I seem to be going through a series of trials as of late. I am thankful that these trials are not severe in nature, none of them are matters of life or death. At the same time, they are enough to test my faith. Here are some ways I'm learning from the book of James, by the author of the same name, to make the most of my trials.
James starts off his book by identifying himself as a "bondservant" of Jesus Christ. That term bondservant literally means a slave, someone who is bound to another. The first step in making the most of your trial is to view yourself as a servant to God. By taking on this identity, you immediately overcome the temptation to feel that you "deserve better" and instead look for ways in which to glorify God, your Master.
James goes on to say, "count it all joy when you fall into various trials." (Jms 1:2) I've never met anyone who said that it was easy to obey this instruction. Like all of the Christian life, it is not easy, but it is possible. Or in the words of Jesus, "With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible." (Mt 19:26) In order to face a trial with joy, we must become fully dependent upon God.
Thirdly, it's also worthy to note that James said, "when" we face a trial, not "if". Trails are not optional in this life; they are guaranteed. Jesus taught that the Father "makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust." (Mt 5:45) Bad days do come to good people, just ask Job.
James then goes on to explain why we should consider our trials as joy. He makes a chain reference of words noting that when our faith is tested it produces patience or perserverance and when we've experienced patience long enough we become mature and complete. Any professional athlete will testify that it's only through persistent and progressively more difficult practice that perfection is reached. In the same light, our Christian character is developed over time as we face trials.
James advice for those who face trials is very simple - ask God for wisdom. When we come to God we must come in an attitude of faith, knowing that without faith we cannot please Him (Heb 11:6) It's important to ask God for wisdom during a trial because we are often faced with critical decisions and don't want to take them on hastily. Furthermore, if we make poor choices, it can possibly prolong the time we face going through the trial. When we ask, we must also listen for God's direction.
All in all, I know trials are inevitable, but that God works everything for my good (Romans 8:28) to help me conform into the image and likeness of my Savior (v.29) and He provides wisdom to go through the trial if I simply ask Him for it.
Friend, I don't know the trials you are facing today or those coming your way, but I do know that in Christ, God can make every obstable we face work for our good. Amen.
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
Saturday, August 16, 2008
God's Athletes
As people around the globe tune in to watch the Olympics, there is another group of athletes who may not attract world recognition, but have the attention of heaven.
The Saints Prison Ministry works to reach prisoners for Christ through athletics. Godly men and woman with athletic skills and compassionate hearts go into prisons to play basketball, softball, volleyball and soccer with the inmates. Then after the games, these men and woman share the gospel and their testimonies with the inmates.
Many prisoners come to know the Lord for the first time. Others who know the Lord already continue to grow in their walks through Bible study correspondence courses.
As a basketball player and lover of Jesus I have longed to play for the Saints. Yet my time is too limited with family obligations to be away for the practices as well as the games - the teams actually travel to prisons in others states to minister.
So earlier this year when I was reading the monthly newsletter from the Saints Prison Ministry and found out they had a pen pal program, I knew I needed to participate. What an awesome opportunity to use my gift of writing and to help someone in need!
After filling out an application, I waited to be assigned someone to write, but never heard back until this past week when I received a package in from the Saints, not with one, but three letters from prisoners.
As I read these letters, my heart melted with empathy and sorrow. It was obvious to me that these men were hurting, lonely and in despair. My mind started to imagine their life stories and how they ended up behind bars. Here are a couple samples of the letters I received (with no grammatical or spelling edits):
"I am writing you and asking you if there is someone there who would write me and share the word of God. I have no family to write to. I would like to have a pen-pal to share the word of God with. It's very lonely here in prison and its even loneler when no one write you - so if there is someone who would like to share the Gospel please write me. thank you for your time and effort."
"I can't find my brother...I had lost my mother in 1997 then after that all my family turn they back again me. But I am praise God that he did not turn he back again me and that he always love me not matter (what)go on. I thank God for his love toward me and he forgiveness of my sin and giving me a new life in Christ Jesus."
Another prisoner who is not yet a Christian wrote, a prayer request:
"I have legal fees and attorney costs that I am unable to pay and I need to raise the money to further fight my legal cases! Thank you!"
Even though I don't know these men personally, my heart was deeply touched as I read their letters. I don't know the details of their circumstances, but I do know that God has called his people to minister to those who have been forgotten.
When the day of judgment comes, Jesus will say to the righteous, "I was in prison and you came to me.", but to the unrighteous, "I was...sick and in prison and you did not visit me." The unrighteous will ask, "Lord, when did we see You hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to You?"
And He will respond, "Inasmuch as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me." (Matthew 25:31-46)
Friend, please pray that God will give me the right words to encourage and lift up these men (Dale, Robert and Daniel). Also pray and ask God if you should be a prisoner's pen pal too. There are many men and woman waiting for a friend like you.
