Deadlines...

What do you do when you're under the gun? Focus or fold?

Christ told a story one day that confused the poo out of His followers. He was very good at that, you notice? One day, He starts telling them this story about a guy who's going to lose his job as a CFO. The CFO realizes he's about to be out of a job and so does the proper Christian thing: starts planning for his next career move. (Okay, was that sarcasm?)
He starts calling in debtors and cutting them the "settled in full" deal on what they owed his boss. Christ points out that though this may have been a dishonest maneuver, it created cash flow and showed initiative and craftiness. The CEO's praise of his soon to be fired cashflow manager was not for his dishonesty, but for his "pour on the steam and make something happen"-ness.

If God is our creator, truly a loving Father, and desires for us to live a life unfettered from our own weakness, laziness, and self deceit, do you think it's possible that He knows us better than we do? Why do you think He put that lesson in His word?

When I walk away from this verse, what stays with me is a distinct sense that He wants me to develop a keen sense of the amount of time I do or do not have left here on earth and to act as if it could all be over tomorrow.

How do you react when you know you absolutely, positively, have to get it done right away?

Naturally Speaking

Josh Justice is a smart fella. I hear I am, too.

Both of us proved this wrong on Sunday because he told me he started a new blog about purity, chastity, abstinence, and he never bothered to tell me the URL, nor did I bother to demand it from him.

So, here I sit, ready to post about purity, and have no link to publish, and Josh hasn't yet returned my call. I'm publicly holding us both accountable for being more intelligent than that.

***Update*** I'm the lone moron, now. As I was posting, Josh was eMailing and sent me the aforementioned link. Your blogging homework has doubled, dear reader. Now, I am happy to introduce a controversial new blog by Josh Justice:
Glorious Gain. Read on...

***We now rejoin our blog post already in progress...***

Therefore, all I have to say today is-

Flee!!!

If you've never heard me say it before, look it up. And get serious about it. If you don't believe in God, just pretend that He exists for a moment, He loves you as an individual, and wants you to experience maximum freedom in the arena of sex. Unfortunately, we have been taught that maximum freedom in sex means "anywhere, anytime, with anyone." More unfortunately, that's akin to saying that maximum freedom with a lawnmower is "anywhere, anytime, with anyone."

The lie we believe is that "it's natural". Yes, sex is natural. "Animals do it." Yes, they do. But, we are capable of much higher thought and emotion, vis-a-vis intimacy. And, as long as we look at sex as an event, a thing we do, a moment, we miss the value and intimacy that God intended it to have. In fact, as long as we separate sex from intimacy, or fail to make the connection, we're cutting our lawn with a dull blade and a missing wheel - sure, the lawn is shorter, but it just "don't look natural..." Furthermore, we're not getting highest and best use of an amazing invention!!! What a waste of time...

We don't have time to get into the spiritual side of sex, but let's just throw this question out there to stir things up:
If sex is more than physical, more than emotional and mental, but spiritual, too, what are we missing when we consistently fail to tap into one whole side of it? The Bible teaches that we live in a broken world and what is natural after The Fall of man is really a warping of what God had originally intended. That is to say, "natural" doesn't necessarily equate to "beneficial" or "holy". What's natural about sex for sons and daughters of Adam and Eve is the union of all pleasures - physical, sexual, emotional, mental, and spiritual in the process, not event, of sex. What's unnatural is when the enemy tells us through direct counsel, media, or peer pressure, that the separation of urge and state is more fulfilling than God's "whole enchilada" approach.

When I began to discover this, I got very angry. I don't like getting ripped off. How about you?

That's all I've got for today. For now, think it over. Pray about it. (If you don't know how to pray, but feel moved to do so, just start out with "God..." and fill in what you're feeling. It's customary to end with "amen.")

When you're done with that, follow this link, and you'll be happy you did.

Measuring Your Maturity

It's easy to tell the truth when things are going your way. But, when money is tight, times are hard, relationships are strained, and the only difference between success and failure is so small that only you and God would know the difference, that is when your character, your integrity, your trust that God is big enough, will be put to the test.

