Count Moment

What does your life revolve around right now? Who or what is at the center of your life? Do you spend your time worrying or praying about the challenges you face?

September 25, 2008

“Make room for that which is capable of rejoicing, enlarging, or calming the heart.” Gerhardt Tersteegen

“How does one become a butterfly? You must want to fly so much that you are willing to give up being a caterpillar.” Trent Paulis

Yesterday we talked about the change that comes into your life unannounced and unwanted. Some change comes like a storm and we adjust and react to the change in order to survive. Sometimes change is needed in our lives and we must have the courage to make the changes necessary. People who discover they only have one month to live often make radical changes. They give up workalcholism, materialism, and extreme behaviors. Angie Petro alluded to this in her testimony. Angie said she didn’t want to go on a trip or buy a new car or live in a big house. She said that none of those things would add one day to her life. Wow!

She, instead, wanted to slow down, do the little things and to invest in her children. She wanted to be remembered as a good mom, a good wife, a good sister, daughter and friend.

What keeps us from making those kinds of changes? Well, there are three main obstacles that keep us from making meaningful changes.

Busy Schedules

Busyness leads to restlessness. The idea is that there’s something out there, outside of me that can change my life for the good. We look for our spouses, our churches, our pastor, our friends to change us and make our life better. Here’s a huge clue for you: Only God can change you!

“Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.” –Psalm 46:10

“He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he restores my soul. He guides me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.” –Psalm 23:2-3

“This is what the Sovereign Lord, the Holy One of Israel, says: ‘In repentance and rest is your salvation, in quietness and trust is your strength, but you would have none of it.” –Isaiah 30:15

Crazy Comparisons

When we compare ourselves to others, we always lose. When we gauge our happiness based on what someone else is wearing, driving or acquiring, then our souls begin to dry up. You begin to say, “If I had their car, looks, family, I’d be happy.”

Pleasure Seeking

When we focus on ourselves, we begin to be stagnate and we become bored and depressing, both to ourselves and others. Here is a great danger in always choosing the easy route rather than serving others.

Grace is the power to change—not what we can do for ourselves but what God does for and through us. When we become still and silent, when we start serving and embrace suffering in our lives, then we facilitate real spiritual transformation. We learn that we can’t solve our problems in our own strength or alter our outward appearance and expect our live to change.

Make It Count Moment

Presently, what person or persons are you serving who can offer you nothing in return? Who in your life needs you but may not be able to reciprocate? What prevents you from giving of yourself to them?

September 24, 2008

“All I have seen teaches me to trust the Creator for all I have not seen.” Ralph Waldo Emerson.

“If you don’t like something, change it. If you can’t change it, change your attitude. Don’t complain.” Maya Angelou

There is one thing you can count on in your life. It is inevitable. It’s called Change.

Matter of fact, change is often dreaded, desired o dodged in hopes of keeping our life in line with what we feel we can control. The problem is that change is not only inevitable, it’s Biblical.

“There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven.” Ecclesiastes 3:1

Change is a part of life.

1. You can’t get saved without being changed. II Corinthians 5:17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!
2. You can’t go to Heaven without changing. I Corinthians 15:51 Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed.
3. You can’t grow without changing. Romans 12:1-2 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. 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.

Think of how God called His children to change:

• Abraham – change location
• Moses – change jobs
• Peter – change his thinking

The list goes on and on and on. See, change is a part of god’s plan to make you more like Christ. You can waste a lot of energy trying to fight it. We are all tempted to idealize our lives rather than adjust to change. Change is scary. Change requires faith. The alternative is to get negative, depressed, desperate, or mean spirited. God uses change to develop us and position us for His use.

“Immaturity is demanding that reality adapt to you. In times of change, immature people think, ‘If reality goes my way, then I’ll be happy. If reality doesn’t go my way, I’m miserable and I will let everyone know it.’ Maturity, on the other hand, adapts to change and makes the most of it. A good friend of mine says, ‘Every season in your life is the best season.’ That’s true if you embrace the season by being willing to change and flex to make the most of it.” –John Townsend

Make It Count Moment

What changes are you facing in your life? Are you embracing the change or becoming abrasive because of the change? Is your refusal to change keeping you from enjoying the journey?

