There seems to be confusion about what it means to be a Christian in society today. I recently read a study completed by The Barna Research Group that would indicate that, “Contradictions and confusion permeate the spiritual condition of the nation.” The moral foundations of the nation are crumbling. This year brought about increases in Americans who believe that Cohabitation 60%, Adultery 42%, Homosexuality (30%), Pornography (38%), and Gambling (61%) are “morally acceptable” behaviors. Although just 38% of the adult public have confessed their sins and accepted Christ as their savior, 99% claim they will not go to Hell after they die. In fact, a majority of Americans do not believe that Satan exists and most adults are leery about the existence of Hell. The fact that just 9% of born again Christians, have a biblical worldview, sheds light on the distorted viewpoints that reign in the U.S.
In spite of the contradictions outlined in this study, God and his word, the Bible, have not changed. God’s word makes His expectation clear. Romans 12:1-2 - Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. 2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect. 1 John 2:15 - Do not love the world nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.
The question is, “how do we live and survive in the world system and yet not be part of it?” This has always been the critical issue of Christianity and it is a battle that we are losing. The answer to living a successful Christ filled life is simple but difficult. God is willing to equip us for this task if we ask. The keys to success are WISDOM, HONESTY, AND INTEGRITY.
• Wisdom is the knowledge of what is right and true coupled with the ability to put it into action. James 1:5 - If any of you lacks wisdom let him ask of God.
• Honesty is the act of telling the truth. Proverbs 12:17 - He who speaks truth declares righteousness, but a false witness, deceit.
• Integrity is living according to moral and ethical principles. Proverbs 20:7 - The righteous man walks in his integrity; His children are blessed after him.
Equipped with these three essential characteristics of the Spirit filled life we can not only live in the world but we can successfully withstand its temptations. Strengthened with the power of God we can say with assurance, “I will never be the same again. I can never return I've closed the door; I will walk the path, I'll run the race, and I will never be the same again.”
Thursday, February 18, 2010
Monday, January 18, 2010
We have a partnership with God!
We have a partnership with God!
I recently read an article in “Impact” (the internal newsletter for the California Baptist Foundation written by President and C. E. O. Phillip Kell) discussing the outlook for the year ahead. I couldn’t agree more with Phill’s last paragraph and especially his words, “Business as usual will not get the job done. Thanks in advance for all I know you are going to do to help us get better in 2010. Let’s pray as if it all depends on God, and then work like it all depends on us.”
Central to this thought that we are not only partners with each other in God’s service but God is also completely in the mix. We can accomplish nothing of eternal value without Him and He chooses to use us to realize His work here on earth.
I am reminded of the farmer who had a beautiful but small garden outside the front door of his house. When a friend commented on its beauty the farmer simply said jokingly, “You should have seen it last year when God tried to do it on His own.” We are partners with God.
Paul speaks of this partnership in 1 Corinthians 3:5-9, “What then is Apollos? And what is Paul? Servants through whom you believed, even as the Lord gave opportunity to each one. I planted, Apollos watered, but God was causing the growth. So then neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but God who causes the growth. Now he who plants and he who waters are one; but each will receive his own reward according to his own labor. For we are God's fellow workers; you are God's field, God's building.” (NASU) Even though we should view ourselves and our accomplishments as nothing in our own eyes (that’s called humility), God honors our work when we complete it here on earth and gives us the reward for our faithfulness now and in Eternity.
Too often men are given the accolades when things go well and are held responsible when something goes wrong. We know that God is in control of all events at all times. People need to spend more time giving God the credit when it goes well and looking to Him for His blessings in the decisions that go awry.
We sow the seed, water and weed.
He brings to harvest, all we need.
In times of good and times of sorrows
We trust in God, He makes tomorrows.
Phil really gets it. Let’s help those around us understand that real blessings come from giving God all the credit for the success but that God also provides us with blessings that emerge from what we and others view as failures.
Rom 8:28 “And we know that all that happens to us is working for our good if we love God and are fitting into his plans.” (TLB)
Bruce
I recently read an article in “Impact” (the internal newsletter for the California Baptist Foundation written by President and C. E. O. Phillip Kell) discussing the outlook for the year ahead. I couldn’t agree more with Phill’s last paragraph and especially his words, “Business as usual will not get the job done. Thanks in advance for all I know you are going to do to help us get better in 2010. Let’s pray as if it all depends on God, and then work like it all depends on us.”
Central to this thought that we are not only partners with each other in God’s service but God is also completely in the mix. We can accomplish nothing of eternal value without Him and He chooses to use us to realize His work here on earth.
I am reminded of the farmer who had a beautiful but small garden outside the front door of his house. When a friend commented on its beauty the farmer simply said jokingly, “You should have seen it last year when God tried to do it on His own.” We are partners with God.