[If you have an interest in writing a prisoner please contact the Saint's Ministry by visiting their website. (www.saintsprisonministry.org) All pen pal correspondence goes through the ministry so that no one ever has your home address. There are also other guidelines to assure that your privacy is protected.]
The Saints Prison Ministry works to reach prisoners for Christ through athletics. Godly men and woman with athletic skills and compassionate hearts go into prisons to play basketball, softball, volleyball and soccer with the inmates. Then after the games, these men and woman share the gospel and their testimonies with the inmates.
Many prisoners come to know the Lord for the first time. Others who know the Lord already continue to grow in their walks through Bible study correspondence courses.
As a basketball player and lover of Jesus I have longed to play for the Saints. Yet my time is too limited with family obligations to be away for the practices as well as the games - the teams actually travel to prisons in others states to minister.
So earlier this year when I was reading the monthly newsletter from the Saints Prison Ministry and found out they had a pen pal program, I knew I needed to participate. What an awesome opportunity to use my gift of writing and to help someone in need!
After filling out an application, I waited to be assigned someone to write, but never heard back until this past week when I received a package in from the Saints, not with one, but three letters from prisoners.
As I read these letters, my heart melted with empathy and sorrow. It was obvious to me that these men were hurting, lonely and in despair. My mind started to imagine their life stories and how they ended up behind bars. Here are a couple samples of the letters I received (with no grammatical or spelling edits):
"I am writing you and asking you if there is someone there who would write me and share the word of God. I have no family to write to. I would like to have a pen-pal to share the word of God with. It's very lonely here in prison and its even loneler when no one write you - so if there is someone who would like to share the Gospel please write me. thank you for your time and effort."
"I can't find my brother...I had lost my mother in 1997 then after that all my family turn they back again me. But I am praise God that he did not turn he back again me and that he always love me not matter (what)go on. I thank God for his love toward me and he forgiveness of my sin and giving me a new life in Christ Jesus."
Another prisoner who is not yet a Christian wrote, a prayer request:
"I have legal fees and attorney costs that I am unable to pay and I need to raise the money to further fight my legal cases! Thank you!"
Even though I don't know these men personally, my heart was deeply touched as I read their letters. I don't know the details of their circumstances, but I do know that God has called his people to minister to those who have been forgotten.
When the day of judgment comes, Jesus will say to the righteous, "I was in prison and you came to me.", but to the unrighteous, "I was...sick and in prison and you did not visit me." The unrighteous will ask, "Lord, when did we see You hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to You?"
And He will respond, "Inasmuch as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me." (Matthew 25:31-46)
Friend, please pray that God will give me the right words to encourage and lift up these men (Dale, Robert and Daniel). Also pray and ask God if you should be a prisoner's pen pal too. There are many men and woman waiting for a friend like you.
[If you have an interest in writing a prisoner please contact the Saint's Ministry by visiting their website. (www.saintsprisonministry.org) All pen pal correspondence goes through the ministry so that no one ever has your home address. There are also other guidelines to assure that your privacy is protected.]
Thursday, August 7, 2008
When God Speaks
Today was my first day attending a Christian Writer's Conference. There were some great speakers and wonderful worship, but the most touching experience came through a woman named Lyn.
One of the classes I attended today was entitled, "Listening to Hear His Answer". It was a course about hearing God's voice and then writing what you hear. The teachers were a couple in their 40s I'd guess, from Lancaster, PA. They were a lovely couple, who obviously loved Jesus wholeheartedly and believed in His miraculous power for today.
Toward the end of the course we were paired off in twos. I was paired with a woman named Lyn. We briefly introduced ourselves to one another. Our assignment was to try and hear from God for the other person. Lyn and I knew next to nothing about one another so anything that would come from each of us that sounded accurate would be a sure sign of God's voice. Lyn did not have any experience in trying to hear God's voice for another person although she said she knows His voice and admitted that she often runs when He speaks and doesn't obey immediately.
I tried to give Lyn some tips on hearing God's voice in the 30 seconds we had together to introduce ourselves. Although I'm well aware of Jesus' promise that says "My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me" (John 10:27), I was skeptical and probably pretty doubtful that she would hear something for me.
We took about five minutes to listen to God's voice and journal what He was speaking to us. At the end of that time, Lyn and I turned to one another and read what we had. Here is what Lyn wrote:
"I believe God wants to speak & show Himself thru Pierre, to others, especially those who do not know Him. I want to say this would be thru writing since we are at a writer's conference, but I'm not sure that's what God wants. I believe this would come through another medium. I believe Pierre has a lot to share & needs to do this."
When I heard these words I got choked up. If you know me well, you know that my passion is to see people come to know Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. There is nothing more deeply engrained within my heart. And here was Lyn, a woman who had no idea that my passion for evangelism existed, now confirming His calling on my life. Lyn was also touched by the words I shared for her life so we both stood up before the class and gave testimony of what God had done in our midst.