September 23, 2008

“The place where God calls you is the place where your deep gladness
And the world’s deep hunger meet.”
–Frederick Buechner

“When I stand before God at the end of my life,
I would hope that I would not have a single bit of talent left,
And could say, ‘I used everything you gave me.’”
–Erma Bombeck

One of the great challenges we face in finding our purpose is understanding how God has wired us. David wrote:

“I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.” Psalm 139:14

We know that we are made in God’s image and that He wants to use our uniqueness in His eternal plan. How do we discover what our particular role is in this plan? God gives us three different clues to help us understand our purpose. First, He used our Gifts.

Everyone of us has a set of gifts and abilities. There are spiritual gifts and physical abilities that each one of us possess. Donald Clifton, in his book, “Living Your Strengths,” says that each one of us have strengths. We should play to our strengths and manage around our weaknesses. We should spend our energies in areas where we are the weakest. Define your strengths and stick with them.

Secondly, define your Passions. Your passions are often connected to your abilities. Another word for passion is “Enthusiasm.” That word is made up of two Greek words, “En” and “Theos.” It means, “In God,” or “God Within.” Passion is what God puts into our hearts. Where your gifts are the engine, passion is the fuel. What charges you up? What makes you come alive?

Eric Liddell says in Chariots of Fire, “When I run, I feel His pleasure.” You’ll have a sense of pleasing God because you’ll know that you’re doing what He created you to do. You will be fulfilling the potential of the abilities with which He’s gifted you.

The third element is your Struggles. Your struggles are often the catalyst that propels you forward. Your struggles become the wheels that move you forward. Your struggles cause you to depend on God and release the power to get involved in other’s lives. God uses our wounds and scares in conjunction with our gifts and passions to bring lasting change in our world.

God has created you in a unique fashion for a unique mission in our world. The greatest challenge you face is letting others define you and dictate who you are to be, rather than who God has called you to be.

“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.” –Romans 12:1

When we strive to please people we lose our uniqueness. Dr. Seuss said, “Be who you are because those who mind don’t matter and those who matter don’t mind.”

Make It Count Moment

When was the last time you felt passionate about an experience? What were the circumstances? What gifts did you use? What does this experience tell you about your purpose in life?

September 22, 2008

“Shoot for the moon! Even if you miss it, you will be among the stars!” Les Brown

“There lives in each of us a hero waiting to be called into action.” Jackson Brown, Jr.

The Psalmists were enthralled by the wonder of the universe. Time after time they would gaze up into the skies on a clear night and comment on the wonder of the universe. Listen to David who said:

“When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him, the son of man that you care for him? You made him a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honor.” Psalm 8:3-5

David could only see the heavens with the naked eye and he was speechless at the “Bigness” of God’s creation. We now know from the power of the Hubble Telescope that there are more than 125 billion galaxies containing millions of stars in each galaxy.

When you stop to really look around you at the creation that contains some 7 billion people, each unique and amazingly different, it takes your breath away. All this is a reminder that there is someone behind it all, a first mover, an intelligent designer who the Bible calls God.

The probability that all this happened by accident by a “Big Bang” is like stacking up a pile of lumber, nails, shingles, plumbing and flooring, placing dynamite under it, lighting it and expecting it to land in the form of a fully built house!

The truth is that God “geometrizes,” He does things in an orderly fashion. He’s in control of our world and He has a plan that includes you; you’re not here by accident. God has a plan for you that is distinct and purposeful. Paul says it this way:

“For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” Ephesians 2:10

God has given you a set of gifts, passion and opportunities that fit perfectly into His eternal plan. If you knew you only had one month to live, you would want to be on point, doing the things God has called you to do.

Make it Count Moment

What is God’s unique plan for your life? What do you want to be remembered for when you leave this world? What are you doing today that excites you?

September 21, 2008

“Say what you want to say, when you have the feeling and the choice. My deepest regrets are the things I did not do, the opportunities missed and the things unsaid.” Jim Keller

“He became what we are that He might make us what He is.” Saint Athanasius

One of the great challenges of relationships is communication. Communication is at least a two-way street. Experts tell us that 80% of all communication is nonverbal: facial expressions, hand gestures, body language. So when we talk to someone on the phone, we’re only expressing about 20% of what we’re trying to convey. Now I’m not advocating throwing away your cell phone. But if you only had one month to live, it would be time to get serious about communicating with those around you.