Paul speaks of this partnership in 1 Corinthians 3:5-9, “What then is Apollos? And what is Paul? Servants through whom you believed, even as the Lord gave opportunity to each one. I planted, Apollos watered, but God was causing the growth. So then neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but God who causes the growth. Now he who plants and he who waters are one; but each will receive his own reward according to his own labor. For we are God's fellow workers; you are God's field, God's building.” (NASU) Even though we should view ourselves and our accomplishments as nothing in our own eyes (that’s called humility), God honors our work when we complete it here on earth and gives us the reward for our faithfulness now and in Eternity.
Too often men are given the accolades when things go well and are held responsible when something goes wrong. We know that God is in control of all events at all times. People need to spend more time giving God the credit when it goes well and looking to Him for His blessings in the decisions that go awry.
We sow the seed, water and weed.
He brings to harvest, all we need.
In times of good and times of sorrows
We trust in God, He makes tomorrows.
Phil really gets it. Let’s help those around us understand that real blessings come from giving God all the credit for the success but that God also provides us with blessings that emerge from what we and others view as failures.
Rom 8:28 “And we know that all that happens to us is working for our good if we love God and are fitting into his plans.” (TLB)
Bruce
Monday, December 21, 2009
The Miracle of Christmas
The Virgin Birth is evidence of the uniqueness of Jesus our Savior
From: Selected Scriptures
Three points made in these two scriptures:
A manifestation – The angel Gabriel appeared to Mary
Luke 1:30-32, The angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary; for you have found favor with God. "And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name Him Jesus.
• Do not FEAR
• You are special
A miracle – The baby Jesus would be fully human as we are human but fully God since His father is the Holy Spirit
Matthew 1:20-23, “for the Child who has been conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. "She will bear a Son; and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins." Now all this took place to fulfill what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet: “BEHOLD, THE VIRGIN SHALL BE WITH CHILD AND SHALL BEAR A SON, AND THEY SHALL CALL HIS NAME IMMANUEL," which translated means, "GOD WITH US."
• God used Mary to provide Christ with his humanity
• God used the Holy Spirit to Provide Christ’s Deity
• Hebrews: He would be tempted in all ways as we are and yet He would not sin
A messiah – The promised one, a king for Jews and Gentiles
Daniel 9:25, "Know therefore and understand, That from the going forth of the command to restore and build Jerusalem until Messiah the Prince.
John 1:41-42, He first found his own brother Simon, and said to him, "We have found the Messiah" (which is translated, the Christ). And he brought him to Jesus.
Matthew 1:21-22, "She will bear a Son; and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins."
• He will be called the Son of God
• He will save His people from their sins.
In her arms she holds a king,
The end of all our suffering.
The light of life now come to give
His life that we might ever live.
A child, Messiah we behold,
Foretold by prophets, men of old,
The Suffering Servant He would be
To pay the price to set us free.
Now quiet in a stable lays,
Not understanding worldly ways.
Angels’ sing, He softly cries,
Mary’s wonder fills her eyes.
Lord and Savior is His name,
This tiny babe of Bethlehem,
Now sleep for You will leave this stall
And give Your life for one and all. --- Bruce
From: Selected Scriptures
Three points made in these two scriptures:
A manifestation – The angel Gabriel appeared to Mary
Luke 1:30-32, The angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary; for you have found favor with God. "And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name Him Jesus.
• Do not FEAR
• You are special
A miracle – The baby Jesus would be fully human as we are human but fully God since His father is the Holy Spirit
Matthew 1:20-23, “for the Child who has been conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. "She will bear a Son; and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins." Now all this took place to fulfill what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet: “BEHOLD, THE VIRGIN SHALL BE WITH CHILD AND SHALL BEAR A SON, AND THEY SHALL CALL HIS NAME IMMANUEL," which translated means, "GOD WITH US."
• God used Mary to provide Christ with his humanity
• God used the Holy Spirit to Provide Christ’s Deity
• Hebrews: He would be tempted in all ways as we are and yet He would not sin
A messiah – The promised one, a king for Jews and Gentiles
Daniel 9:25, "Know therefore and understand, That from the going forth of the command to restore and build Jerusalem until Messiah the Prince.
John 1:41-42, He first found his own brother Simon, and said to him, "We have found the Messiah" (which is translated, the Christ). And he brought him to Jesus.
Matthew 1:21-22, "She will bear a Son; and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins."
• He will be called the Son of God
• He will save His people from their sins.
In her arms she holds a king,
The end of all our suffering.
The light of life now come to give
His life that we might ever live.
A child, Messiah we behold,
Foretold by prophets, men of old,
The Suffering Servant He would be
To pay the price to set us free.
Now quiet in a stable lays,
Not understanding worldly ways.
Angels’ sing, He softly cries,
Mary’s wonder fills her eyes.
Lord and Savior is His name,
This tiny babe of Bethlehem,
Now sleep for You will leave this stall
And give Your life for one and all. --- Bruce
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
Faith, Hope, and Love
In June, Carol and I were honored to attend the wedding of Phillip Peek and Laura Worthington in Issaquah, WA. Laura, Phil, Carol and I spent several hours one evening talking about the spiritual, philosophical, and practical aspects of the marriage relationship.
How do you develop a happy, stable marriage?
As a basis for our discussion we used 1 Corinthians 13:13 which says, “And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love.”
