No More Excuses

Jesus is the perfect man. His way is the right way. He never asked us to do anything that he did not do himself. He tells us to love God with all of our heart soul mind and strength. He tells us to love our neighbor as ourselves. He also calls us to do something that is diametrically opposed to human nature. He says that we should love our enemies. How can I love someone that has mistreated me, lied to me, stolen from me, abused me, turned their back on me, etc? Well, what did Jesus do? I want you to really think about this. Jesus selected 12 men to be his apostles. One of these men went by the name of Judas Iscariot. For 3.5 years Judas traveled with Jesus. He was never isolated from the group. He was never treated differently from the others. He did everything that the other apostles did. And yet Jesus knew that he would betray him. What did Jesus give to Judas? Love. Selah.

So why does God require this same response of us? He is giving us the privilege to be the face, hands, and feet of God in this world, where love and grace are sorely needed.

"You have heard that it was said, 'you shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy. But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be the children of your Father in heaven; for he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the righteous and unrighteous. For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet only your brothers and sisters, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect." Matthew 5: 43-48

AHA!!!

I have heard many times over the years that God loves you and has a plan for your life. I thought that it was just a pat phrase that people used when trying to share and lead others to Christ. I did not put much stock in the phrase because nobody pointed out to me what that plan was. Now while I could fill in the blanks with my own ideas, it just became crystal clear to me what the Lord seeks to do DAILY through everyone that has put faith in His son Jesus. Ephesians 2: 10 says "For we are his workmanship created in Christ Jesus unto good works which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them."
Everyday, whether we pray or not, whether we are prepared for the day or not, God has prepared situations specifically for us to encounter where we have the opportunity to do good. He brings people, problems, and circumstances our way that we are uniquely positioned to help. That, my friends, is awesome! Here is the plan. God plans, we embrace. Think about all of the times you have prayed "God use me, take me, let my life bring you glory." Think about all of the times after that where you had "inconveniences" cross your path where someone needed something from you. Think about the times where you were the only one to witness a situation or person that needed help. Coincidence? No, providence. God wants to use you. Just open your eyes to the opportunities He puts before you everyday.

Change My Name

How I long to rise to see myself everyday as God sees me. How many of us feel trapped by our nicknames, or even our birth names? How many of us feel tied to our circumstances? How many of us feel unable to shake free from the way we grew up? How many of us feel that we are married to failure?

"Isn't this the carpenter's son?" "Isn't this the son of Joseph?" "Has any good thing come out of Nazareth?" "A prophet is not without honor, except in his own country."

God is not tied to our circumstances. He is rightly called the God of Hope. He is the giver of every good and perfect gift. We do not have to be defined by our past, our present, our failings. Here is how I will define myself:

I am a child of God

I am forgiven of my sins

I am more than a conqueror through Him that first loved me

I am a part of God's family

I am a recipient of God's Holy Spirit

I have eternal life

I have an advocate (lawyer) with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous

I have a savior who will never leave me or forsake me

I have a God that loves me with an everlasting love

I have a God who will order my steps in His word

I have exceeding great and precious promises from God

I have the understanding that ALL THINGS will work together for good because I love God and

am called according to his purpose

Look up! Look up! God is seated in heaven. He is sitting down and absolutely in control!

Wow!

Luke 16:8 (New Century Version)
New Century Version (NCV)
The Holy Bible, New Century Version®. Copyright © 2005 by Thomas Nelson, Inc.
8 So, the master praised the dishonest manager for being clever. Yes, worldly people are more clever with their own kind than spiritual people are

Over the past two days I saw 8 campaign workers for Barack Obama going door to door. Six were on my mail route and two were in my neighborhood. Out of the eight people, five were women and three were men. Six were white and two were black. Black people only account for 13% of the American population. If only Blacks voted for Obama he would have surely lost.

I have never seen someone from a presidential campaign have his representatives go door to door. So what does it mean? It means that Mr. Obama found a way to connect with people from all walks of life.

For my brothers and sisters of other races, please understand the minority perspective. I have had an elderly white woman clutch her purse as I walked across a grocery store parking lot. I have had a white Pastor justify and explain racism in America by calling it the result of the curse of Ham (which is false). I have seen the anger and frustration in my mother's face as she talked of white customers throwing change at her instead of handing it to her. I have been called nigger by a white classmate in high school. I have read racially insensitive email that was sent to my wife by "Christian friends." I along with other Blacks did not know if this day would ever come, considering the history and legacy of the USA.

So what is the lesson? If Blacks and Whites can unite and campaign for Obama, why can't we see unity in the Church among Blacks and Whites? Indeed it appears that the children of the world are wiser than the children of light.

Shame Shame Shame

Rick Warren made a very powerful statement. He said that nobody cares what you know, until they know that you care. So tell me, what went wrong? When did the Church become consumed with "keeping ourselves spotless from the world" to the point that we want no contact with people that are living without Christ? We are more concerned with our personal comfort than the needs of others. And yes I have been guilty of this myself. The picture above is a metaphor for the church. It is also reminiscent of the Good Samaritan. We will see a problem, but walk by it because we don't have time, we have another engagement, we are afraid of who will see us and what they will think, we think the person brought it on themselves, blah blah blah.
IF you call yourself a Christian, we don't have an option. There are so many people hurting in this world. We sing of God's love and praise him for his goodness to us. We testify as to how he has come through for us time after time. But we refuse to extend a hand of grace to a hurting soul because it is inconvenient. Have mercy Lord.