Jesus Christ was the greatest communicator who ever lived. John 1:14 says “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.”

Jesus communicated to us by coming close to us by leaving His home in Heaven and dressing Himself in flesh. He became a man in order to communicate with us. We have to work at our communication with the people we love. There are several ways that we can do that.

One vital way we open our hearts to those around us is by sharing our time. In our overloaded lives we often try to relate to others efficiently, doing what saves us time, energy, and money. But whenever we skimp on communication in a relationship in order to be efficient, all effectiveness is lost. Relationships don’t exist and grow according to rules of efficiency. It costs time to communicate effectively, but keep in mind that we pay the price in relationships when we neglect them. Dates with our spouses. Activities and outings with our kids. Meals and celebrations with our friends. Team-building time with co-workers. Often these are the first things we drop when we get busy and need more time at the office. But if we were counting down our days, we would most likely wish we had invested more of our time this way.

Not only must we share our time, but we also need to share our troubles. For people to see my heart, I have to admit my needs. Too often we’re like the character in a children’s book titled, “The Knight in Rusty Armor.” The fearless knight rides off to slay dragons and fight fierce battles, but when he comes home, he doesn’t know how to take off his armor. Sure we have to wear armor; otherwise we can’t fight the battles we need to fight. But we also have to learn how to take off our armor so we can connect with others.

We have to be willing to take the risk that is required for us to be vulnerable. Vulnerability is essential for communication to occur. In Patrick Lencioni’s best-selling business book, “The Five Dysfunctions of a Team,” he concludes that in most workplaces today, people don’t speak the truth or share their true feelings. They may gossip, they may stab others in the back, they may have strong opinions and hold them in and get bitter, but very few people speak the truth. Why? Because it’s easier just to act nice and say what others want to hear. Everyone acts pleasant because no one really wants to share the truth from a gut level. Lencioni believes this tendency shows a lack of trust in the organization.

True communication is about connecting, sharing and understanding. We must become better listeners and identify the unspoken needs of others if we expect to be great communicators.

Make It Count Moment

Do you consider yourself a good listener? Why or why not? What prevents you from listening more closely to those you care about? How closely do they listen to you?

September 20, 2008

Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life.
It turns what we have into enough, and more.
It turns denial into acceptance,
Chaos to order, confusion to clarity.
It can turn a meal into a feast,
A house into a home, a stranger into a friend.
Melody Beattie

We can only be said to be alive in those moments
When our hearts are conscious of our treasures.
Thornton Wilder

How thankful are you for all that you enjoy on a daily basis? One senior adult tells me that the first feeling he has each morning when he wakes up is “Surprise.” Can you imagine being so aware of your death clock that you were surprised about having another day to live? An attitude of gratitude is not only the greatest of virtues, but the parent of all the others (Cicero).

Jesus tells an incredible story about the absence of thankfulness in Luke’s Gospel, chapter 17:11-19 - “Now on his way to Jerusalem, Jesus traveled along the border between Samaria and Galilee. As he was going into a village, ten men who had leprosy met him. They stood at a distance and called out in a loud voice, “Jesus, Master, have pity on us!” When he saw them, he said, “Go, show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went,, they were cleansed. One of them, when he saw he was healed, came back, praising God in a loud voice. He threw himself at Jesus’ feet and thanked him—and he was a Samaritan. Jesus asked, “Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine? Was no one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?” Then he said to him, “Rise and go; your faith has made you well.”

Leprosy was a common disease in the first century. Leprosy was a degenerative disease where the skin of a person would actually begin to fall of their body. Leprosy was a death sentence in Jesus’ day. You couldn’t go within 50 yards of lepers and even then they would have to call out, “unclean, unclean.” They had suffered for years and now Christ heals them. They were sent to the priests at the Temple as proof of their being cleansed. Just imagine this bunch of lepers running toward the Temple. For the first time in years, they felt whole; they would be able to hold their children and embrace their wife. You would think that they would be so filled with gratitude that they would have immediately returned to thank Christ! Only one came back to say thank you.