If your relationship with God were a building, Faith would be the foundation, Hope would be the rooms you live in, and Love would be the roof that ties the structure together and protects it from all of the elements
All three of these terms are fundamental not only to your relationship to God but your relationship to each other.
Your faith relationship with God begins with your salvation and then supplies you with an ongoing trust that provides absolute security. We believe God and trust him to do all that he says he will do. Hebrews 13:5 “I will not in any way fail you nor give you up nor leave you without support. [I will] not, [I will] not, [I will] not in any degree leave you helpless or forsake or let [you] down (relax My hold on you). Your trust in God then becomes the model of the trust that should dominate our marriage relationship.
If Faith is the foundation, then hope is where you live. As you move through life you encounter new experiences and many of them will test your faith in God and in each other. Paul tells us in Romans 5:3-5 “because we know that trouble produces endurance, endurance brings God's approval, and his approval creates hope. This hope does not disappoint us, for God has poured out his love into our hearts by means of the Holy Spirit.” Trials and temptations will attack and frustrate you but as you endure and overcome them your hope for future victories will become stronger.
The final piece to an enduring marriage is love. Love is the greatest of the three. It is like the roof of the house holding everything together, giving it stability and protection. Love is always more powerful when used as a verb than as a noun. To quote the great theologian Clint Black, “Love isn’t something that we’re in, it’s something that we do.” Love ties our lives together because it bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
Faith then means that you trust in God and each other every minute of every day. Hope allows you to overcome obstacles knowing that you become stronger and grow closer with each victory. Love is the essential ingredient that makes us one and holds us together no matter what tries to separate us.
Love that Lasts
My love is longer than a day.
Longer than a week or year.
As long as I have life and breath,
My love will last and be sincere.
As I look into your eyes
It is your very soul I see
The wonder of the times to come
It is those times you’ll spend with me
As I look into your heart
The purity of youth I read
The purity of youth maintained
As planted in a simple seed
The seed is God and freely given
A tree of life from Him above
Bearing the fruit that keeps us one
A harvest of faith, and hope, and love.
- Bruce
How do you develop a happy, stable marriage?
As a basis for our discussion we used 1 Corinthians 13:13 which says, “And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love.”
If your relationship with God were a building, Faith would be the foundation, Hope would be the rooms you live in, and Love would be the roof that ties the structure together and protects it from all of the elements
All three of these terms are fundamental not only to your relationship to God but your relationship to each other.
Your faith relationship with God begins with your salvation and then supplies you with an ongoing trust that provides absolute security. We believe God and trust him to do all that he says he will do. Hebrews 13:5 “I will not in any way fail you nor give you up nor leave you without support. [I will] not, [I will] not, [I will] not in any degree leave you helpless or forsake or let [you] down (relax My hold on you). Your trust in God then becomes the model of the trust that should dominate our marriage relationship.
If Faith is the foundation, then hope is where you live. As you move through life you encounter new experiences and many of them will test your faith in God and in each other. Paul tells us in Romans 5:3-5 “because we know that trouble produces endurance, endurance brings God's approval, and his approval creates hope. This hope does not disappoint us, for God has poured out his love into our hearts by means of the Holy Spirit.” Trials and temptations will attack and frustrate you but as you endure and overcome them your hope for future victories will become stronger.
The final piece to an enduring marriage is love. Love is the greatest of the three. It is like the roof of the house holding everything together, giving it stability and protection. Love is always more powerful when used as a verb than as a noun. To quote the great theologian Clint Black, “Love isn’t something that we’re in, it’s something that we do.” Love ties our lives together because it bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
Faith then means that you trust in God and each other every minute of every day. Hope allows you to overcome obstacles knowing that you become stronger and grow closer with each victory. Love is the essential ingredient that makes us one and holds us together no matter what tries to separate us.
Love that Lasts
My love is longer than a day.
Longer than a week or year.
As long as I have life and breath,
My love will last and be sincere.
As I look into your eyes
It is your very soul I see
The wonder of the times to come
It is those times you’ll spend with me
As I look into your heart
The purity of youth I read
The purity of youth maintained
As planted in a simple seed
The seed is God and freely given
A tree of life from Him above
Bearing the fruit that keeps us one
A harvest of faith, and hope, and love.
- Bruce
Monday, April 27, 2009
No Defense
Several weeks ago I was in my office and Carol was watching TV in another room. She yelled to me that Rick Warren was on Larry King Live so I went to watch it with her. I saw the entire program and was thinking at the time, "How great is this that Rick Warren is able to be on one of America's most watched TV programs a program that has a worldwide audience." What a wonderful opportunity for the Gospel of Jesus Christ to be explained and spread on a regular basis with little or no argument from the host Larry King. Rick has an open forum for the spreading of the Gospel to millions who would probably have no other way of being reached with words of Salvation and Eternal Life.
As I watched the program and listened to Rick explain how he had not taken a political stand on the Proposition 8 issue, little did I realize how this statement and his mention of his ministry to homosexuals would lead to such an outcry among evangelicals.