"When a man makes a vow to the Lord or takes an oath to obligate himself by a pledge, he must not break his word but must do everything he said" (Numbers 30:2 NIV).

Today, our task is simple - look for the moments when things aren't going your way. You may be in one right now. If so, ask yourself: "Is what I am saying exactly what I would say if everything were going perfectly?.

When the answer is an unqualified "yes"
and only then
open your mouth and speak.

I got so good at telling "white lies" for so long that I began to lose sight of the difference between truth and fiction. Today, I struggle with that area of spiritual maturity. And now, I win, but not without God's help and the loud, clear, admonishing voice of the Holy Spirit. Do you realize, because I didn't at the time, that your lie is a vociferous broadcast to the God who loves you, that you think He's big enough to handle eternity, but not big enough to handle the critical areas of your well-being?

The battle over integrity is never about what we would gain in the moment, but about what we would lose long-term in the habit of spreading falsehood over and over. It's like an investment in character - miss a payment to your Roth IRA one month, no big deal. Fail to invest over a five year period, and you're a million and a half off your goal in the end.

It doesn't mature. Character is the same way.

So, there's the question, and a possible answer - "Are you mature enough in your character and relationship with Him to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth?"

Weaker Than Who?

While Peter is busy scratching away under the influence of the Holy Spirit, words come out that have offended the feminist movement for ages...

"In the same way, you husbands must give honor to your wives. Treat her with understanding as you live together. She may be weaker than you are, but she is your equal partner in God's gift of new life. If you don't treat her as you should, your prayers will not be heard." 1 Peter 3.7, NLT

I think the NLT gets the Greek word "time" right here - it is often translated "respect" or "value". But, "honor" is a word often used reciprocally in reference to the relationship husbands and wives should have. But, there is no need for offense. This is not a "barefoot and pregnant" command. This is not in any way meant to be misogynistic. Hard to believe?

Let's give credit where due - we men, as a whole, tend to be rough, brash, more focused on logic and solutions than women. Oops. Just lost credibility... Am I painting with broad strokes? So was Peter. Does he leave room for exceptions? Clearly. However, as a general rule, if you were God for a moment and you knew how stubborn men were on the whole, and you had seen them screw up this relationship thing over and over, wouldn't you give them a clear and clamorous caveat about their bumbling approach to relationships?

Boys, what do we do when carrying an object of great value? I'm thinking a Ming vase filled with water. Are we a bit more careful where and how we step? Do we take into consideration every edge, corner, and surface of the objet d'art we hold in our hands? Notice, though, that Peter urges us in indefinite terms first and then comes back to definite status "she may be weaker... but she is your equal partner". In other words, "you are equally yoked, but will have a tendency to pull at different speeds - in emotional situations she will walk more steadily than you (broad strokes, again), but you may have a tendency to drag her through logic when she really needs nurturing. Take care - heed her mood, read her mood, lead her mood in the way she needs her mood to be lead, and then you will avoid unnecessary relational damage, scars, and bruising - your prayers will not be hindered."

Am I reading too much into this? Are these generalizations degrading to women? What if God knew something ages ago that we still struggle with and stumble over to this very day - that men and women are different and we must learn how to treat each other to avoid the relational chaos that so permeates our broken, selfish world? If He didn't know that, do you think He'd have put so many pairs of relational counsel in His word? Notice how often advice is given first to one sex and then to the other?

We have the potential to come together with the word of God between us, or to let our misunderstandings of it divide us. But, if God's greatest commands are to love Him, and love others as ourselves, wouldn't it make sense that his warning to men would be - treat her tenderly, with honor, value, and respect, as you would if she were a weaker partner or your hard, unflexible heart will connect to me like a bogged down DSL connection in a busy chat room?

Simply stated: "Treat her as if or I'll make you wish you did." - God

Or, in the words of my favorite Haiku

"Oh, she wants me to
love her just like she would love
her if she were me..."

Wait... WAIT?!?!