Think about that. Only 10% of those healed were truly thankful. Maybe those are the odds today, where only 10% of us who have been blessed truly respond with gratitude. 90% never stop to simply say thanks. The 10% are the ones who truly live life to the fullest. The result of true thankfulness is true spiritual, emotional and relational healing.

Make It Count Moment

On most days are you more like the one who returned to say thanks to Jesus or the nine who went their own way? How often do you thank those around you for what they contributed to your life. Who would you want to thank today if you had one month to live?

September 19, 2008

“Remember that everyone you meet is afraid of something, loves something, and has lost something.” H. Jackson Brown, Jr.

“The only people with whom you should try to get even are those who have helped you.” John E. Southard

The reality of life is that we encounter difficult people every day. Think about it for a minute. Who is it that causes you the most grief at work or at home or at school? We all encounter people that rub us the wrong way. Often times it’s the people closest to us that frustrate us the most. We have to learn to look at difficult people in a different light. Listen to how Kerry Shook describes the different kinds of “tools” God uses to rub off our rough edges.

1. The first group reminds me of a measuring tape: these people always let you know that you don’t quite measure up. As insatiable perfectionists, they feel compelled to set the standards for everyone else. They continue measuring again and again, knowing that others will never be exactly on the mark. In short, they judge by their own standards of righteousness.
2. Another type of person you may recognize is the hammer. Hammers tend to be as subtle as a freight train, pushing their agendas on others and forcing their way. Everyone walks on eggshells around a hammer, because you never know when the hammer’s going to come down! They can be loud and demanding or subtle and manipulative, but they’re stubbornly committed to using the force of their own will to get their way.
3. Next we come to those people who seem naturally gifted at cutting others down. In an argument, skilsaws know just the thing to say that will hurt the most. The words may be sarcastic or straightforward, but these people have an uncanny ability to cut to the quick and leave others bleeding on the floor. Skill saws win verbal arguments every time—not because they’re right, but because they know where to cut to weaken the other’s platform.
4. Do you have any vise grips in your life? You know, people who get a grip on you and don’t know when to let go? They are extra needy and usually squeeze the life out of those around them. These folks have no clue when it comes to social and relational boundaries. They bounce from one crisis to the next, needing constant support and encouragement. A vice grip clamps down on your life, affecting all your other relationships.
5. In life’s toolbox we also run across grinders, people with explosive personalities just waiting to go off and send the sparks flying.
6. Related to the grinders are the axes, those who constantly cut a wide swath in their wake. They tend to be negative, always grumbling and looking for ways to tear down hopes.
7. Last, but not least, are the putty people. These are the people in your life who have no consistency, no backbone. Eager to please and always agreeable, they change like chameleons so that you never know who they really are or what they really think. Putty people always say yes, even when they’re already spread too thin. When we catalog them like this, it’s tempting to think, “How in the word am I supposed to get along with so many irritating tools in the shed?” Or you may be thinking I just described everyone in your family to a “T”! In either case, we must learn to move beyond the damage each of these tools can render and instead determine how we can construct a meaningful future together.

Listen to what Paul says to the church in Rome: Romans 5:3-4 - “Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. ”

Just remember when you face criticism to take the “chewing gum” approach. Chew it, swallowing the 10% that’s relevant, and spit out of the 90% that’s not!

Make It Count Moment

Who are the sandpaper people in your life presently—maybe someone in your family, maybe a co-worker, a boss, an employee, a friend, or a neighbor? How often do you have to interact with them? How do you usually relate to them?

September 18, 2008

“The opposite of love is not hate; its indifference.” Elie Wiesel

“They may forget what you said, but they will never forget how you made them feel.” Carl W. Baechner.

Having talked about how we are to accept and cherish one another, that doesn’t mean that there is not going to be conflict in relationships that has to be resolved. It’s vital that you resolve conflict quickly and thoroughly in order for your relationships to grow and deepen. The Bible provides principles for a fair fight. The problem with conflict resolution is that conflict can quickly degenerate to name calling, angry outbursts, or worse, “clamming up” and refusing to talk.

