Last week I had a chance to go back home for a brief visit. I reconnected with dear friends and rekindled wonderful memories to remind myself the importance of a good foundation, maintaining good friendships and the importance of home and security. I went back and visited the house I lived in as a child. Many memories of a good foundation of my life were rekindled. All of us need a strong foundation. I was blessed to grow up in a good home with a good family. Not everyone has such a blessing. One cannot control the home or family we are born into. Some, like me, are blessed to be born into a loving nurturing home and learn the gift of love, laughter and joy (don’t be misled, it could be strict I am not a perfectionist and driven for no reason). Others are born into homes with dysfunction or abuse and have to struggle for much of their lives to overcome the warped foundation that was their groundwork for life.
Having a safe secure home is critical. There is good news for all. If the home you were born in was not safe or happy you could not help that but you can change how it affected you. If the home you are currently living in is not safe or happy you can change it and how it affects you. There is a way everyone can have a safe and secure home, no matter what type of home we came from or live in today. Jesus tells us about his Father’s house, the safest and most secure home that exists. In the 14th chapter of John he lets us know that there are many rooms available. I know many beautiful gospel songs talk about mansions but the actual Greek word used is monai which means abiding place or room. So the picture Jesus is describing is a large house with many rooms, a nice big rambling house or safe comfortable home with a loving father.
This is one of the most loving pictures of our permanent dwelling place, if we follow Jesus, in the Bible. Jesus, who learned carpentry from Joseph, his earthly father, tells us that none other than he is going to go and prepare our room in the Father’s house. In other words, when I placed my faith in Christ and decided to follow him as my Savior and Lord. Jesus, the master carpenter began construction on my room in Heaven. When he has it completed and perfect for me to move in he promises he will come and escort me to my permanent safe and comfortable home. It is a room in a house where other loved ones who have gone before me are waiting and we will live safely together forever. What a great way to look at the future. He even said we could trust him and not be troubled as he shared this truth! Wow!
There is still a bonus, we don’t have to need a GPS or worry about how to get there. I know many worry about the trip (I am using easy language and I enjoy life and we have to die to get there…Duh). I do not know anyone who enjoys life as much as I but it does not last forever. Trust someone who does funerals for a living. Death is a frightful thought for most and we fear the journey but Jesus tells us we don’t have to worry. He has been there, done that and when the time comes he will come and take out hand and he will be the one to escort us along the way safely (he has already been there). He will walk us to our room he has prepared and I have a feeling there will be a welcoming party with familiar faces who have been waiting for us to join them in our permanent safe, comfortable perfect room at home. Look forward do seeing you Mom!
Monday, January 25, 2010
Friday, January 15, 2010
Living 60 Seconds at a Time
I had a strict curfew when I was growing up. I had dates that could stay out later than me. It was a bone of contention, but I have to admit it did keep me from trouble. I grew up in a small town and there was often not much going on late (that was worth being involved in). But, I was always afraid that I would miss something. No matter how dull the evening, I just knew something might happen when I went home and I was afraid I would miss it. That passion to get the most out of life drives me today. I don’t want to miss anything. I guess I got some of that from my father. We believed in making the most of each moment, not lingering on problems to let them hinder progress and getting over anger to find joy as soon as possible. He had a plaque on his desk that read, “For every moment you are angry you lose 60 seconds of happiness.”
The first message I preached was about living a full life (John 10:10; Jesus said, “The thief comes to rob, kill, steal and destroy. I have come that you may have life and have it more abundantly). I am amazed at the way so many toss away the ticks of life’s clock as if we will get them back. It is mind-boggling to me to spend one’s time on something that is not an investment that will outlast your life here. Life is a sacred fragile gift. It zooms by at an alarming rate, even a long live of 80+ years seems like a blink. Now I have not lived that long, at my pace I may not make 60, but I have met and talked at length about the subject with many who have, including my grandmother who missed 100 by two years.
God has given us life and riches beyond what we deserve. Romans 3:23 & 6:23 teach that in spite of being created in God’s image we have fallen short of the mark and death is what we earn. However, the gift of eternal life is available and we have received his grace in ways we take for granted each day. You may think you struggle with your check book but simply by being born in the USA you are well ahead in the game. You have a better home than 80% of the rest of the world. Many (24%) have no electricity. Think about that when you flip on the heat or A/C. If you are reading this you are better off than 67% of the rest of the world who can’t read. Many of you graduated from college. That places you ahead of the class from 99% of the rest of the world with no college education.