I remember remarking to Carol at the end of the segment how incredible it was that Rick had, the week before, 2,400 people in his new member class and had baptized 500. Wow!
When the debate over the interview began over the next few days, I was astounded, astonished, bewildered, and disappointed all at the same time. I have no right to defend Rick Warren simply because he needs no defense from me or anyone else. He has defended himself and his words but to me that was not even necessary.
I am somewhat confused about the political issue. We seem to spend an inordinate amount of time discussing politics but to no avail. In my study of the Bible I only recall Jesus taking one political stand and that had to do with paying taxes, in Matthew 22:21-22 Jesus says, "Render therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's." NKJV My father used to say that there are two things you should never argue about; politics and religion. He was half right.
However, I do see Jesus spending a majority of his time taking care of people’s needs and preparing them for the Kingdom of God. In fact, Jesus commands us in Matthew 28:19-20, "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." NKJV In John 15:16 Jesus personalizes the same thought when he says, “You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask the Father in My name He may give you.” NKJV So I guess that with 2,400 new disciples and 500 new baptisms, Rick seems to be accomplishing what God has called all Christians to do.
When I was recently confronted by someone who was critical of some of the general actions and statements of Rick and his ministry I said simply, “Fortunately, when I stand before God I will never be held accountable for anything that Rick Warren has ever done wrong. Unfortunately, I will never receive the rewards he will receive for what he has done right.”
R. Alan Cole in his commentary on the Book of Mark (p. 140)expresses this helpful insight, "It is a strange paradox that in any times of religious revival or obvious working of God's Spirit, it is often the religious leaders who oppose the work of God most strenuously, and seem to misunderstand it most willfully.
I don’t agree with everything Rick Warren does and says. But then I don’t agree with everything I say or do.
As I watched the program and listened to Rick explain how he had not taken a political stand on the Proposition 8 issue, little did I realize how this statement and his mention of his ministry to homosexuals would lead to such an outcry among evangelicals.
I remember remarking to Carol at the end of the segment how incredible it was that Rick had, the week before, 2,400 people in his new member class and had baptized 500. Wow!
When the debate over the interview began over the next few days, I was astounded, astonished, bewildered, and disappointed all at the same time. I have no right to defend Rick Warren simply because he needs no defense from me or anyone else. He has defended himself and his words but to me that was not even necessary.
I am somewhat confused about the political issue. We seem to spend an inordinate amount of time discussing politics but to no avail. In my study of the Bible I only recall Jesus taking one political stand and that had to do with paying taxes, in Matthew 22:21-22 Jesus says, "Render therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's." NKJV My father used to say that there are two things you should never argue about; politics and religion. He was half right.
However, I do see Jesus spending a majority of his time taking care of people’s needs and preparing them for the Kingdom of God. In fact, Jesus commands us in Matthew 28:19-20, "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." NKJV In John 15:16 Jesus personalizes the same thought when he says, “You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask the Father in My name He may give you.” NKJV So I guess that with 2,400 new disciples and 500 new baptisms, Rick seems to be accomplishing what God has called all Christians to do.
When I was recently confronted by someone who was critical of some of the general actions and statements of Rick and his ministry I said simply, “Fortunately, when I stand before God I will never be held accountable for anything that Rick Warren has ever done wrong. Unfortunately, I will never receive the rewards he will receive for what he has done right.”
R. Alan Cole in his commentary on the Book of Mark (p. 140)expresses this helpful insight, "It is a strange paradox that in any times of religious revival or obvious working of God's Spirit, it is often the religious leaders who oppose the work of God most strenuously, and seem to misunderstand it most willfully.
I don’t agree with everything Rick Warren does and says. But then I don’t agree with everything I say or do.
Saturday, February 14, 2009
Conformed: The Greatest Compliment
“Reputation is character minus what you’ve been caught doing.”
- Michael Iapoce
“I pray to be like the ocean, with soft currents, maybe waves at times. More and more, I want the consistency rather than the highs and the lows.”
- Drew Barrymore
As I look back over my life as a teacher and coach, a salesperson and sales manager, and then finally as a fundraiser for a University, one thing was always true, when I was living in the will of God my life was great when I wasn’t my life was a mess. The promise that God gives us in Proverbs 3:5-6 “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding.
In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight.” (NASU) was true over and over again in my life.
In my fifth year of teaching and coaching, I finally was given the opportunity to be the head high school basketball coach in a small community in Central Ohio. I was excited about the challenge even though the team had lost all fifty-seven games over the past three seasons.
As we started the preseason workouts, I prepared a plan that I thought would allow us to move consistently toward a winning philosophy The boys worked very hard and we applied all the fundamentals for success that I had learned over the past four seasons as an assistant in other school districts. Even though I felt that we were physically and mentally prepared for the start of the season, we lost five of our first eight games.
I tried to keep a positive mental attitude even though team morale was falling with every loss. My staff attempted to develop success attitudes by keeping extensive records and emphasizing our growth in each area. We worked ardently to decrease the number of errors each week as we increased the positive statistics. We prayed before every practice and before every game that God would give us the focus to practice and play to our ability (we were permitted to do that back then). I also reminded them that we still had two games with Baltimore, Ohio (who hadn’t won a game yet).