There are at least five different ways for people to deal with conflict.

“Avoidance” Mode

There’s no way you’re getting me into an argument.” This technique is to avoid conflict at all cost. You know there’s a problem, but you think that avoiding the problem will create peace in the relationship. This keeps the relationship shallow and fear-based. The relationship never really develops.

“I’m Right” Mode

The “my way or the highway” attitude is where the strongest personality and the person who feels most dominant sees everything black and white in their favor. Conflict is never 100% to 0%. There are always two sides of every argument.

“I give up” Mode

This is where one side of the relationship becomes the doormat; the martyr where they roll over and play dead. This produces a false peace and leads to the death of the relationship.

“Give and Take” Mode

This is the “you win half and “I’ll win half” way of dealing with conflict. This style is healthier, but is still not the best way to deal with problems.

“Commitment” Mode

This is where you decide to be committed to dealing with the conflict until it is solved.

When you are committed to a relationship, you are careful about the way you solve a problem and deal with a conflict.

You watch your words.

Ephesians 4:29 - “Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.”

You don’t throw around hurtful words. You never use the “D” word (divorce). You don’t use profane or abusive language.

You don’t attack. You don’t use phrases like, “You did this,” or “You didn’t do that.” When you blame others you lose.

You take responsibility for your feelings. No one can discount how you feel. If you are hurt or disappointed, that is a legitimate emotion. The key is expressing emotions without them consuming the conversation.

You don’t get “historical.” It’s so easy to dredge up the past and get historical, which leads to getting hysterical. When you deal with an offense, stick to the subject, don’t rewind into past conflicts.

The most important thing you can do in a conflict is to invite the “Prince of Peace” into your relationship. Ask God to help you deal with conflict in a godly, Christ-honoring manner.

“But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere.” –James 3:17

Make It Count Moment

Do you usually fight fair? Which ground rule is hard for you to keep? How do you fight dirty in relationships? How have others responded to your tactics?

September 17, 2008

“We have to pray with our eyes on God, not on the difficulties.” Oswald Chambers

“I know God will not give me anything I can’t handle. I just wish that He didn’t trust me so much.” Mother Theresa

Great relationships don’t just happen. All relationships include minefields that have to be crossed in order to enjoy deep and fulfilling connection. There are three obstacles that all of us must deal with in our relational life:

The Obstacle of Misunderstanding

The beginning of relationships are always the blissful, fun-filled days that seem effortless. A young couple enjoys their honeymoon until they experience their first big misunderstanding. It happens. Something is said or not said. A date is forgotten or remembered. There are miscommunications and misinterpretations in every relationship. That leads to hurt feelings that must be dealt with.

The Me-first Attitudes

The me-first attitude is another built-in obstacle. You know, if you meet my needs, then I’ll meet yours. It reminds me of a t-shirt I saw recently that said, “Me, Me, Me.” Whether we like to admit it or not, we like our twisting of “Me, Myself and I.” We have to learn to compromise and to discover creative ways to get past those selfish attitudes.

The Obstacle of Mistakes

The obstacle of mistakes seem to be the most damaging. We all mess up. We all do things that hurt the people we love. It becomes necessary in every relationship to work through those mistakes and push beyond our self interests. See, relationships aren’t for wimps.

One of the hardest things we are required to do in making relationships work is accept people instead of trying to change them. “But God demonstrates His own love for us in that while we were still sinners Christ died for us.” Romans 5:8

See, acceptance means to stop trying to change people and to cherish them. That’s impossible without tapping into God’s power source found through His spirit. Only God’s love can empower you to accept people who are imperfect and difficult. Only Christ’s love can change the people in your life.

Make It Count Moment

How satisfied are you with the state of your most important relationships? How would you describe them: excellent, good, bad, or terrible? What’s keeping you from moving toward making those relationships better?

September 16, 2008

“He who cannot forgive others destroys the bridge over which he himself must pass.” George Hebert

“He who is devoid of the power to forgive is devoid of the power to love.” Martin Luther King, Jr.