It was a powerful experience!
If you are a child of God, I want to encourage you to spend time getting quiet before the Lord and removing all distractions and listening for His voice. He has so many special things to say to each and every one of us. He is a wonderful God.
If by chance you have not yet come to know the Lord in a personal way, let me encourage you to open your heart to Him right now. He is ready and waiting to forgive you and give you new life through the power of His death and resurrection.
Friend, one last note. Please pray for me. Pray that God orchestrates the work He wants to do in my life and opens up greater doors to share the message of Jesus Christ with those who do not yet know Him personally. I will be forever grateful.
Amen.
One of the classes I attended today was entitled, "Listening to Hear His Answer". It was a course about hearing God's voice and then writing what you hear. The teachers were a couple in their 40s I'd guess, from Lancaster, PA. They were a lovely couple, who obviously loved Jesus wholeheartedly and believed in His miraculous power for today.
Toward the end of the course we were paired off in twos. I was paired with a woman named Lyn. We briefly introduced ourselves to one another. Our assignment was to try and hear from God for the other person. Lyn and I knew next to nothing about one another so anything that would come from each of us that sounded accurate would be a sure sign of God's voice. Lyn did not have any experience in trying to hear God's voice for another person although she said she knows His voice and admitted that she often runs when He speaks and doesn't obey immediately.
I tried to give Lyn some tips on hearing God's voice in the 30 seconds we had together to introduce ourselves. Although I'm well aware of Jesus' promise that says "My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me" (John 10:27), I was skeptical and probably pretty doubtful that she would hear something for me.
We took about five minutes to listen to God's voice and journal what He was speaking to us. At the end of that time, Lyn and I turned to one another and read what we had. Here is what Lyn wrote:
"I believe God wants to speak & show Himself thru Pierre, to others, especially those who do not know Him. I want to say this would be thru writing since we are at a writer's conference, but I'm not sure that's what God wants. I believe this would come through another medium. I believe Pierre has a lot to share & needs to do this."
When I heard these words I got choked up. If you know me well, you know that my passion is to see people come to know Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. There is nothing more deeply engrained within my heart. And here was Lyn, a woman who had no idea that my passion for evangelism existed, now confirming His calling on my life. Lyn was also touched by the words I shared for her life so we both stood up before the class and gave testimony of what God had done in our midst.
It was a powerful experience!
If you are a child of God, I want to encourage you to spend time getting quiet before the Lord and removing all distractions and listening for His voice. He has so many special things to say to each and every one of us. He is a wonderful God.
If by chance you have not yet come to know the Lord in a personal way, let me encourage you to open your heart to Him right now. He is ready and waiting to forgive you and give you new life through the power of His death and resurrection.
Friend, one last note. Please pray for me. Pray that God orchestrates the work He wants to do in my life and opens up greater doors to share the message of Jesus Christ with those who do not yet know Him personally. I will be forever grateful.
Amen.
Monday, July 21, 2008
The Cost of Integrity
Over the weekend, I took my sons to the grocery store to buy some apples. While we were out, I tried to make the most of the trip so I took them to the neighboring pet store and then down the plaza to the Dollar Store.
Of course my kids were touching everything possible within the pet store and making me cringe every time their hands neared their eyes or mouth. I couldn't wait to walk over to the Dollar Store and get some anti-bacterial soap on their little paws.
When we entered the Dollar Store I asked the cashier where I could find the anti-bacterial soap and she directed me to a display in the middle of the store. So I brought my boys over to the rack and gave each of them and myself a squirt from the bottle of berry scented liquid cleanser.
As I walked away from the rack, I did so without the bottle of soap in my hands. My conscience was actively notifying me that I needed to buy that soap and not just take a dab for myself and my boys. But against my own better judgment I continued to walk along in the store helping the kids pick out some toys for themselves.
The next day, I went to church and after getting my kids settled in childcare, I sat down to hear the sermon. The pastor was speaking about areas of our lives that can leave the devil a foothold. One of these areas was an unclean conscience.
Immediately, the Holy Spirit brought to mind that one dollar bottle of anti-bacterial soap that was still sitting in the Dollar Store. I knew at that moment that I not only had to ask God for his forgiveness, I also had to go back and buy that soap (even though my rational thinking said that it was no big deal at all.)
So after church we took another trip to the Dollar Store and I walked in to buy only one product - a used bottle of anti-bacterial soap. I got back into our van and took a healthy squirt of the bottle I now possessed. Ahh...I now not only had clean hands, I had a clean heart. My integrity was restored for a mere $1 ($1.06 with tax).
Integrity is doing the right thing no matter what the cost. Just consider what integrity (or lack of it) cost some characters in the Bible.