During this time I spent many hours on my knees asking for opportunities to be a light to these young men, to give them direction, be a positive role model, and most of all to be a witness both with my words and my life. It didn’t seem like I was getting through to them.
During the second half of the season our hard work and consistent effort began to bear fruit. We didn’t win every game, but we were taking teams that beat us by as many as forty points in the first half of the season down to the buzzer and even winning some tight games.
Toward the end of the season we played Baltimore for the second time and won the game by a wide margin. We played at Baltimore and as was the case after a win the noise level on the bus was very high.
Suddenly, I began to hear everyone singing the old Spiritual “Give Me that Old Time Religion.” They started with Abraham, then Moses, David, Paul and the Apostles, and finally they sang, “If it’s good enough for Coach Hitchcock it’s good enough for me.”
It occurred to me as I drifted off to sleep that night that all the hard work, sleepless nights, tough disciplinary decisions, empty feelings that come from being so close and loosing were gone. I was feeling a deep and restful peace. As far as I was concerned no matter what happened from that point on, the season was a success. Hearing them singing that song was and still remains one of the most emotional experiences of my life. It was one of the greatest compliment I have been given.
Give me, oh God, the ability and the courage to live a life that consistently reflects you. Give me the wisdom that will allow me to conform to Your will.
Romans 12:1-2
1 Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship.
2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect. (NASV)
As Christians we cannot separate the truth of verse 1 from the instruction of verse 2. But how do we live as a “living, spiritual Sacrifice? I believe that Paul gives us the answer in verse 2.
Three steps to a life of Spiritual consistency:
Step # 1: Do not be conformed to this world
Our nation is suffering from corruption. Many of our churches are ineffective; either stagnant or dying. As individuals we have placed our hope in things and institutions rather than God. We have fallen in love with the things that bring disappointment and grief. We acknowledge God but don’t live for Him.
1 John 2:15 commands us: “Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.” (NASV) Do not love the world or its things. It doesn’t say you can’t have them. It says you can’t love them.
But how do we keep from loving the things of the word? The answer is found in the next phrase in verse 2:
Step # 2. Be transformed by the renewing of your mind
Once we have accepted Christ as our personal savior we must begin to grow in the knowledge of God and what He wants us to do with our lives. Philippians 2:12 tells us to “work out your own salvation with fear and trembling” (KJV). To grow we have to communicate with God in the two ways He has provided for us.
The first way to communicate with God is through reading and memorizing His word. Psalm 119:11 says, “Your word have I hid in my heart that I might not sin against You.” (KJV)
Secondly we are commanded to talk to God through prayer. 1 Thessalonians 5:17 instructs us to “Pray without ceasing. (NASV) This means that we should recognize God for who He is, thank Him for what He has done, recognize our position as unworthy of His love and grace, and petition Him for direction in our lives.
But renewing our minds is only part of the Spiritual growth process. We must act according to the direction God gives us.
3. Perform that which will prove the will of God
We become more Christ like in our thinking as we read and memorize God’s word. At the same time, we are motivated (convicted) to act out God's will, not our own will for our lives. Then as we integrate God’s will into our walk we discover that it is good for us, and that it pleases God, and he blesses us in all areas of our lives. Understanding God and living according to His purpose is all we need.
Only by acting in and being renewed by the Holy Spirit can a believer ascertain, do, and enjoy the will of God. These thoughts are echoed in Galatians 5:16 where it states, “But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh. 17 For the flesh sets its desire against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for these are in opposition to one another, so that you may not do the things that you please.” (NASV)
Walking in the Spirit involves:
• Doing good: Matthew 5:16 let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven. (NKJV)
• Living acceptable daily lives: Psalms 19:14 Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, my strength and my Redeemer. (NKJV)
• Striving for perfection in our Spiritual lives: Colossians 1:28-29 Him we preach, warning every man and teaching every man in all wisdom, that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus. To this end I also labor, striving according to His working which works in me mightily. (NKJV)
- Michael Iapoce
“I pray to be like the ocean, with soft currents, maybe waves at times. More and more, I want the consistency rather than the highs and the lows.”
- Drew Barrymore
As I look back over my life as a teacher and coach, a salesperson and sales manager, and then finally as a fundraiser for a University, one thing was always true, when I was living in the will of God my life was great when I wasn’t my life was a mess. The promise that God gives us in Proverbs 3:5-6 “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding.
In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight.” (NASU) was true over and over again in my life.
In my fifth year of teaching and coaching, I finally was given the opportunity to be the head high school basketball coach in a small community in Central Ohio. I was excited about the challenge even though the team had lost all fifty-seven games over the past three seasons.
As we started the preseason workouts, I prepared a plan that I thought would allow us to move consistently toward a winning philosophy The boys worked very hard and we applied all the fundamentals for success that I had learned over the past four seasons as an assistant in other school districts. Even though I felt that we were physically and mentally prepared for the start of the season, we lost five of our first eight games.