There is coming a day in which Jesus will separate the sheep from the goats. What is the deciding factor? Whether we help the hungry, the thirsty, the prisoner, the sick, those without clothes, and the stranger. Where do you stand?

Racism

Racism is a terrible thing. However, we have failed to identify the root cause of racism. So what is the root? PRIDE! Pride causes us to believe that we are better than someone else. Because we do things a certain way as a race or culture, we think that others not like us are wrong, strange,or inferior to us or our group. Some within the Black community say "minorities, by definition, cannot be racist because racism is an act of oppression from a majority group on a minority group whether by resources or by act." It is also said that "racism is race prejudice backed with institutional power." However pride is present in all races, tribes, and dialects. The oppressed are no more righteous than the oppressors.

So what is the answer. First, if you are guilty then confess the sin of racial pride and repent. Then recognize that God values the differences in humanity. Remember "Jesus loves the little children, all the children of the world. Red and yellow black and white, they are precious in his sight, Jesus loves the little children of the world!"

The Reason For Everything

Do you remember? Do you know where you were? It was a Monday afternoon. I had given up on ever getting right with God. I had popped in another pornographic tape. As I was watching it, Jesus spoke to my heart and said "I will forgive your sins." I said thank you. The grip that the pornography and sex had on me was broken that day. I remember that day 19 years ago.

I remember being so conscious of God's power to save from sin. So filled with the reality of a new life. I remember now.

As the church becomes more and more fractured over politics and morality, let us always remember the words of the apostle Paul: "Christ Jesus came into world to save sinners, of whom I am chief." 1 Tim 1:15

Before we criticize and condemn others, lets remember where God has brought us from.

Things that make you say hmmmmm

Isn't it amazing that those who are in support of abortion rights, freedom of choice so to speak, are vehemently against the War in Iraq and the loss of innocent life?



Isn't it interesting that those who support sending our young men and women to fight in a war that was started under false pretense, to fight against those who have never set foot on
American soil, to support a war that has resulted in over 4000 American lives lost and upwards of 88,000-655,000 Iraqi citizens are outspokenly against abortion because it is the killing of innocent life?



HMMMMMMMM


ALL LIFE IS PRECIOUS IN GOD'S EYES: EMBRYONIC, BORN, UNBORN, IRAQI, AND AMERICAN.
"Then God said, 'Let us make man in our image, according to our likeness....." Gen 1:26

FYI

This is the man that the character Gordon Gekko from the movie "Wall Street" is allegedly based on. His name is Ivan Boesky and he made a killing on Wall Street. Alas all that glitters is not gold. He was found guilty of improprieties and was put in jail.

Why You Matter

The point is, ladies and gentleman, that greed -- for lack of a better word -- is good.
Greed is right.
Greed works.
Greed clarifies, cuts through, and captures the essence of the evolutionary spirit.
Greed, in all of its forms -- greed for life, for money, for love, knowledge -- has marked the upward surge of mankind.

This is a quote from the Eighties movie "Wall Street." This, my friends, is why you matter. This movie was about a young man who was a Stock Broker who was barely surviving. He saw this man Gordon Gekko (played by Michael Douglass) making things happen. He began to work with him and emulated his success. The problem was that Gekko was unethical and engaged in illegal practices to make his wealth. It caught up with both of them in the end.

The point is that the love of money is the root of all evil. What you see in Washington and Wall St is the net effect of what happens when your ethical base is immoral. There were "well educated" men and women who went for fast money and did not care who was affected in the long run.

Jesus changes hearts. And as we allow Him to work through us, we can show the world a different way of conducting business and life.

Has anybody heard of Truett Cathy?

Wake Up!

We have become cowards and lazy. We are giving over our responsibility to preach the gospel and the message of righteousness, temperance, and judgment to come to lawmakers. The Church in America is counting on the government to legislate and enforce righteousness. It is our responsibility to teach people by word and deed what God requires, which in case we forgot is to do justice, show mercy, and walk humbly before our God. Laws don't produce righteousness! Only grace does! We should not allow either party to pimp us for our vote. Both major party candidates profess Christ. Let us remember the words of James: Faith without works is dead being alone.

What Really Matters

I read today that one of the ways that we show love is by the time that we give to our loved ones. I learned several years ago that for all of the Christmas lists and Birthday lists that my kids come up with, nothing matters more to them than spending time with them. That's not to say that they don't use that time to make a strong sales pitch :)

The stunner. 13 years and going

What truly matters

People are notorious for talking a good game. We hear that there are homeless people in the street and we cry "Oh that is a shame." We talk of fatherless homes and say "Oh, how tragic that is." We are excellent at identifying the problems of the world. But where are the people with answers, actions, and action plans?

Selah