The Bible is full of passages that talk about trusting in God and waiting on Him and "His timing" and "working all things for the good..." And, in an ideal world, that just sounds so nice and warm and fuzzy, doesn't it? But, we live in a broken world, where crime, disease, dishonesty, depression, chaos, financial "oops!"es seem to violently lock answers with these so-called "truths". But, God is beyond optimist - He is beyond pragmatist - He is God. He is supernatural and can make anything happen that He wants.

But, He doesn't. He doesn't make us love Him. He doesn't make us follow or obey Him. He is gracious enough to let us choose or deny those opportunities. And yet, in the balance hang the desires of our hearts. He gives us boundless opportunities to go after them the right way, while the enemy entices us with boundless times 1,000 ways to get them the wrong way.

Being beyond optimist, He also gives us the opportunity to grow and become more and do more, but only through believing more first. I firmly believe that as it is written Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see."

We are granted the opportunity to see the glass as half full or half empty - to see something in our minds that our eyes can not perceive. What does that tell us about God? What does that tell us about us? Will you think about that today? What is it that you want deep in the core of your heart that God has not yet delivered? What could happen if you verbally committed to the statement: "God, this is Yours. I'll do everything I can to achieve it or get it, but I'm trusting you to fill in the gaps."? What if all you have are gaps? Do you believe in a God who is big enough to bring in an Africa sized dump truck to fill in those gaps?

Trust in the Lord...

You know, I've heard that verse about "trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding... and He will make your paths straight."

Tonight, I trusted that regardless of lousy pitching, the Lord would deliver the Red Sox into victory. And He did. I also trusted that He gave me a very cool parking space at Turner Field. But, when I returned to that very cool parking space, I found several people on their cell phones with the same look on their faces. It was the "dude, where's my car" look. Yes. We had all disobeyed a rule that we had never even seen and they towed probably a good 25 cars, among them, mine.

This does not seem like a straight path to me.

But, then again, whose eyes am I looking through to see the path?

And, dare I ignore the Lord's counsel? Heck, no. If scripture is true, there's likely something amazing waiting for me on the other side of this!

After walking 2 miles back to where my friends could pick me up, I found out that the 24 hour impound does not allow you to pick up your car without paying for the release at the Atlanta Police Station... and that doesn't open until 8:00 AM. So, why was I so calm?

I'm not sure it's anything I did that made me that way. But God has been stamping into my heart and head that it's not really my car or my stuff in the first place. It's all created by Him, owned by Him, and loaned to us for a moment in time.

We don't own it, we're just lucky to manage it for a while. So, suck it up and trust in the Lord. Is it possible that making our path straight could bear striking resemblance to creating a more proactive character that looks out for "too good to be true" scenarios? What if God is dragging you through some unintelligible mess to prepare you for an impending tragedy?

World Ends at 10, details at 11.

Splitting headache tonight. I'll keep it short.

If there are five love languages, is it possible that there are five anger languages, too? I mean, if people whose love language is "quality time" know they are loved when people spend quality time with them, is it possible that people whose anger language is "fits of rage" only know that others are angry when they throw fits of rage, even if the other party's anger language is "reserved introspection"?

Anyone?

"Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouth, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen." Eph. 4:26-27, NIV.

It's Not What You Say...

John Maxwell and Jim Dornan put together a great book called "Becoming a Person of Influence". Right from the outset they make it clear that regardless of what we want with influence, we all have it with others. Some have it on a much larger scale than others, but we all influence people: in work, at home, in shopping, in driving, in all we do - we show a bit of who we are and what we believe is appropriate to do.

In Ephesians, chapters 4, 5, and 6, Paul gives us clear instruction on how we are to live. What examples does God want us to give to the world through the way we live our lives? If we are sent by our boss to a convention, a meeting, or a sales call, what will people think of our corporation based on our conduct? If we are sent to another nation as an ambassador of our country, what impression do people get based on how we carry ourselves?

It's an easy picture to draw, but, let's take it a step further. What if we had a camera crew come out to visit us at work, in school, in traffic (uh-oh...) and they were going to film us on a live simulcast to 180 nations around the world? What if, they had publicized this event for months in advance so that the world, indeed, would be watching? And what if, moments after they began filming, we were struck dead by a massive stroke? What, aside from our untimely death, would be the last words uttered from our mouths? What would the last thing we did, be?