I tried to keep a positive mental attitude even though team morale was falling with every loss. My staff attempted to develop success attitudes by keeping extensive records and emphasizing our growth in each area. We worked ardently to decrease the number of errors each week as we increased the positive statistics. We prayed before every practice and before every game that God would give us the focus to practice and play to our ability (we were permitted to do that back then). I also reminded them that we still had two games with Baltimore, Ohio (who hadn’t won a game yet).
During this time I spent many hours on my knees asking for opportunities to be a light to these young men, to give them direction, be a positive role model, and most of all to be a witness both with my words and my life. It didn’t seem like I was getting through to them.
During the second half of the season our hard work and consistent effort began to bear fruit. We didn’t win every game, but we were taking teams that beat us by as many as forty points in the first half of the season down to the buzzer and even winning some tight games.
Toward the end of the season we played Baltimore for the second time and won the game by a wide margin. We played at Baltimore and as was the case after a win the noise level on the bus was very high.
Suddenly, I began to hear everyone singing the old Spiritual “Give Me that Old Time Religion.” They started with Abraham, then Moses, David, Paul and the Apostles, and finally they sang, “If it’s good enough for Coach Hitchcock it’s good enough for me.”
It occurred to me as I drifted off to sleep that night that all the hard work, sleepless nights, tough disciplinary decisions, empty feelings that come from being so close and loosing were gone. I was feeling a deep and restful peace. As far as I was concerned no matter what happened from that point on, the season was a success. Hearing them singing that song was and still remains one of the most emotional experiences of my life. It was one of the greatest compliment I have been given.
Give me, oh God, the ability and the courage to live a life that consistently reflects you. Give me the wisdom that will allow me to conform to Your will.
Romans 12:1-2
1 Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship.
2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect. (NASV)
As Christians we cannot separate the truth of verse 1 from the instruction of verse 2. But how do we live as a “living, spiritual Sacrifice? I believe that Paul gives us the answer in verse 2.
Three steps to a life of Spiritual consistency:
Step # 1: Do not be conformed to this world
Our nation is suffering from corruption. Many of our churches are ineffective; either stagnant or dying. As individuals we have placed our hope in things and institutions rather than God. We have fallen in love with the things that bring disappointment and grief. We acknowledge God but don’t live for Him.
1 John 2:15 commands us: “Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.” (NASV) Do not love the world or its things. It doesn’t say you can’t have them. It says you can’t love them.
But how do we keep from loving the things of the word? The answer is found in the next phrase in verse 2:
Step # 2. Be transformed by the renewing of your mind
Once we have accepted Christ as our personal savior we must begin to grow in the knowledge of God and what He wants us to do with our lives. Philippians 2:12 tells us to “work out your own salvation with fear and trembling” (KJV). To grow we have to communicate with God in the two ways He has provided for us.
The first way to communicate with God is through reading and memorizing His word. Psalm 119:11 says, “Your word have I hid in my heart that I might not sin against You.” (KJV)
Secondly we are commanded to talk to God through prayer. 1 Thessalonians 5:17 instructs us to “Pray without ceasing. (NASV) This means that we should recognize God for who He is, thank Him for what He has done, recognize our position as unworthy of His love and grace, and petition Him for direction in our lives.
But renewing our minds is only part of the Spiritual growth process. We must act according to the direction God gives us.
3. Perform that which will prove the will of God
We become more Christ like in our thinking as we read and memorize God’s word. At the same time, we are motivated (convicted) to act out God's will, not our own will for our lives. Then as we integrate God’s will into our walk we discover that it is good for us, and that it pleases God, and he blesses us in all areas of our lives. Understanding God and living according to His purpose is all we need.
Only by acting in and being renewed by the Holy Spirit can a believer ascertain, do, and enjoy the will of God. These thoughts are echoed in Galatians 5:16 where it states, “But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh. 17 For the flesh sets its desire against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for these are in opposition to one another, so that you may not do the things that you please.” (NASV)
Walking in the Spirit involves:
• Doing good: Matthew 5:16 let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven. (NKJV)
• Living acceptable daily lives: Psalms 19:14 Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, my strength and my Redeemer. (NKJV)
• Striving for perfection in our Spiritual lives: Colossians 1:28-29 Him we preach, warning every man and teaching every man in all wisdom, that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus. To this end I also labor, striving according to His working which works in me mightily. (NKJV)
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
A Shelter in the Time of Storm
Life will have its up and downs. There are times when it just doesn’t get any better than this, times when everything is just fine but not really great, and times that stink.
When things are good everything goes well. We can’t make a mistake. The “big mo” momentum is on our side and life is sweet. The decisions you make get applause. People smile at you when you walk by. There is a spring in your step and a song in heart. You look in the mirror and say “Life is good.”
But when it goes bad it all goes bad. The slide seems to have no end. The highway of life becomes a cul de sac. Life is like a bad country song.
Well, it was all that I could do to keep from cryin'
Sometimes it seems so useless to remain
You don't have to call me darlin'...darlin'
You never even call me by my name.
