Quote for the day

“God is after what I am becoming not what I am doing”

Scheduling – The Fullness of Time

I am an artsy, music, spontaneous guy.  If you know a creative type, then you know that person has a hard time with schedules.  Sometimes the creative idea hits you at 1 am.  Sometimes the idea comes right in the middle of doing something else.  However, there is a problem.  When I don’t begin to apply some structure to my life (even though I hate schedules) my time gets consumed and creativity gets squashed.

People will tell you sometimes, “you got to allow room for the Spirit to move . . .” or “don’t plan God right out of the service . . .”  The problem is that if you take those ideas to the extreme, no structure will mean there is human chaos.  Without the string grounding the kite it cannot fly.

God shows us, in an amazingly deep statement in Galatians 4:4, that He operates by a divine schedule.  The scripture tells us that “when the fullness of time had come”  Jesus came.  There was an appointed moment when God decidied it was time.  God also is the supreme creative being in the universe.  The Bible teaches us that things have their appointed seasons.  It is this rythm of life that actually nurtures creativity and the move of the Spirit.

I am working hard on looking at my life and letting my yes be yes and my no be no.  I am working even harder on blocking time out each day for quiet, family, study, and SLEEP.  With out these things that give us a natural rythm to our lives we become spiritually dry and uninspired.

Schedules aren’t evil, they just need to be prayerfully made and submitted to the direction of God.

Friday with Family

We’re cleaning house today and hanging out.  I’m having lunch with a friend and taking the dog to get his shots.  I’m wearing a T-shirt that my kids made for me for father’s day and watching my one year old work on walking.  These are the best kingdom times I’ll experience.

Why?

Because these are the kind of times where I get to sow the gospel into the lives of my family.  The times where I invest moments that create memories for my children.  It’s in these regular tasks that they will see Jesus manifested in the everyday things.  I don’t want my children to be hungry for the spectacular spiritual moments.  I want them to be able to stand and live with Jesus in the everyday things of life.

We live in a time where people want to see a spectacular move of God and I believe God is looking for a people in these times that will live spectacular lives of faith in the everyday things.

Do we forget him when things are quiet?  Do we forget him when we are blessed?  Do we curse him when we suffer or things don’t go our way?  Or do we only feel like God is real and moving if there is some spectacular miracle?

Remember the Kingdom is at hand, it is here, it is now.  I want to be the example of Jesus to my family today as we clean house.

Oswald on Suffering

Please take time to read today’s devotional from Oswald Chambers.  I believe this is the heart of God and the understanding we should have on suffering.

Recieving Yourself in the Fires of Sorrow - http://www.myutmost.org/06/0625.html

The “R’s” Part Eight

Rest

Exodus 20:8-11 – “Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy . . .”

I just returned from a week in South Dakota where I was one of the speakers at a camp.  The surroundings were amazing (I’ve never been to the Black Hills before), the ministry was refreshing, but it was the rest that may have saved my life!

I have been running at a break neck pace for a long time now.  Just before I left for this trip, I was having anxiety problems, struggling to complete basic tasks, and I was down right irritable. I needed to rest!  I have mentioned before here and it bears saying again, “if the devil can’t kill you, he’ll keep you busy”.  You know why?  Because you’ll kill yourself spirituall, physically, and emotionally.  Rest is not something that just happens to us!  We must, as Exodus 20:8-11 commands, “remember” and “keep” the Sabbath.  It is a discipline.

Remember

We must keep a constant eye on our habits.  We’ve got to acknowledge that if we don’t dicipline ourselves to watch over our schedules and commitments, then they will get out of hand.  So many people plead for our time and attention.  Tasks and emergencies each plead to be number one on our to do list.  Oswald Chambers calls it “the tyranny of the urgent”.  We must remember that rest is a non-negotiable in our lives.

Keep

It is not enought to to recognize our need to slow down.  We must choose to do it.  It isn’t just going to happen to you.  I have heard myself say, “I’ll take some time next week”.  And all the while, as work becomes my idol, my relationship with God, my family, and those I’m called to serve gets pushed to the side and I wear myself out.  We’ve got to schedule it and be obnoxious about keeping it.  When Paul tells us to “press on” and “run the race”, what is included in that is proper rest.  You can’t set your eyes on the prize and win the race if you are not taking the time to rest in the mercies and grace of God.