Many are working on New Year’s diets because 66% in the USA are overweight while half of the rest of the world are malnourished. You are reading this on the Internet. Even in today’s advanced society some 90% of the rest of the world do not have easy access to the internet as do you. So if you have a meal in fridge, dressed with shoes, bed & roof you are better off than 75% of the rest of the world. Those with a bank account and money in pocket have it better than 92% of the rest of the world. When you go church and give thanks for your blessings remember also as you enter the church without fear of arrest, harassment or death you are taking for granted a privilege 3 billion around the world do not have.
All of this is not to lay a guilt trip, but to encourage one another to make the most of each moment. The blessing of the moment is what we have. We can not help what we are born with whether they be problems or privileges in our sight. The question is; “What are you doing with your day & time on earth?” Do you realize you have as many seconds in your hour as Oprah, Bill Gates and the President of the USA or anyone else for that matter. No one has more time in their account than anyone else. Since we all have the same amount of time in each hour or day the question remains; "What will you do with your time this day, hour or moment?"
Jesus tells us, to whom much is given much shall be required in Luke 12:48. Make the most of each moment to have joy, share love and help others to find the riches to make the most of their day. This is the only chance you get for this day! Eternity waits.
The first message I preached was about living a full life (John 10:10; Jesus said, “The thief comes to rob, kill, steal and destroy. I have come that you may have life and have it more abundantly). I am amazed at the way so many toss away the ticks of life’s clock as if we will get them back. It is mind-boggling to me to spend one’s time on something that is not an investment that will outlast your life here. Life is a sacred fragile gift. It zooms by at an alarming rate, even a long live of 80+ years seems like a blink. Now I have not lived that long, at my pace I may not make 60, but I have met and talked at length about the subject with many who have, including my grandmother who missed 100 by two years.
God has given us life and riches beyond what we deserve. Romans 3:23 & 6:23 teach that in spite of being created in God’s image we have fallen short of the mark and death is what we earn. However, the gift of eternal life is available and we have received his grace in ways we take for granted each day. You may think you struggle with your check book but simply by being born in the USA you are well ahead in the game. You have a better home than 80% of the rest of the world. Many (24%) have no electricity. Think about that when you flip on the heat or A/C. If you are reading this you are better off than 67% of the rest of the world who can’t read. Many of you graduated from college. That places you ahead of the class from 99% of the rest of the world with no college education.
Many are working on New Year’s diets because 66% in the USA are overweight while half of the rest of the world are malnourished. You are reading this on the Internet. Even in today’s advanced society some 90% of the rest of the world do not have easy access to the internet as do you. So if you have a meal in fridge, dressed with shoes, bed & roof you are better off than 75% of the rest of the world. Those with a bank account and money in pocket have it better than 92% of the rest of the world. When you go church and give thanks for your blessings remember also as you enter the church without fear of arrest, harassment or death you are taking for granted a privilege 3 billion around the world do not have.
All of this is not to lay a guilt trip, but to encourage one another to make the most of each moment. The blessing of the moment is what we have. We can not help what we are born with whether they be problems or privileges in our sight. The question is; “What are you doing with your day & time on earth?” Do you realize you have as many seconds in your hour as Oprah, Bill Gates and the President of the USA or anyone else for that matter. No one has more time in their account than anyone else. Since we all have the same amount of time in each hour or day the question remains; "What will you do with your time this day, hour or moment?"
Jesus tells us, to whom much is given much shall be required in Luke 12:48. Make the most of each moment to have joy, share love and help others to find the riches to make the most of their day. This is the only chance you get for this day! Eternity waits.
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
Marking Time or Making the Most of Each Opportunity
Over the years I have made a practice of writing thoughts, feelings & observations. It has helped me express, share and understand what God is teaching me in my journey on this planet. At the end of each calendar year I would look back and journal thoughts, feelings, events and things learned and experienced during the past 365 days as a way to grow and prepare for the coming year (or as much time as God would allow me to survive in the days ahead). I hoped this practice would be a way to help me improve and mature each year. In some cases the jury may still be out as they seek to come to a clear decision on that case.
As the years in the past account pile higher I have come to some basic conclusions (Careful they may apply to you also):
First: GOD'S HAND WAS WITH ME ALL MY LIFE (even when I did not realize it…often and especially when I did not realize it!). As I look back over my life I see God’s hand clearly guiding me, preserving, protecting me and leading me (sometimes in spite of myself). That does not mean I have not stumbled and struggled but He has kept me from destroying my life and will always redeem me for His purpose as well as use the experiences in my past to honor Him today when I follow and trust Him. Romans 12: 1& 2 tells me to offer myself completely to God not conforming to the ways of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of my mind. In other words as I give myself completely to Him, thinking & seeing different from the rest of the world I will then be more able see and understand His will for my life. I will then see more how He has been with me, kept me for this time and His purpose and will.