When David, a man after God's own heart, slept with Bathsheba and set up her husband Uriah to be killed in battle, it cost him greatly. The Lord was displeased with him (2 Samuel 11:27), he gave the enemies a reason to blaspheme His God (2 Samuel 12:14) and the son he bore with Bathsheba died. (2 Samuel 12:15-19)
When Judas agreed to betray Jesus for thirty pieces of silver (Matthew 26:15), he gave the devil entrance into his life (Luke 22:4), he conspired against Jesus to have him captured, then betrayed him with a kiss (Mark 14:43-46) and in his guilt, shame and regret took his own life (Matthew 27:3-5)
When Ananias and his wife Sapphira held back a portion of their offering from God and lied to the apostles and ultimately God, it cost them their lives. (Acts 5:1-10)
So what's the morale of the story?
The consequences of dishonesty are always greater than the cost of integrity. Amen.
Of course my kids were touching everything possible within the pet store and making me cringe every time their hands neared their eyes or mouth. I couldn't wait to walk over to the Dollar Store and get some anti-bacterial soap on their little paws.
When we entered the Dollar Store I asked the cashier where I could find the anti-bacterial soap and she directed me to a display in the middle of the store. So I brought my boys over to the rack and gave each of them and myself a squirt from the bottle of berry scented liquid cleanser.
As I walked away from the rack, I did so without the bottle of soap in my hands. My conscience was actively notifying me that I needed to buy that soap and not just take a dab for myself and my boys. But against my own better judgment I continued to walk along in the store helping the kids pick out some toys for themselves.
The next day, I went to church and after getting my kids settled in childcare, I sat down to hear the sermon. The pastor was speaking about areas of our lives that can leave the devil a foothold. One of these areas was an unclean conscience.
Immediately, the Holy Spirit brought to mind that one dollar bottle of anti-bacterial soap that was still sitting in the Dollar Store. I knew at that moment that I not only had to ask God for his forgiveness, I also had to go back and buy that soap (even though my rational thinking said that it was no big deal at all.)
So after church we took another trip to the Dollar Store and I walked in to buy only one product - a used bottle of anti-bacterial soap. I got back into our van and took a healthy squirt of the bottle I now possessed. Ahh...I now not only had clean hands, I had a clean heart. My integrity was restored for a mere $1 ($1.06 with tax).
Integrity is doing the right thing no matter what the cost. Just consider what integrity (or lack of it) cost some characters in the Bible.
When David, a man after God's own heart, slept with Bathsheba and set up her husband Uriah to be killed in battle, it cost him greatly. The Lord was displeased with him (2 Samuel 11:27), he gave the enemies a reason to blaspheme His God (2 Samuel 12:14) and the son he bore with Bathsheba died. (2 Samuel 12:15-19)
When Judas agreed to betray Jesus for thirty pieces of silver (Matthew 26:15), he gave the devil entrance into his life (Luke 22:4), he conspired against Jesus to have him captured, then betrayed him with a kiss (Mark 14:43-46) and in his guilt, shame and regret took his own life (Matthew 27:3-5)
When Ananias and his wife Sapphira held back a portion of their offering from God and lied to the apostles and ultimately God, it cost them their lives. (Acts 5:1-10)
So what's the morale of the story?
The consequences of dishonesty are always greater than the cost of integrity. Amen.
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
Like a Little Child
This past Sunday I took my three year old to a new Sunday School class. He graduated from "Lollypop Lane" (which was basically a play center for young kids) to the 3 to 5year old class. In this new class they draw, hear Bible stories, have snacks and play games.
Since it was his first time in this new class, I decided to stay with him for the duration of the class to see what took place and how well he interacted with the other kids. I considered this a minor sacrifice knowing I would not be able to attend our regular service and hear this Sunday's sermon. To my surprise, I learned many spiritual truths in the presence of these toddlers.
Jesus was fond of little children. In fact he made some profound statements about children and the kingdom of God.
"Verily I say unto you, Except you be converted, and become as little children, you shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven. Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven. And whoever shall receive one such little child in my name receives me." Matthew 18:3-5
Here are some observations I made as I was in the midst of these little children.
Story time : The Bible story for the day was about Jacob and Esau, the sons of Isaac and Rebekah. The overarching theme of the story was that we need to "love one another". The simplicity of the message made an impact on my own heart. How often are we looking for the deeper revelations from God when we haven't yet mastered the clearest commandment of the entire Bible - love each other.
Ask in faith : When it came to snack time, the kids were offered Goldfish and apple juice. As some of the kids finished their snack they simply asked for more. "Can I have more fish?" "Can I have more juice?" I became the teacher's helper and had the privilege of serving these little ones. Their simple requests reminded me of Jesus' teaching that we need to ask God in faith for what we need knowing that our Heavenly Father desires to give us what is good. (Matthew 7:7-11)
Freedom and Joy : Toward the end of the class there was time remaining before the parents would return. The teacher played some Christian music and invited the kids to dance. When the music stopped, they would "freeze" in place. The kids had no hesitation to get out on the carpet and cut the rug. Each one had their own style of dancing from spinning in circles to a simple bend of the knees, but one thing they had in common was their unhindered ability to be free and happy. There were no concerns about what other people thought about them or if they would be criticized for their silly moves, they just danced because it was the fun thing to do.