A kind word of encouragement to a classmate? An act of selflessness for a co-worker? A one-finger wave and curse yelled at the idiot with his turn signal off? A word of condemnation to that subordinate that "just won't learn"? A "piece of our mind" to that professor who doesn't teach the way we learn?

Like it or not, we are all role models. We model what role we believe to be acceptable behavior given the circumstances around our actions. Whether people chose to follow that example is much farther removed from our control.

So, what do you want your last moment to be? How do you want to be remembered? How are you being remembered right now?

Can I Ask You a Question?

Wisdom calls aloud in the street, she raises her voice in the public squares; at the head of the noisy streets she cries out, in the gateways of the city she makes her speech:

"How long will you simple ones love your simple ways? How long will mockers delight in mockery and fools hate knowledge?

If you had responded to my rebuke, I would have poured out my heart to you and made my thoughts known to you.

But since you rejected me when I called and no one gave heed when I stretched out my hand, since you ignored all my advice and would not accept my rebuke,

since they would not accept my advice and spurned my rebuke,

they will eat the fruit of their ways and be filled with the fruit of their schemes."
Prov. 1:20-25,30-31

It almost seems as if there's no commentary needed here.

Unfortunately, that's just not the case, because while we all, Christians or not, alike, look at this passage and say "Yeah, that makes sense." we're still prone to glossing over the truth that lives within the text. We would all stroke our beards (those who have one) and say "wisdom is sooooo important..." But, the Bible classifies people in 4 different ways, repeatedly -
1) the righteous - those who heed the word of God in humility
2) the simple, or naive who just don't know what they don't know
3) the fool, who believes they are beyond consequence
and
4) the mocker, or scoffer whose attitude is more "I know, I just don't really care what you say..."

This is where one of my favorite questions comes in:"In light of my past experiences, my current circumstances and responsibilities, and my future hopes and dreams, what is the wise thing to do?"

A very secular question, but when applied through the lens of a relationship with a God who calls us His children and who has a plan for our lives, it's a bit weightier than the average "What's the right thing to do in this situation?" kind of question, isn't it? Honestly, with the weight of Divine appointment, eternal treasures in Heaven, and the eternal future of those God tells us are lost without Him, can you feel that question grow heavier in your hands?

So, there's the question for the day:
Not only, "what's the wise choice?", but in light of your relationship, or lack thereof, with a personal God, how much more valuable is that question in evaluating the many decisions you face today, this week, this month?

Running Lapse

Sorry, to all of you loyal readers. Last week was a bit mad with a lapse in internet at my new location, too much work to blog before or after work, and more chaos than I could shake a stick at.

"And runnin', runnin'; and runnin', runnin'; and runnin', runnin'..."

Pray that this week is no easier, rather, that I get better at managing it and saying "no" to low level tasks.

Back to the regular schedule, starting now.

Grace and peace,

Aarron

What About the Good Guys?

I'm not going to use a concrete example of the folks who are doing things wrong with money in God's name. It's unnecessary - as soon as I mentioned the concept, you already had a picture in your mind of the people who you know that have done this. There are well over 2,000 verses in the Bible related to money and posessions. They all point to the wise use of the resources God has entrusted to us as well as the anger of God when His people misuse His power for their purpose.

Christ called Satan "the father of all lies" who speaks in the native tongue of Liarsville - Lies. Where do you think the "Liar, liar, pants on fire" thing came from anyway? Alright, that's silly, but the point is, Paul tells us that we are in the midst of spiritual warfare. There is a war raging everyday, not in the typical, action movie style we love to watch in HD, DTS 7.1 surround sound. It is one in which the enemy does all he can to discredit the God who allows us to call Him "Father".

Today, let's take a moment to Google ministries that are doing things right with the money collected in God's name. Start out at The Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability, and take a few moments to celebrate those who are using the resources God has entrusted to us to reach those who are lost from Christ. Take up the shield of faith and extinguish the flaming arrows of the evil one with the knowledge that God has called us to do things wisely, righteously, in His name and for His glory. Fight back at the lies with the sword of faith that there are a great many who have answered this call and done so with integrity.

