Man In The Mirror

 

Pay careful attention to your own work, for then you will get satisfaction of a job well done, and you won't need to compare yourself to anyone else. Galatians 6:4

I was listening to a popular college football talk show on my way home from work yesterday and heard a coach describe how he instills values in his players.  To paraphrase, the coach something to the effect of, "if each member of this team is committed to being their best and committed to this team being the best, it doesn't matter who or what team we are playing."  What great and practical advice that can be applied in our everyday lives, hence the reason college football must surely be 'God's sport!'

Seriously, people often get stressed out when they take on activities and responsibilities for the wrong reasons.  Trust me, I have been there and it's taken me most of my adult life to be able to say "No," when I feel I am over-committing myself.

When we are considering upcoming involvements, be sure to seek God and ask Him to help you do things with the right motives.  God will help you make wiser decisions as to which activities you should commit to and the ones you should say no to.

It's only when we do things with the right motives that we will be able to work with passion and purpose and find satisfaction in a job well done!

The Power of Equality

 

We are made right with God by placing our faith in Jesus Christ.  And this is true for everyone who believes, no matter who we are.  Romans 3:22

There are few things in life other than, say, oxygen, that are available to all people. The great thing about God is that salvation is available to all people.

It makes no difference to God what sins you have committed.  It does not matter who you are.  God loves all people equally and wants each one of us to be saved and live with him eternally in heaven.

When we decide that Jesus Christ is our Lord and Savior and we ask for forgiveness of our sins, we are transformed into a new creation.  In God's eyes we become clean and pure again, just like everyone who believes.

We must share this with all people and love them into a relationship with Christ, to expand God's kingdom on this earth.

Even in the Quietest Moments

 

When you pray, go away by yourself, shut the door behind you, and pray to your Father in private.  Then your Father, who sees everything, will reward you.  Matthew 6:6

It's hard sometimes to find quiet moments to spend alone with God.  This past weekend was a challenge as we were visiting our son at college for parent's weekend and of course the usual grind of the work day leaves very little time.  

One of the characteristics of Jesus is that He would often go off to be alone to pray, especially after performing miracles or teaching a group of disciples.  He was onto something and we all should make the time to spend quiet moments alone with God.

God's voice is often hard to hear and discern through all of the noise and distractions of this world.  We must give Him our time, focus, and undivided attention, just as Jesus did.

Fly Like An Eagle

 

Those who wait for the Lord…shall change and renew their strength…they shall lift their wings and mount up close to God as eagles…they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint or become tired.  Isaiah 40:31

The Bible makes several references to eagles, the most powerful winged creatures on earth, and there are many lessons we can learn from them as well.  Unlike other birds, eagles do not run from a storm-they simply allow the powerful winds to lift them above it.  When attacked, an eagle will not battle another bird, they simply mount up higher, soaring above their enemy.

Just like an eagle, we too must learn to fly.  We must seek God, know Him, and ultimately trust Him, so that we can rise above the storms or attacks that happen during our lifetime.  When we walk with the Lord, we can soar like an eagle, without growing weary or tired!  Praise be to God!

Outside and Inside

 

Yet amid all these things we are more than conquerors and gain surpassing victory through Him Who loved us.  Romans 8:37

Some people go to great lengths to try to live their lives 'problem free.'  There are many who mistakenly think that the only way to victory is to somehow avoid problems all together.

True victory for a Believer comes from having peace while in the midst of a raging storm.  We have to keep our eyes fixed upon Jesus and not our circumstances and our key to victory is understanding that peace can only come from "Him who loved us."

We must trust God and allow Him to strengthen us from the inside-out.  When we are strong in Christ we can defeat anything that comes against us and march on to victory!

Ask

 

To Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think…be glory.  Ephesians 3:20-21

Both of our boys are growing up way too fast and once they both got their drivers license, it accelerates into warp speed. Our oldest is off at college, but our youngest just got his license last month and we have hardly seen him since. The struggles now are always around curfew as we don't want him on the road after 11 PM.  We are also encouraging our youngest to find a job but being met with great resistance.  We know it will be the best for him to have structure especially during the offseason of lacrosse, plus this can be a way for him to earn gas money and money to take his girlfriend out on dates. The more I think about it, we treat God pretty much the same with what we ask of Him too...especially if we do not get our way.

We forget what Paul mentioned in his letter to the Ephesians, that God “is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think.”  In the most simple of terms, we cannot possibly begin to ask for all that God desires to give us.  We cannot fathom all that He has to give us and I’d like to think that I have a pretty vivid imagination.

How awesome is it to think that we cannot even begin to imagine all that is contained in God’s endless and abundant riches?! Praise be to God!

'40'

 

He lifted me out of the pit of despair, out of the mud and the mire.  He set my feet on solid ground and steadied me as I walked along.  Psalm 40:2

The other night, I was feeling worn down and very anxious after looking at the calendar.  It has been busy few weeks at between work and other personal obligations and it's only just begun as this time of the year is pretty crazy with peak season (open enrollments) kicking into high gear at work. With football season underway, it makes me really miss my mother, as I could always pick up the phone and call her to discuss our beloved Auburn Tigers, no matter how good or bad they have been playing.  And the last few months have been painful, especially for my church family as we have lost two staff members/friends.

I found myself reaching out to pray to Jesus, but just didn't have many words to say. Despite everything going on in my life, the good still far outweighs the bad and I know that God has been by my side and will continue to remain by my side through it all.  

In times of difficulty, we must remember that God is always with each of us. God promises to carry us through whatever we face and He will always give us firm footing on the other side.  God never leaves our side and He will continue to walk with us as we wade through the aftermath-no matter what we are facing.

When faced with hard times, is God the first one you look to for help?