Well, I was drunk the day my Mom got outta prison.
And I went to pick her up in the rain.
But, before I could get to the station in my pickup truck
She got runned over by a slow old train.
And I'll hang around as long as you will let me
And I never minded standin' in the rain. No,
You don't have to call me darlin'...darlin'
You never even call me
Well, I wonder why you don't call me
Why don't you ever call me by my name?
“You Never Call Me by My Name” – Lyrics by David Allen Coe
It was 9:00 on Saturday morning. Carol and I had finished a light breakfast and I had taken our daughter to a day camp and just returned home. Carol was making arrangements for a friend to stay with Dawn for the weekend since we were planning to spend it with my dad.
It was a warm, sunny March morning. I could hear the wind chimes playing a soft song in the gentle breeze. This was the kind of day you move to California for. I was about to pick up the morning paper hoping to spend a few relaxing moments while Carol finished packing.
We had just completed one of the most successful but equally stressful three months of the fiscal year. I was exhausted. Our organization had set an all time production record, but the effort had taken its physical and mental toll.
As I opened the screen door to the patio the phone rang. I reached over the table and picked up the receiver. An unfamiliar voice said, “Mr. (pause) Hitchcock, Mr. Bruce Hitchcock?” I said, “Yes.” The voice continued, “I have been trying to reach your father and there is no answer at his home. Your mother expired sometime early this morning. When we went to check on her at 8:30, she was not breathing. We called the funeral home and they have made all the arrangements.” That was it. I said, “Thank you, good bye.”
Mom hadn’t been feeling well since Thanksgiving. In early February the doctor sent her to an oncologist where she was diagnosed with advanced pancreatic cancer. Now, only eight weeks later, she was gone. Gone to be with the Lord.
She was so sick that we had moved her into a convalescent hospital. The last week she slowly deteriorated to the point that she could no longer speak. But, as I leaned down to kiss her that Friday, I heard her whisper ever so quietly that I could barely make it out, “Bruce, I love you.” She knew I was there. I guess she was saying goodbye.
Little did I know that this was just the beginning of one of worst years of my life. At the end of the fiscal year in June, the company promoted my top sales manager. That started a downward production spiral that ended in the only decrease we had in my twenty-five years with the company. In addition, the unbearable pain I was experiencing in my shoulder was diagnosed as a torn rotator cuff from an old football injury. After the surgery it took four months of painful rehabilitation. I had hit bottom both physically and emotionally.
I would like to say that I had been in communication with God everyday during this period. But unfortunately most of us, and that includes me, don’t seek Him until we have nowhere else to turn. With nowhere else to turn I cried out to Him. I needed more than a prayer with a quick fix. I needed a time of deep rest, the kind that only can come from God holding you in his arms, hiding you in His love, and protecting you from the world until He can work you through recovery.
Psalms 62:5-8 says, “My soul waits in silence for God only, for my hope is from Him. He only is my rock and my salvation, my stronghold; I shall not be shaken. On God my salvation and my glory rest; the rock of my strength, my refuge is in God. Trust in Him at all times, O people; Pour out your heart before Him; God is a refuge for us. Selah. (NASU)
I learned three truths from this experience of deep despair. God is the only one in whom we can place our complete trust. The only place we can safely pour out our hearts and know that it is heard and understood. God is our shelter in the time of storm.
First, God can be trusted. When we lean on Him we will not fall. Psalms 143:8 says, “Cause me to hear Your lovingkindness in the morning, For in You do I trust; Cause me to know the way in which I should walk, For I lift up my soul to You.” (NKJV)
Secondly, God always listens. Job’s friends listened, but then they responded to his emptiness inappropriately. Psalms 4:3 assures us that God listens when it says, “The Lord hears when I call to Him.” (NASU)
Finally, God is our sanctuary. He is our hiding place. God is our refuge: Jeremiah 16:19 “Lord, my strength and my stronghold, and my refuge in the day of distress.” (NASU)
Psalms 61:1-4 should be our prayer daily but most importantly when we are in despair. “Hear my cry, O God; Give heed to my prayer. From the end of the earth I call to You when my heart is faint; Lead me to the rock that is higher than I. For You have been a refuge for me, A tower of strength against the enemy. Let me dwell in Your tent forever; Let me take refuge in the shelter of Your wings. Selah.” (NASU)
I looked to find the strength in me,
But came up empty, bound not free.
The pain was deep, so dark, so real,
Despair was mine, I could not heal.
Then it came to me; Oh Lord,
The answer’s here within Your Word,
I looked and found a verse so dear
Just the one to bring me near
To you oh God
Words to heal the open wound
The loneliness, the hurt, the pain
I could live again.
Thank you God for being here,
For loving me, dispelling fear.
Protecting me from worldly harm
A shelter in the time of storm.
- Bruce
When things are good everything goes well. We can’t make a mistake. The “big mo” momentum is on our side and life is sweet. The decisions you make get applause. People smile at you when you walk by. There is a spring in your step and a song in heart. You look in the mirror and say “Life is good.”