As I sat there with these little children admiring their uniqueness and simple lives, I thought, "Maybe I should help out here more often." Shortly after the class, the Sunday School coordinator asked if I'd be available to help out during the Summer with the kids. I thought to myself, "Ok, God, I hear you loud and clear." So for the next few weeks I will have the honor of assisting in this class and being taught by 3, 4 and 5 year olds what it means to be a child of God.
Since it was his first time in this new class, I decided to stay with him for the duration of the class to see what took place and how well he interacted with the other kids. I considered this a minor sacrifice knowing I would not be able to attend our regular service and hear this Sunday's sermon. To my surprise, I learned many spiritual truths in the presence of these toddlers.
Jesus was fond of little children. In fact he made some profound statements about children and the kingdom of God.
"Verily I say unto you, Except you be converted, and become as little children, you shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven. Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven. And whoever shall receive one such little child in my name receives me." Matthew 18:3-5
Here are some observations I made as I was in the midst of these little children.
Story time : The Bible story for the day was about Jacob and Esau, the sons of Isaac and Rebekah. The overarching theme of the story was that we need to "love one another". The simplicity of the message made an impact on my own heart. How often are we looking for the deeper revelations from God when we haven't yet mastered the clearest commandment of the entire Bible - love each other.
Ask in faith : When it came to snack time, the kids were offered Goldfish and apple juice. As some of the kids finished their snack they simply asked for more. "Can I have more fish?" "Can I have more juice?" I became the teacher's helper and had the privilege of serving these little ones. Their simple requests reminded me of Jesus' teaching that we need to ask God in faith for what we need knowing that our Heavenly Father desires to give us what is good. (Matthew 7:7-11)
Freedom and Joy : Toward the end of the class there was time remaining before the parents would return. The teacher played some Christian music and invited the kids to dance. When the music stopped, they would "freeze" in place. The kids had no hesitation to get out on the carpet and cut the rug. Each one had their own style of dancing from spinning in circles to a simple bend of the knees, but one thing they had in common was their unhindered ability to be free and happy. There were no concerns about what other people thought about them or if they would be criticized for their silly moves, they just danced because it was the fun thing to do.
As I sat there with these little children admiring their uniqueness and simple lives, I thought, "Maybe I should help out here more often." Shortly after the class, the Sunday School coordinator asked if I'd be available to help out during the Summer with the kids. I thought to myself, "Ok, God, I hear you loud and clear." So for the next few weeks I will have the honor of assisting in this class and being taught by 3, 4 and 5 year olds what it means to be a child of God.
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
A Couple "Love Stories"
In my last blog, I spoke about the importance of holiness in our walk with Christ. This blog, I'd like to emphasize the importance of love by sharing two recent stories with you.
The first story took place a couple weekends back on one of the hottest days of the year. The main air conditioner in our home living room went on the fritz. Having a small baby in the house it was imperative that we get the thing working...and fast!
So in the short term I popped in a smaller air conditioning unit in our bedroom where the baby spends most of her time and day sleeping (Praise God, we got a good sleeping baby this time!!). Then my wife called a couple we are friends with to ask if the husband would be available to help me install a new air conditioner.
Soon after my friend was at my door ready to help. Ironically he and I are both the youngest boys in our family. Now in case you don't know what that means, let me fill you in. The youngest boys only watch what is done around the house, they aren't included (or allowed to) actually do anything. No matter how old we get, it's all up to the older brothers. In some ways this was good (I got to play a lot more ball growing up), in other ways it's bad (I'm a klutz when it comes to fixing things around the house). Fortunately my friend was over his father's house last year when his A/C went out so he saw how to remove and install one(of course his brothers did all the work and he watched).
So my friend and I worked to remove this gargantuon, dinosaur of an air conditioning unit and lugged it to my front curb. We then took a trip to Home Depot to find the right size air conditioner to replace it. Three hundred and fifty dollars later we were headed back to my house to install the new unit.
Thankfully, the newer unit was much lighter and easier to install and we did not have to replace the outside metal casing that holds the unit in place. Then came the moment of truth (and cool air!) when we plugged the unit in, and voila! - nothing happened!!!
We scratched our heads a bit and stood in wonder. What could be wrong with this thing? I first concluded that the outlet must have a problem with it. At this point, I was tired, frustrated and hot. I took a quick step outside and said a quick breath of a prayer, probably my first prayer throughout this whole ordeal. "God, help me to stay in faith and give us wisdom."
"Should we check the circuit breakers?" my friend inquired. I thought to myself, "Oh no, don't tell me it was simply a circuit breaker." ...
