Archive for August, 2011

Eeeek! Evaluation Time!

August 28, 2011 · Filed under Christian Living, Life, Praise, Redemption, Religion, Servanthood, Trust · Tagged , , , , , , , ,

Recently it was evaluation time for me at my place of employment. Well…you know how it is when someone tells you that you are about to have an evaluation! Suddenly your mind starts going and you think of all the things you have done to mess up here and there.  Well, my evaluation went great.  So, I was wondering today “what if we were evaluated in our spiritual lives?” What if Jesus appeared to us and said “ok! Time for your evaluation…come have a seat.” Ok, don’t give up on me now reader….work with me…I promise this is going somewhere. So we go in, we sit down, and Jesus starts reading off categories to us.  We may have things such as:

1.  Works.  Do you do work for the Kingdom of God?  Do you make an effort to spread the word, teach a Sunday School class or even work in the nursery? Though we can’t be saved by works, work is necessary to spread the word.

2. Attendance.  Do you attend church regularly?  Or are your “too tired” on Sunday to get up?

3.  Forgive.  Ok…here were go, this is a good one.  We want everyone to forgive us when we do something wrong.  However, we are quick to judge another.  That’s the exact opposite of what Christ tells us to do.

4.  Love. Here’s another one.  Do we love not only the easy to love but also the unlovely? Do you love the homeless person on the street? Do you love the person who was rude to you on the phone or in a store? We are called to love all people…just as Jesus did.

5.  Tithe and Offering.  This is a category I don’t talk about often.  Why? Because to me this is between each person and God.  I don’t need to know what you give and you don’t need to know what I give.  However, we are all called to give. Period.

6.  Prayer.  Do you pray only when you need something?  I often tell our youth to pray for several minutes without asking for anything for yourself.  Pray for others or just praise.  Praise Him for who He is and all He has done.  Speaking of Praise…

7.  Praise and Worship.  Do you do it? It doesn’t matter if you can sing….He loves it anyway.  It doesn’t matter if you get up in front of people…just do it.  It will make a huge difference in your life.

These are just a few categories that could be evaluated in the Christian’s life.  I evaluated myself.  I need some improvement in several areas….all of us do. But take heart! All those little “mess ups” that we all remember….He has already forgiven if He is Lord of your life!

So…evaluate yourself and be empowered to go out, do more, and be more for the Kingdom!

Love to all!

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Would You Follow?

August 23, 2011 · Filed under Uncategorized

I recently wrote a blog about Peter and how I feel he gets a bad rap.  We are quick to think of him being the one who sank even though he was the only one to step out of the boat.  We are quick to remember that he denied Christ three times.  BUT….listen to this!  In Matthew 26:56 we are told “then all of the disciples deserted him (Jesus) and fled.” Skip down to verse 58 and we are told “But Peter followed him at a distance right up to the courtyard of the high priest”. What?!?!?! Yup…good ole Peter…the Peter who denied Christ….the Peter who began to sink when he stepped out of the boat…that Peter was the ONLY one who followed Jesus to the courtyard!

Picture this.  Jesus is on his way to be beaten and crucified and the ones who loved him; the ones who he taught and walked with…his friends had all left him.  Except one….Peter.

Peter may have messed up but He still loved Jesus enough to follow him.  He still loved Jesus enough to risk his life to be caught.  It’s why he denied Christ; he was scared of what might be done to him. But, Peter loved Jesus.  When Jesus later appeared after his resurrection he asked Peter 3 times, one for each time he denied him, “Peter…do you love me?” Peter cried YES!

Peter messed up. We mess up but do we still love Jesus enough to follow him?  Or do we take what the enemy throws at us? Do we look at ourselves as failures and want to give up? Do we think “I can’t do this! I can’t follow Christ and be what he wants me to be!” That’s what Satan wants.  If Peter had stayed down and looked at himself as a failure then one of the biggest pioneers in the early church would have been lost. You have to keep pressing on! You have to know that your love for him can be bigger than your failures. Even when we let him down he gives us another chance…and another and another.  Just like he used Peter he will use you.  Just keep pressing on.  Love him and follow him.  Peter did and after the darkness of failure came the light of forgiveness and he went on to be what God had called him to be; Petros (Peter; the rock). A rock on which the church was built.

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Endurance

August 14, 2011 · Filed under Christian Living, Life, Redemption, Religion, Servanthood, Trust · Tagged , , , , , ,

One of my favorite passages of scripture is found in 2 Timothy 11-13.  It reads like this:

“If we die with him we will also live with him.  If we endure, we will also reign with him.  If we disown him, he will also disown us.  If we are faithless, he will remain faithful for he cannot disown himself.”

These are such awesome verses! Just read them again slowly and let them sink it.  To die is to live with Christ if you are a believer.  To endure our hardships means we can reign with him.  Let’s stop right here for a minute.  How many of you are in a hard place right now?  How many of you feel like you are facing a mountain you cannot get over? Our faith is something that must be developed.  How is faith developed? Through trials. It is when we are at our most vulnerable with no where to turn and nothing we can do that God says “Finally! Now, I can do what I need to do!” Through our dark times…those dark nights that we all encounter…that’s when the light of Jesus can shine through. 

An athlete works their body day in and day out to finally meet their goal.  Yet, even when they meet their goal they don’t stop.  There is another goal in sight.  They want to continue to become better and better.  So it should be with our faith.  We may overcome one hurdle…but rest assured another will be on it’s way.  Push through, depend on God, and remember how you overcame the last one; it will help you to get through the present one.

Now, I want to skip to the last part of this passage.  If we become faithless he will remain faithful because he cannot disown himself.  Some versions read “he cannot deny who he is”. God is ever faithful to us.  Period.  His word says it.  He can’t be unfaithful.  It goes against his personality.  What does this mean for you? Well, it means that even when you feel He is not there…He still is.  It means even when you throw in the towel and decide you don’t want to follow him….He is still there for you.  Ever loving and ever faithful.  It means that when those dark clouds loom overhead and you feel the darkness closing in…He is there waiting to whisper the words “Peace! Be still.” He is always faithful….even when we aren’t.  He is ever faithful…even though we don’t deserve it.  Take heart tonight…He is there.

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