But when it goes bad it all goes bad. The slide seems to have no end. The highway of life becomes a cul de sac. Life is like a bad country song.
Well, it was all that I could do to keep from cryin'
Sometimes it seems so useless to remain
You don't have to call me darlin'...darlin'
You never even call me by my name.
Well, I was drunk the day my Mom got outta prison.
And I went to pick her up in the rain.
But, before I could get to the station in my pickup truck
She got runned over by a slow old train.
And I'll hang around as long as you will let me
And I never minded standin' in the rain. No,
You don't have to call me darlin'...darlin'
You never even call me
Well, I wonder why you don't call me
Why don't you ever call me by my name?
“You Never Call Me by My Name” – Lyrics by David Allen Coe
It was 9:00 on Saturday morning. Carol and I had finished a light breakfast and I had taken our daughter to a day camp and just returned home. Carol was making arrangements for a friend to stay with Dawn for the weekend since we were planning to spend it with my dad.
It was a warm, sunny March morning. I could hear the wind chimes playing a soft song in the gentle breeze. This was the kind of day you move to California for. I was about to pick up the morning paper hoping to spend a few relaxing moments while Carol finished packing.
We had just completed one of the most successful but equally stressful three months of the fiscal year. I was exhausted. Our organization had set an all time production record, but the effort had taken its physical and mental toll.
As I opened the screen door to the patio the phone rang. I reached over the table and picked up the receiver. An unfamiliar voice said, “Mr. (pause) Hitchcock, Mr. Bruce Hitchcock?” I said, “Yes.” The voice continued, “I have been trying to reach your father and there is no answer at his home. Your mother expired sometime early this morning. When we went to check on her at 8:30, she was not breathing. We called the funeral home and they have made all the arrangements.” That was it. I said, “Thank you, good bye.”
Mom hadn’t been feeling well since Thanksgiving. In early February the doctor sent her to an oncologist where she was diagnosed with advanced pancreatic cancer. Now, only eight weeks later, she was gone. Gone to be with the Lord.
She was so sick that we had moved her into a convalescent hospital. The last week she slowly deteriorated to the point that she could no longer speak. But, as I leaned down to kiss her that Friday, I heard her whisper ever so quietly that I could barely make it out, “Bruce, I love you.” She knew I was there. I guess she was saying goodbye.
Little did I know that this was just the beginning of one of worst years of my life. At the end of the fiscal year in June, the company promoted my top sales manager. That started a downward production spiral that ended in the only decrease we had in my twenty-five years with the company. In addition, the unbearable pain I was experiencing in my shoulder was diagnosed as a torn rotator cuff from an old football injury. After the surgery it took four months of painful rehabilitation. I had hit bottom both physically and emotionally.
I would like to say that I had been in communication with God everyday during this period. But unfortunately most of us, and that includes me, don’t seek Him until we have nowhere else to turn. With nowhere else to turn I cried out to Him. I needed more than a prayer with a quick fix. I needed a time of deep rest, the kind that only can come from God holding you in his arms, hiding you in His love, and protecting you from the world until He can work you through recovery.
Psalms 62:5-8 says, “My soul waits in silence for God only, for my hope is from Him. He only is my rock and my salvation, my stronghold; I shall not be shaken. On God my salvation and my glory rest; the rock of my strength, my refuge is in God. Trust in Him at all times, O people; Pour out your heart before Him; God is a refuge for us. Selah. (NASU)
I learned three truths from this experience of deep despair. God is the only one in whom we can place our complete trust. The only place we can safely pour out our hearts and know that it is heard and understood. God is our shelter in the time of storm.
First, God can be trusted. When we lean on Him we will not fall. Psalms 143:8 says, “Cause me to hear Your lovingkindness in the morning, For in You do I trust; Cause me to know the way in which I should walk, For I lift up my soul to You.” (NKJV)
Secondly, God always listens. Job’s friends listened, but then they responded to his emptiness inappropriately. Psalms 4:3 assures us that God listens when it says, “The Lord hears when I call to Him.” (NASU)
Finally, God is our sanctuary. He is our hiding place. God is our refuge: Jeremiah 16:19 “Lord, my strength and my stronghold, and my refuge in the day of distress.” (NASU)
Psalms 61:1-4 should be our prayer daily but most importantly when we are in despair. “Hear my cry, O God; Give heed to my prayer. From the end of the earth I call to You when my heart is faint; Lead me to the rock that is higher than I. For You have been a refuge for me, A tower of strength against the enemy. Let me dwell in Your tent forever; Let me take refuge in the shelter of Your wings. Selah.” (NASU)
I looked to find the strength in me,
But came up empty, bound not free.
The pain was deep, so dark, so real,
Despair was mine, I could not heal.
Then it came to me; Oh Lord,
The answer’s here within Your Word,
I looked and found a verse so dear
Just the one to bring me near
To you oh God
Words to heal the open wound
The loneliness, the hurt, the pain
I could live again.
Thank you God for being here,
For loving me, dispelling fear.
Protecting me from worldly harm
A shelter in the time of storm.
- Bruce
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