And you guessed it...we flipped the circuit breaker over and the new machine worked like a charm. I will now answer the question every man is asking themselves, "Did you keep the new A/C unit?" I looked at my friend and apologized, "I'm sorry for wasting all your time today." He said, "No problem, I would have made the same mistake." (A very gracious response). Then I said, "Would you mind putting the old unit back in?" He agreed. We took out the new one and hoised the old one from the curb and put it back in. It ran beautifully.
I'm sure there are a lot of lessons to be learned here including the practical lesson of simply checking the circuit breaker before looking to replace a "dead" A/C unit. But I think the greater lesson I learned was the value of a good friend and what true Christian love is all about. My friend never complained, fussed, condemned me or laughed at me. He gave up his own precious time with his family and kids to be with me fixing an air conditioner that wasn't even broken and in the end didn't make me feel terrible about myself for making such a foolish mistake.
Now that's love. Thanks brother!
Now for one more quick "love story".
Last week we had a team outing at work to go play minature golf in the afternoon. I decided to work from home in the morning and then leave at lunchtime to go play. When it came time to leave, my son Elijah, now 3 soon to be 4, did not want me to go (or at least not to go without him).
I tried to explain to him that I wouldn't be gone long and that I'd come back to play with him, but this logic didn't curve his heart's desire to be with Daddy. I tried to distract him and make a dash for my car at one point, but could hear him crying and upset even from my driver's seat.
My wife came out to the car and said, "You've got to come in here, he's really having a tough time." So I came in and picked up my son in my arms (man, he's getting heavy) and started to tell him that I loved him and would be back soon. As I spoke the words, "I love you." I had the thought, "If you love him so much, what are you doing to show him that you love him?" Again, I lifted up a quick prayer for wisdom and the thought came to me, "Take him with you."
So I told my wife, "I'm going to take Elijah with me." So we gathered him some snacks to take with us and we were on our way.
Now this was not supposed to be a family event, but a team building event for my work. So I knew I was "breaking the rules" and would possibly be subjected to some funny looks, bad attitudes or whispers by those who didn't approve of my choice to bring my son along. But by faith (and love) I took him and he was very happy.
Now here comes the true "love story". Around the 16th hole (this was the nicest minature golf course I've ever seen, by the way), Elijah decided to throw his ball and it landed in a large pond. The pond was fenced in with signs around it warning golfers not to bother the swans. I tried to stick my club in to fish out his ball to no avail. So I told him we'd have to continue on without his special blue ball.
But by the time we got to the next hole, he was again asking for the ball. So my co-workers with me suggested I try to grab another ball that was laying beside the water. We went over to try and scoop it out and as I leaned over the fence, my glasses dropped in and landed right next to the ball on the rocks next to the pond.
My co-worker looked at me and said, "Now you've got to go in." So we surveyed the area and pointed out the best place to hop the fence. In the meantime, there was a huge swan eyeing me down. I made the jump. Grabbed the ball and my glasses and hopped back over the fence before the killer swan could reach me. And believe me, he was coming my way.
While my heroics will never compare to the stories of modern day Super-men who save lives from burning buildings, one thing holds true. True love does what's best for another.
"Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one's life for his friends." - Jesus
(John 15:13)
The first story took place a couple weekends back on one of the hottest days of the year. The main air conditioner in our home living room went on the fritz. Having a small baby in the house it was imperative that we get the thing working...and fast!
So in the short term I popped in a smaller air conditioning unit in our bedroom where the baby spends most of her time and day sleeping (Praise God, we got a good sleeping baby this time!!). Then my wife called a couple we are friends with to ask if the husband would be available to help me install a new air conditioner.
Soon after my friend was at my door ready to help. Ironically he and I are both the youngest boys in our family. Now in case you don't know what that means, let me fill you in. The youngest boys only watch what is done around the house, they aren't included (or allowed to) actually do anything. No matter how old we get, it's all up to the older brothers. In some ways this was good (I got to play a lot more ball growing up), in other ways it's bad (I'm a klutz when it comes to fixing things around the house). Fortunately my friend was over his father's house last year when his A/C went out so he saw how to remove and install one(of course his brothers did all the work and he watched).
So my friend and I worked to remove this gargantuon, dinosaur of an air conditioning unit and lugged it to my front curb. We then took a trip to Home Depot to find the right size air conditioner to replace it. Three hundred and fifty dollars later we were headed back to my house to install the new unit.
Thankfully, the newer unit was much lighter and easier to install and we did not have to replace the outside metal casing that holds the unit in place. Then came the moment of truth (and cool air!) when we plugged the unit in, and voila! - nothing happened!!!
We scratched our heads a bit and stood in wonder. What could be wrong with this thing? I first concluded that the outlet must have a problem with it. At this point, I was tired, frustrated and hot. I took a quick step outside and said a quick breath of a prayer, probably my first prayer throughout this whole ordeal. "God, help me to stay in faith and give us wisdom."