What's It Going to Take?

So often God has encouraged us in His word. So often did Christ urge us to make the wise choice. So often did Paul, James, John, and others tell us about the great things that will come if we walk upright and show our love for God vis-a-vis our love for others.

And yet...

So often has he had to discipline us - to bring loss and pain front and center in our lives in graphic, personal, relevant detail.

Of the two scenarios, which makes us move faster, more urgently, with more passion and concern? Unfortunately, our Creator knows that we are often lazy. Without the threat of being run over by the carriage we're pulling, we may lose interest in the ever elusive carrot on the string.

So, who do you know that needs encouragement? And, if you've been only encouraging them with the carrot, is it possible that God will move their hearts only when you show them the possibility of the pain of the carriage in clearer, pertinent detail? I've never seen the Bible tell us to spur one another on to love and good deeds by threats and baseball bats. However, have you noticed that people rarely jump up out of their seat when the thumbtack on their cushion is pointing down?

Just a thought that's been plaguing my mind.

What Would Jesus Do?

I'm always bothered by that question. Yet, I see so many followers of Christ using that as a litmus test for how to live their lives.

It sounds noble. It sounds wise. And yet, when you look at how Jesus handled the "tricky" situations the Pharisees surrounded Him with, you begin to track with me on the same path...

Luke 20.19-26 is a depiction of the Pharisees trying to trick Jesus into taking sides. But, as my pastor often says, "Jesus didn't come to take sides, He came to take over. Christ sees into the hearts of men and cuts them off at the intellectual pass. Often, his opposition would be thinking something and He, knowing their hearts, would answer the question they hadn't yet posed.

Now, I'm all for being wise, reading people, and asking the questions that really get to the bottom of the issue at hand, especially when it is a complete strawman. But, I'm not sure I have the gift of telepathy or heart-reading. Do you ever get confused in those WWJD situations?

What would Jesus do in this situation?
"Uh, read their minds and ask them the real question..."

Is it theologically sound to answer the question with a confident "I don't know"?

Talking Behind Your Back

I've commented before on James 5.19-20 and Psalm 27.17 before.

They are favorite portions from God's word that urge His followers to constantly challenge each other when someone is drifting and to challenge each other even when not drifting. In short, "If you love someone, set them free" falls secondary to "If you love someone, don't let them be." But, all the active discussion and leadership by example will be wasted if we fail to talk about them behind their backs.

Huh?

Yes, that's what I said, but not what you probably heard. In John 17, Christ prays for His disciples - asking God, the Father, to protect them, to sanctify them, and that they may be made like Him. He often went off on His own to pray but the Bible is sketchy on what He prayed for. Do you think He prayed for them from time to time? Said things to God about them to ask His Father to continue to stretch and grow them? Again, sketchy, but a fair assumption.

What do you think His conversation and prayer were like on the day that Peter stepped out of the boat, becoming the only man to sink next to Christ, because He dared to walk on water, too? Do you think He shared with God how great He is for pushing Peter's buttons far enough to get him onto the water in the first place? Do you think He was Peter's greatest cheering squad? The prayers we know nothing about are likely the prayers that manifest themselves in "A-ha!" moments wherein we notice the fruits of previously unnoticed sowing and growing.

Bottom line, growth doesn't happen only from sermons and examples - the encouragement of prayer, unbeknownst to the prayee - catalyses change. So, who are you praying for? Who are you celebrating because of the little victories in their life? Who are you encouraging to God? Who do you care enough about to talk about when they aren't there?

talk to them about them - find out where they are
talk to God about them - ask Him to push them further down the path.

Guest Appearance by Andy Stanley?!

Well, maybe not. But, Catalyst recently published a great article Andy wrote that addresses both of our Monday topics: Leadership and Work. Here it is, printed without permission. Here is the link to the actual article. Further, I've added Catalyst Monthly to our list of "gotta read it" blogs, even though it's a newsletter and not a blog. Is that so wrong?!