One of the realities of relationships is that people can and will hurt you. It’s a fact of life that the people closest to you can hurt you at the deepest level. It all began in the Garden when Adam and Eve chose to hurt God by sinning. Sin is always at the root of every hurt. We can’t change the reality of sin and its effect in our world, but we can offer sin’s antidote: Forgiveness.

Jesus Christ offered the antidote on the cross when He said, “Father, forgive them for they know not what they are doing.” Can you imagine that? Forgiving the people that beat you, spit on you, speared you in the side, nailed spikes through your hands and feet and then pressed a crown of thorns on your brow! Forgiveness is not optional for relationships, for three reasons:

1. Christ commands it. Matthew 6:9-15 “This, then, is how you should pray: Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.” Do we really want Christ to forgive us the same way we forgive others? Paul wrote plainly “to forgive as the Lord forgave you.” Colossians 3:13. Forgiveness isn’t a suggestion, but a command. It doesn’t have anything to do with your feelings. It is an act of the will called obedience.
2. Our Health Requires It. Unforgiveness hurts us. Someone has said refusing to forgive is like drinking poison and expecting it to hurt your enemy. Unforgiveness is lethal. Unforgiveness is toxic. Medical and psychological studies reveal the devastating effects of bitterness and resentment. That’s why Paul says, “In your anger do not sin. Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, and do not give the devil a foothold,” Ephesians 4:26-27.
3. Bitterness Blocks the Blessings. God wants to pour blessings in your life but can’t as long as there is bitterness clogging up your heart. Forgiveness allows healing to occur and blessings to flow. Just think, forgiveness releases anxiety, depression, insomnia, ulcers and an unblessed life. It’s time to forgive. Do it today.

Make It Count Moment

Have you ever experienced the results of bitterness in your life? What were the physical consequences? If you only had one month to live, who would you ask forgiveness of? Who do you need to forgive?

September 15, 2008

“Vanity it is, to wish to live long, and to be careless to live well.” Thomas Kempkis

“The measure of a life after all, is not its duration, but its donation.” Corrie Ten Boom

The sum total and quality of your relationships equal the quality of your life! It doesn’t matter how much you own if you don’t have close relationships. We must shift our focus to loving passionately and making the most of our personal relationships.

God has designed us for relationships. I use the plural because God made us for both vertical and horizontal relationships. That’s why the greatest commandment has two parts: “Love the Lord God with all your heart and love your neighbor as yourself.”

Whether it’s a relationship with God or with people, they both require priority. You spell priority TIME. You can’t have great relationships without investing your precious time. It’s so easy to get into the rut of busy schedules and looking at your family or your parents or your children as a duty rather than a privilege. If you found that you only had one month to live, you would immediately find time for the people in your life.

When Angie Petro found out that she only had a short time to live, she said she looked at her children differently. When they wanted to show her a picture they had drawn, she would stop folding clothes and look at the picture. She said it became a privilege for her to make the most of her time with her children. I find that same philosophy to be true with everyone who sees people as a priority rather than a problem.

Make It Count Moment

If you only had one month to live, whom would you want to spend more time with? Whom would you need to apologize to? Who needs to be assured that you love them? What keeps you from spending the time and sharing the words now?

September 14, 2008

“Our truest life is when we are in our dream awake.” Henry David Thoreau

“There are people who put their dreams in a little box and say, “Yes, I’ve got dreams, of course, I have dreams.” Then, they put the box away and bring it out once in awhile to look in it, and yep, they’re still there!” Erma Bombeck

God has placed you here for a reason and planted dreams within you. How we do in defining and moving in the areas of our dreams has everything to do with a life with no regrets.

So how do you know if a dream is really from God or if it’s just an idea that popped into your head? For one thing, God’s dream will never go against His Word, because His will never contradicts His Word. If the desire you have goes against God’s Word, it’s not His dream. Paul told us the secret to determining if a dream is from God when he said, “God…is able to do far more than we would ever dare to ask or even dream of—infinitely beyond our highest prayers, desires, thoughts, or hopes.” Ephesians 3:20 TLB

His dream rises to the top, first, because it requires faith. If a dream is from God, it will be so big in your life that you can’t do it on your own. If you can accomplish it by yourself, no faith is required. The Bible says, “Without faith it is impossible to please God” (Hebrews 11:6). So if a dream is from God, it will rise to the top because it will be so big you can’t do it alone. It’ll have to be a God thing.