The “R’s” Part Seven

Results

Genesis 1:20-28

God gets things done.  It’s always good.  The questions always lies with us not him.  We want to ask, “when is God going to do this thing for me?” or  we ask, “why does God do or allow bad things to happen?”

We ask those things because we operate from our perspective of results instead of His.  When we choose to live from God’s perspective, trusting Him and His plans, then the results fall into Romans 8:28.  When we choose to live according to our own desires and perspective we fall under the consequences of those choices.

What kind of results do you want in life?

“What profit a man to gain the whole world and lose his own soul?”

“The wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life THROUGH Jesus Christ our Lord.”

If you want life.  If you want to drink every amazing drop of this existence we’ve been given.  The answer is to surrender to Christ, give your life to Him daily as Lord, and watch the results that only God is capable of!

The “R’s” Part Six

Relationship

Genesis 2:18-25

“It is not good for man to be alone . . .”

What an amazing statement God makes.  Think about it for a minute.  God of all the universe, creator of all things, all powerful, all knowing, all present declares the first thing in creation that was not good.  Everything so far in the creation account God had declared to be good, but not so for the absence of human relationships.  You see, Adam up until this point had perfect fellowship with God.  They walked in through the garden together and they conversed.  Yet God declared that was not enough.  Crazy!

We need each other.  We need the divine mystery of human companionship in the context of biblical community.  We need a place where we can live out the day to day triumphs and struggles holding each other’s arms up and each fulfilling their purpose in Christ.  (See 1 Corinthians 12).

Yeah, we get it wrong and hurt each other.  We do struggle with selfishness and wound one another in the process.  But hear me, we will not make it with out the relationships that God designed us for.

I always quote Luke 10:27, it’s about Loving God and Loving People.  People don’t care how much you know, until they know how much you care.  Righteousness is all about right relationships – Being right with God allows us to become right with ourselves and then we can become rightly related to those around us.

Sacrifice

Today is memorial day.  Today we remember the sacrifice of those whose lives were given so that we may remain free as Americans.  Please take time today with those that you love, hold them close, and be thankful for the sacrifices that have been made for you.

“No greater love have a man than this, that he lay down his life for his friend”

“And who is my neighbor?”  It is anyone in need.

We all were in need to be free from sin.  We all were in need to be loosed from its bondage.  We all needed rescue.

“Jesus, for the joy set before him, endured the cross.”

His sacrifice made freedom available to all.  It is available to those who do not have the priviledge of living in a free country as we Americans do.

As we celebrate our freedom purchased through sacrifice today.  As we remember those who paid the ultimate price.  Let’s make sure we celebrate and remember Jesus to the uttermost!

Thank you God for those who sacrificed that we may be free.  Bless their families that remain behind and fill their lives with peace.  Thank you God for Jesus!  Thank you that we may be free!

I’ll Manage

I was reflecting the other day of all of the things and people I am responsible for at church and was overwhelmed by how much it can be sometimes.  I’m sure you can look at your life and say the same sometimes.  We get into a mode where we feel like things are too much and we’ll say that phrase, “I’ll manage . . .”

I came to the conclusion, I DON’T WANT TO MANAGE! I don’t want to just make it all work or organize it all.  I WANT TO GIVE!

I don’t want to organize and manage a group of singers or musicians.  I want to give my all to serve these people and give them the opportunity to minister to others.  I don’t want to manage resourses, I want to give of my time, knowledge, and skills to be a part of advancing the Kingdom of God!

I am developing a passion for extravagance.  We have been given extravagant grace, mercy, blessings, LIFE through Jesus Christ!  I want to give extravagantly the life that has been poured into me.

The next time you feel in a rut, overwhelmed, or stressed, don’t manage; figure out how to give.

Powerful Truth

Take a miniute and read this post over at Bob Kauflin’s blog Worship Matters.  Although it is a short work of fiction it is true for so many and it’s truth should ring true for all of us.

http://www.worshipmatters.com/2009/04/drabbles-from-the-depths/