Trust is the currency of relationships. Great leaders cultivate a culture of trust, and thus a culture where relationships thrive. But how do you foster trust between members of your team?

For some, trust is not the intuitive choice. However, I believe it is just that. A choice. In 1 Corinthians 13, Paul says that along with forgiving, enduring, and bearing all things, love believes all things. We must reconcile the scriptural charge to believe all things with the fact that it is not always easy to do. If we believe it is possible for us to choose to love, or be kind, or be patient, then we must also believe we can choose to trust.

But the gap between what we expect of people and what they actually deliver makes it hard to trust. We can either fill that gap with trust or with suspicion. How we handle these opportunities is the greatest determining factor in the success or failure of the relationships in our organizations.

I started by saying that trust is the currency of relationships. Currency implies an exchange of one thing for another. Relationally, we give trust, and we expect trustworthiness in return. But trustworthiness is not a synonym for perfection. Trust is not built on flawless character, but on authenticity. I will extend trust to people who will admit their imperfections. It is people who defend their infallibility who make me suspicious.

There are situations that merit suspicion. What's important is how we handle them. When over time a person's actions erode our trust, and we believe those actions leave the organization vulnerable to harm, we have a responsibility . to talk to that person about it, (not the rest of the team), to address the gap, and give that person the opportunity to re-establish their trustworthiness. Trustworthy people will address the suspicion they've created.

I wish this principle were easy to implement. It's not. But it is crucial for building a strong team. Here are three things to keep in mind when a trust versus suspicion issue surfaces:

1. When there is a gap, choose to trust.
2. When you see others filling the gap with suspicion, come to the defense of the suspect.
3. If what you see continues to erode your trust, go to the person directly.

Great leaders create a culture in which people have learned how to trust. Modeling biblical trust as outlined in 1 Corinthians 13 is one of the greatest leadership strategies you can employ. Biblical trust is not denial - pretending that you don't see behavior that erodes your trust. It's not withdrawal - refusing to confront. The key is to choose to trust. When it becomes impossible to fill the gap between expectation and behavior with trust, ask for clarification.

Trust is the currency of relationships. Trust is a dynamic your team cannot afford to be without. Model it. Extend it. Choose to trust.

Friday: Time and/or Money...

I had a great opportunity last fall to meet Tod Bolsinger. Very aunthentic and decent guy. And he loves the Lord.

I say with embarrassment that I have not read his blog It Takes a Church... in several months. He is quite perceptive and understanding. On this time or money Friday, I want to defer to him to talk about something we've looked at before: rhythm in life....

Not too long ago, I read a lengthy article about the legendary track coach from the University of Oregon, Bill Bowerman. Bowerman was to running, what John Wooden was to college basketball. Indeed, it was Bowerman’s genius that led to the modern running shoe, as he used his wife’s waffle iron to create the first wide waffle-soled shoe. He was also one of the co-founders of Nike.

Back in the day when all training for running simply meant logging as many miles as hard as possible, Bowerman was convinced that it was impossible to reach your potential as a runner unless you also built in regular, committed, disciplined, dedicated periods of NOT running. He used to gather his new recruits to the university together at the beginning of the season and tell them:

“Gentleman, take a primitive organism, any weak, pitiful organism. Make it lift or jump or run. Let it rest. What happens? A little miracle. It gets a little better. That’s all training is. Stress—recover—improve.”

I believe that without even recognizing it, Bowerman was pointing to the rhythm for all living the way God intended it to be.

Stress, recover, improve.
Stretch, relax, change.
Work, rest, grow.
Trial, trust, transform.

Listening with the Heart

"He who has ears, let him hear." Mt. 13.9

I bet the disciples were confused when Jesus told this story about seeds that were planted - "Some fell on this ground, others on rock, others grew up, some never took root...He who has ears, let him... What the heck is that all about!"

It just seemed so out of place until He explained further that some people just don't listen. Some people's hearts are as fertile for new ideas as a rock sown with seed. Sales is teaching me a lot about listening skills. It's also teaching me that you often have to repeat yourself or people will listen but not hear.