Second: I AM A UNIQUE CREATION. I often tell my wife I know that I am weird and I feel as if I am on the wrong planet (she never argues that statement…Hmmm). Psalm 139:14 tells me I am fearfully and wonderfully made. I am not an accident of birth. I have been on 5 of the 7 continents and never seen anyone like me (thank goodness, huh?). There is a divine design behind His creation of me. That same Psalm tells me God knit me together in my mother’s womb. There is also a divine purpose and plan behind my creation. I was not created just to bump around, pay taxes and die. As with Paul, in Galatians 1:15, who was set apart at birth and Jeremiah, who was appointed before birth, (Jeremiah 1:5) God has a divine purpose and plan. That is why His hand was evident in guiding me, preserving, protecting me and leading me to be where I am today for his purpose as I submit to Him.
Finally: LIFE IS FRAGILE AND PASSES QUICKLY. James 4:14 describes life as a mist. It is truly fragile. A mist is something that is frail and can disappear in a second. Next month I will share my annual blog about my miraculous preservation from early death by rupture from any one of three thin aneurysms as God still had work for me in His plan. I KNOW life is fragile and needs to be handled with care. That is why I seek to make the most of each moment. I do not know what will happen tomorrow. I do not have tomorrow promised. I may not be able to journal the end of next year. I may not make it home from work today. However, I DO have this moment. As I learn from my journals of the past I need to make the most of this moment. This is why God has me here!
As I think I guessed correctly these conclusions do not apply only to me. I think you see these conclusions applying to you as well. Some people mark time while others choose to do as Ephesians 5:16 guides us and make the most of every opportunity. This is the only opportunity we have here; let us make the most of it!
As the years in the past account pile higher I have come to some basic conclusions (Careful they may apply to you also):
First: GOD'S HAND WAS WITH ME ALL MY LIFE (even when I did not realize it…often and especially when I did not realize it!). As I look back over my life I see God’s hand clearly guiding me, preserving, protecting me and leading me (sometimes in spite of myself). That does not mean I have not stumbled and struggled but He has kept me from destroying my life and will always redeem me for His purpose as well as use the experiences in my past to honor Him today when I follow and trust Him. Romans 12: 1& 2 tells me to offer myself completely to God not conforming to the ways of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of my mind. In other words as I give myself completely to Him, thinking & seeing different from the rest of the world I will then be more able see and understand His will for my life. I will then see more how He has been with me, kept me for this time and His purpose and will.
Second: I AM A UNIQUE CREATION. I often tell my wife I know that I am weird and I feel as if I am on the wrong planet (she never argues that statement…Hmmm). Psalm 139:14 tells me I am fearfully and wonderfully made. I am not an accident of birth. I have been on 5 of the 7 continents and never seen anyone like me (thank goodness, huh?). There is a divine design behind His creation of me. That same Psalm tells me God knit me together in my mother’s womb. There is also a divine purpose and plan behind my creation. I was not created just to bump around, pay taxes and die. As with Paul, in Galatians 1:15, who was set apart at birth and Jeremiah, who was appointed before birth, (Jeremiah 1:5) God has a divine purpose and plan. That is why His hand was evident in guiding me, preserving, protecting me and leading me to be where I am today for his purpose as I submit to Him.
Finally: LIFE IS FRAGILE AND PASSES QUICKLY. James 4:14 describes life as a mist. It is truly fragile. A mist is something that is frail and can disappear in a second. Next month I will share my annual blog about my miraculous preservation from early death by rupture from any one of three thin aneurysms as God still had work for me in His plan. I KNOW life is fragile and needs to be handled with care. That is why I seek to make the most of each moment. I do not know what will happen tomorrow. I do not have tomorrow promised. I may not be able to journal the end of next year. I may not make it home from work today. However, I DO have this moment. As I learn from my journals of the past I need to make the most of this moment. This is why God has me here!
As I think I guessed correctly these conclusions do not apply only to me. I think you see these conclusions applying to you as well. Some people mark time while others choose to do as Ephesians 5:16 guides us and make the most of every opportunity. This is the only opportunity we have here; let us make the most of it!
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