God’s dream also rises to the top because it makes a difference in the lives of others. It’s not a selfish dream. If you dream of making enormous amounts of money so you can retire early, live in luxury, and remove yourself from the cares of others, then it’s clearly not God’s dream. On the other hand, if you want to make a lot of money to give away, to serve His kingdom, to retire early so you can start a new career to which He’s calling you, then it could be from God. Only you can know what His dream is for your life. God created us as social beings, just as relational as He is, and He wants us to love and serve others just as He does.

Another reason God’s dream rises to the top is that it comes from your heart, from the core of your being. Whenever God gives you a dream, He places it deep in your heart. The word used in the New Testament for heart is most often kardia, a Greek word that literally means “the real you.” Scripture uses the word heart to mean your internal motivation, your love, and your passions. So when God gives you a dream, He places it in your heart. When God gives you a passion for something, He wants you to go for it because it’s incorporated into your being, not because He’s trying to hijack your life. He doesn’t give you a passion for one dream and then call you to fulfill a life plan that’s completely unrelated. That’s not His character, nor is it good stewardship—and He never wastes the resources He’s created.

On the other hand, there is one who exists for no other reason than to play games, and deceive you. This enemy fears your heart, because he knows what God can do through ordinary people like you to make an extraordinary difference in the world. Satan knows the dream starts in your heart, so he’s committed to wounding your heart, taking it out of action, and freezing your God-given dream with soul-numbing cold. He constantly bombards you with messages that say you can’t do it, that you’ll never amount to anything of substance. He wants our failures in life to disable us and take us out of the dream hunt.

No wonder life is so hard. The Bible says God has a plan for our lives, an intricately designed, grand plan. But Satan also has a plan for our lives. Nowhere is the contrast between these conflicted purposes expressed more clearly than in this passage: “The thief’s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give life in all its fullness” (John 10:10, NLT). God’s purpose is to give you a dream. Satan’s purpose is to steal the dream. And you must understand how relentless he is.

If he can’t keep us from pursuing God’s dreams for our lives, then he switches tactics and tries to get you to doubt the dreams. One of his greatest allies is our impatience, along with the fear, worry, anxiety,, second-guessing, and frustration that usually accompany it. We may pursue the dream and pour ourselves into its fulfillment. We may do our part and wonder why God doesn’t immediately respond. But God is not a vending machine, and His timing usually differs from our expectations. If the examples, from Scripture and our own experiences today are indications, there will be a waiting period before the dream materializes.

In this waiting period we start asking questions like, “When is this ever going to happen? Is this ever going to happen?” “When, Lord, am I ever going to get married?” “When, Lord, am I ever going to get over this hurt?” “When, Lord, am I ever going to get through this problem?” “When, Lord, are we ever going to have a child?” “When, Lord?” If you are in the waiting room of life right now, you are not alone.

Abraham was told by God that he would be the father of a great nation. He was ninety-nine before he had a child! Moses became the leader to guide the Jewish people out of slavery in Egypt—their plight for over four hundred years—but first God sent him to the desert to tend sheep for forty years. Even Jesus Christ, the Savior of the word, waited thirty years before He began His ministry on earth.

Why does God send everyone through the waiting room of life? I believe it’s because He wants us to learn to rely on Him. God is preparing us to fulfill the dream by teaching us to trust Him. While we’re waiting, we learn that He is right there with us and promises that “never will I leave you; never will I forsake you” (Hebrews 13:5). We may not understand what God is doing at the time, but we can always trust His heart.

When life gets hard, when we’re hurting and weary, we must remember what’s at stake. When we are wounded, we’re tempted to bury our dreams deep in our heart, where they freeze over. All the wounds from our past can keep us from believing that God could ever use us. We fail so many times. We’re such a mess. We’re so weak and tired. We want to give up the dream, fearing it’s too late.

But with God, it’s never too late.

Today’s Challenge

Write out a description of one dream you have that you believe is from God. How has it “floated to the top” in your life? How does it serve others?