"Should we check the circuit breakers?" my friend inquired. I thought to myself, "Oh no, don't tell me it was simply a circuit breaker." ...
And you guessed it...we flipped the circuit breaker over and the new machine worked like a charm. I will now answer the question every man is asking themselves, "Did you keep the new A/C unit?" I looked at my friend and apologized, "I'm sorry for wasting all your time today." He said, "No problem, I would have made the same mistake." (A very gracious response). Then I said, "Would you mind putting the old unit back in?" He agreed. We took out the new one and hoised the old one from the curb and put it back in. It ran beautifully.
I'm sure there are a lot of lessons to be learned here including the practical lesson of simply checking the circuit breaker before looking to replace a "dead" A/C unit. But I think the greater lesson I learned was the value of a good friend and what true Christian love is all about. My friend never complained, fussed, condemned me or laughed at me. He gave up his own precious time with his family and kids to be with me fixing an air conditioner that wasn't even broken and in the end didn't make me feel terrible about myself for making such a foolish mistake.
Now that's love. Thanks brother!
Now for one more quick "love story".
Last week we had a team outing at work to go play minature golf in the afternoon. I decided to work from home in the morning and then leave at lunchtime to go play. When it came time to leave, my son Elijah, now 3 soon to be 4, did not want me to go (or at least not to go without him).
I tried to explain to him that I wouldn't be gone long and that I'd come back to play with him, but this logic didn't curve his heart's desire to be with Daddy. I tried to distract him and make a dash for my car at one point, but could hear him crying and upset even from my driver's seat.
My wife came out to the car and said, "You've got to come in here, he's really having a tough time." So I came in and picked up my son in my arms (man, he's getting heavy) and started to tell him that I loved him and would be back soon. As I spoke the words, "I love you." I had the thought, "If you love him so much, what are you doing to show him that you love him?" Again, I lifted up a quick prayer for wisdom and the thought came to me, "Take him with you."
So I told my wife, "I'm going to take Elijah with me." So we gathered him some snacks to take with us and we were on our way.
Now this was not supposed to be a family event, but a team building event for my work. So I knew I was "breaking the rules" and would possibly be subjected to some funny looks, bad attitudes or whispers by those who didn't approve of my choice to bring my son along. But by faith (and love) I took him and he was very happy.
Now here comes the true "love story". Around the 16th hole (this was the nicest minature golf course I've ever seen, by the way), Elijah decided to throw his ball and it landed in a large pond. The pond was fenced in with signs around it warning golfers not to bother the swans. I tried to stick my club in to fish out his ball to no avail. So I told him we'd have to continue on without his special blue ball.
But by the time we got to the next hole, he was again asking for the ball. So my co-workers with me suggested I try to grab another ball that was laying beside the water. We went over to try and scoop it out and as I leaned over the fence, my glasses dropped in and landed right next to the ball on the rocks next to the pond.
My co-worker looked at me and said, "Now you've got to go in." So we surveyed the area and pointed out the best place to hop the fence. In the meantime, there was a huge swan eyeing me down. I made the jump. Grabbed the ball and my glasses and hopped back over the fence before the killer swan could reach me. And believe me, he was coming my way.
While my heroics will never compare to the stories of modern day Super-men who save lives from burning buildings, one thing holds true. True love does what's best for another.
"Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one's life for his friends." - Jesus
(John 15:13)
Friday, June 6, 2008
A Call to Holiness
As I completed a grocery store run for my wife and entered the parking lot with my two toddler boys seated in the red race car shopping cart I thought to myself, "Job well done." I grinned as I thought about just how "responsible" I was becoming as a Father. Before my ego had time to blow my head to smithereens, I sensed the Holy Spirit speaking gently to my heart. Within a flash of a moment I understood the message.
"Being responsible is good, but I've called you to more than that. I've called you to holiness."
Suddenly my sense of pride wilted like a head of lettuce left out in the hot Sun, losing all of it's glory and splendor. A couple scriptures soon came to mind.
"Be Holy, for I am holy." (1 Peter 1:15)
"Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord" (Hebrews 12:11)
As I continued on in my day with my sons, I started to meditate on this word from the Lord. I realized that God desires holiness more than anything else.
It's not that being responsible is a bad thing, of course not. As long as being responsible doesn't come in the way of being holy, then it is a wonderful thing. And that holds true for any other noble virtue.
If God has given you a good sense of humor, then use it to his glory, just as long as you don't break the greater standard, that of holiness, by telling off colored jokes.
If God has made you industrious and a good worker with your hands, then work diligently. Just don't allow pride to rob Him of glory and deplete your true calling to holiness.
If you have a very sociable personality and have no problems making friends or being a conversationalist, great! Praise the Lord for your beam of light. Just don't lose sight of holiness and become the center of your world and everyone else's attention.