It's also teaching me that I'm not immune to having deaf ears or a hard heart...

Where does God want to transform you? What parts of your heart have you closed off to people you just have had enough of? Christ lets us know here that not everyone will hear God's truth willingly. Perhaps we all need some brokenness to break down the harder, less fertile parts of our souls...

Don't Worry, Be Happy?

Cast your anxiety on Him.

I've glossed over that verse so many times without paying attention to the fact that God gives us advice on what to do with our anxiety and worry. Worry comes up in the Old and the New Testaments - always in the negative: "Do not worry..." Have you conformed to the pattern of the world that sells the vision of success as the wrinkle free life? Do you believe, like many Christ-followers mistakenly do, that to follow Christ means no fear, no worry, no anxiety?

What's your vision of success? Flawless living? No arguments, no fears, no cares?

I think we fail to read the context in which those things do not exist - that's in heaven that we lose all the worry. I think that God is telling us that worry is normal. It will come into our lives. It will invade our space. It will seek strongholds in our brain. But, when that happens. Don't try to be the hero and fight it. (Is that scripturally sound?) Instead, deposit it at the cross. God calls us to give those thoughts over to Him, to replace those thoughts with "my God is bigger than these things".

Worry always leads to regret. That's my vision of success. That's God's vision of success for our lives. No regrets. Remember, we get to review our movie in heaven with the Director Himself. How will you account for your performance?

So, today, I rejoice in the fact that God is the god of worry. He can take it. He will take it. He wants you to give it to Him.

No more worry. No more regrets.
Praise Christ.

Give It Away, Give It Away, Give It Away Now

Let's be frank about this - I grew up with a "healthy" degree of skepticism when it came to giving money to the church. I mean, in my denomination, it was all about robes and big hats, stained glass windows and hundred thousand dollar organ lofts, and pomp and circumstance out the wazoo. It just seemed a bit suspect, you follow?

So, it follows naturally, that whenever I looked into scripture and saw commands to give money to support the high priests or saw one of those bible thumpin guys on TV talking about "God wanted me to have a Mercedes..." I was further turned off. Can you relate at all?

So, when I read this piece of scripture, it caught me a bit off guard -

For God is the one who gives seed to the farmer and then bread to eat. In the same way, he will give you many opportunities to do good, and he will produce a great harvest of generosity[a] in you. Yes, you will be enriched so that...

So that, if you pray to God and obey all the rules and do a good deed or two when it's convenient, God will rain down that Mercedes and 7,000 square foot home on Lake Lanier just for you...

Wouldn't that be the line that the TV preacher would quote you? Doesn't the Bible say that everything you ask for, God will just give it to you because He made the mistake of giving you the Aramaic Express Black card - "Whatever you ask for in my name..."? I mean, it's His fault. He gave you carte blanche to ask and receive, too bad He didn't know you'd be asking for that 1,001 hp 16 cylinder Bugatti sport.

How big is your God?

The last half of that verse is so crucial. It's not about what you want. read this over once or twice:

Yes, you will be enriched so that you can give even more generously. And when we take your gifts to those who need them, they will break out in thanksgiving to God.

He gives to us, knowing our hearts. What do you think He's looking for? I believe angels are betting whole galaxies that you'll succeed at using your abundance wisely. I believe demons are tempting us constantly to trick us into believing God gives to us for us. In reality, He's just testing to see how trustworthy we are with a little before He gives us more than we can handle.


Thought for the day, all this in mind:
Take advantage of your advantage to give advantage to the disadvantaged.

Field Trip!!!

Click here to take a field trip for today over to "Gospel Driven Life". An article on relational health, God-style.

I only disagree with Mark on one point. I don't believe the gospel writer means that we confess to God and have fellowship with each other. I think it's more like "confess to each other and have fellowship with God". I say this for two reasons - first, Matthew makes it clear that God's desire is greater that we are reconciled to each other than to make sacrifices of atonement to Him. Second, we are the body of Christ, we as a close knit group are a semblance of God. When we are all reconciled to each other, our fellowship with God becomes seamless.

This point aside, I think Mark's hit this one on the head. What do you think?