A second realization came to me as I meditated on God's call to holiness. Sometimes even as Christians we forget that God's standard is much different and higher than our own human benchmark. Jesus did not come to die for "pretty good people". He came and died for sinners. At the core of the gospel is the fact that we will never measure up to God's criterion of holiness on our own, "for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God". (Romans 3:23)
The good news, (ie the gospel) is that through Christ, we are justified (made right) with God and by God's grace we are redeemed (accepted back) by God. The above verse goes on to say,
"being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God set forth as a propitiation by His blood, through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance God had passed over the sins that were previously committed to demonstrate at the present time His rightousness, that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus." Romans 3:24-26
As I consider the things that "drive" me to do what I do and say, I must ask myself this question. "Is the value that's driving me at this point in time in any way contrary or lower than God's call to holiness?" If so, I must adjust my priorities and seek God's gold standard, holiness.
After another trip to a local play center, I got my kids in the car and headed home. I realized I was running late for a meeting I had to attend. My focus and priority became being on time. As my sons started to squabble with one another and whine for me to make another stop before going home my voice and temper began to rise.
"Remember", nudged the Holy Spirit, "it's all about holiness."
<>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <><
><> ><> ><> ><> ><> ><> ><> ><> ><> ><> ><> ><> ><> ><> ><> ><> ><> ><> ><> ><>
For further study and meditation, consider the following verses:
2 Corinthians 7:1 Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.
Ephesians 4:20-24 But you have not so learned Christ; If so be that you have heard him, and have been taught by him, as the truth is in Jesus: That you put off concerning the former way of life the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts; And be renewed in the spirit of your mind; And that you put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.
1 Thessalonians 3:11-13 Now God himself even our Father, and our Lord Jesus Christ, direct our way unto you. And the Lord make you to increase and abound in love one toward another, and toward all men, even as we do toward you: To the end he may establish your hearts blameless in holiness before God, even our Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all his saints.
"Being responsible is good, but I've called you to more than that. I've called you to holiness."
Suddenly my sense of pride wilted like a head of lettuce left out in the hot Sun, losing all of it's glory and splendor. A couple scriptures soon came to mind.
"Be Holy, for I am holy." (1 Peter 1:15)
"Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord" (Hebrews 12:11)
As I continued on in my day with my sons, I started to meditate on this word from the Lord. I realized that God desires holiness more than anything else.
It's not that being responsible is a bad thing, of course not. As long as being responsible doesn't come in the way of being holy, then it is a wonderful thing. And that holds true for any other noble virtue.
If God has given you a good sense of humor, then use it to his glory, just as long as you don't break the greater standard, that of holiness, by telling off colored jokes.
If God has made you industrious and a good worker with your hands, then work diligently. Just don't allow pride to rob Him of glory and deplete your true calling to holiness.
If you have a very sociable personality and have no problems making friends or being a conversationalist, great! Praise the Lord for your beam of light. Just don't lose sight of holiness and become the center of your world and everyone else's attention.
A second realization came to me as I meditated on God's call to holiness. Sometimes even as Christians we forget that God's standard is much different and higher than our own human benchmark. Jesus did not come to die for "pretty good people". He came and died for sinners. At the core of the gospel is the fact that we will never measure up to God's criterion of holiness on our own, "for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God". (Romans 3:23)
The good news, (ie the gospel) is that through Christ, we are justified (made right) with God and by God's grace we are redeemed (accepted back) by God. The above verse goes on to say,
"being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God set forth as a propitiation by His blood, through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance God had passed over the sins that were previously committed to demonstrate at the present time His rightousness, that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus." Romans 3:24-26
As I consider the things that "drive" me to do what I do and say, I must ask myself this question. "Is the value that's driving me at this point in time in any way contrary or lower than God's call to holiness?" If so, I must adjust my priorities and seek God's gold standard, holiness.
After another trip to a local play center, I got my kids in the car and headed home. I realized I was running late for a meeting I had to attend. My focus and priority became being on time. As my sons started to squabble with one another and whine for me to make another stop before going home my voice and temper began to rise.
"Remember", nudged the Holy Spirit, "it's all about holiness."
<>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <><
><> ><> ><> ><> ><> ><> ><> ><> ><> ><> ><> ><> ><> ><> ><> ><> ><> ><> ><> ><>
For further study and meditation, consider the following verses:
2 Corinthians 7:1 Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.
Ephesians 4:20-24 But you have not so learned Christ; If so be that you have heard him, and have been taught by him, as the truth is in Jesus: That you put off concerning the former way of life the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts; And be renewed in the spirit of your mind; And that you put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.
1 Thessalonians 3:11-13 Now God himself even our Father, and our Lord Jesus Christ, direct our way unto you. And the Lord make you to increase and abound in love one toward another, and toward all men, even as we do toward you: To the end he may establish your hearts blameless in holiness before God, even our Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all his saints.
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