Those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint. (Isaiah 40:31)
I finally caught the men's final at the US Open tonight and what an incredible match!! (I promise this will be my last tennis analogy until the next tennis season gets underway!) What amazed me was the drive that Rafael Nadal played with during the entire tournament, even when facing a tough opponent in Novac Djokovic. Not only did Nadal win his very first US Open, but he became only the seventh player to win a career Grand Slam. Not to mention, he is also the youngest player in history to reach this pinnacle of his career. Nadal's tenacity to win the fight reminds me of one of the most powerful winged species on earth-the eagle.
The Bible makes several references to eagles for good reason; eagles do not fear or run from a storm, instead they allow the wind to carry them high above. When attacked, they simply mount up higher, soaring effortlessly above their enemies. Life can sometimes leave us feeling worn out and run down. God doesn't want us to live that way, He wants us to fly.
When you come to know God and have a relationship with Him, you too can learn to fly and face whatever happens without becoming tired and weary.
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
Monday, September 13, 2010
Faith
Without faith it is impossible to please God. (Hebrews 11:6)
Our Life Group just started a new study entitled "Five Things God Uses to Grow Your Faith" by Andy Stanley. One of the questions asked during discussion was to name someone who has strong faith. Being perfectly honest with myself, I have faith, but I admit that I am not someone who always displays a "strong" faith.
A subtle way that we rebel against our faith is when we become frustrated or discouraged with God when our prayers aren't answered according to our timeline. We grow impatient because we have to wait for God's perfect timing. When we do this, we base our decisions on evidence instead of trusting God's wisdom and believing His promises.
We have to become comfortable with God and learn to TRUST Him. When we trust Him, it enriches our relationship with Him. Trust His word and let God be God. Faith is believing in what we do not see, but in doing so, we will surely please Him!
Our Life Group just started a new study entitled "Five Things God Uses to Grow Your Faith" by Andy Stanley. One of the questions asked during discussion was to name someone who has strong faith. Being perfectly honest with myself, I have faith, but I admit that I am not someone who always displays a "strong" faith.
A subtle way that we rebel against our faith is when we become frustrated or discouraged with God when our prayers aren't answered according to our timeline. We grow impatient because we have to wait for God's perfect timing. When we do this, we base our decisions on evidence instead of trusting God's wisdom and believing His promises.
We have to become comfortable with God and learn to TRUST Him. When we trust Him, it enriches our relationship with Him. Trust His word and let God be God. Faith is believing in what we do not see, but in doing so, we will surely please Him!
Sunday, September 12, 2010
What You Need
And my God will meet all your needs according to His glorious riches in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:19)
Alicia and I stayed in an "all-inclusive" resort in Jamaica on our honeymoon five years ago. For some strange reason, I became ill during our honeymoon and missed several of the meals that the resort served. I remember thinking how much of shame it was that we had paid for all of the great food that we didn't get to enjoy too much.
This story reminds me of how some believers live the Christian life. God has promised to meet every need of His children and His riches are included in the price Christ paid for their salvation. Yet many people are trying to live on their own strength. They don't know that the wealth of God's love, power, and provision is theirs.
A believer's relationship with the Lord is one of complete unity. Jesus is our life and His Spirit lives through us. Therefore, everything that is available to Him is also available to us through Christ—all power, strength, and endurance, as well as whatever is required to satisfy our physical and emotional needs.
God offers believers everything required for living well. Trust Him to meet ALL of your needs.
Alicia and I stayed in an "all-inclusive" resort in Jamaica on our honeymoon five years ago. For some strange reason, I became ill during our honeymoon and missed several of the meals that the resort served. I remember thinking how much of shame it was that we had paid for all of the great food that we didn't get to enjoy too much.
This story reminds me of how some believers live the Christian life. God has promised to meet every need of His children and His riches are included in the price Christ paid for their salvation. Yet many people are trying to live on their own strength. They don't know that the wealth of God's love, power, and provision is theirs.
A believer's relationship with the Lord is one of complete unity. Jesus is our life and His Spirit lives through us. Therefore, everything that is available to Him is also available to us through Christ—all power, strength, and endurance, as well as whatever is required to satisfy our physical and emotional needs.
God offers believers everything required for living well. Trust Him to meet ALL of your needs.
Saturday, September 11, 2010
Still The Same
Your name, O Lord, endures forever, your renown, O Lord, through all generations. (Psalm 135:13)
I will never forget where I was the morning of 9/11. In fact, I don't know anyone who will ever forget the morning our country was attacked and the way life in America changed afterwards...attendance in churches were at an all time high, flags proudly flew from houses, work places and cars, people put aside their differences and seemed to be more kind for a brief period of time.
Nine years later, as we remember those who lost their lives during the attacks, I am afraid that things have changed again, this time for the worse....we have debates over a Muslim mosque being built near Ground Zero and some fruitcake pastor in Florida threatening to burn the Quran.
NO matter what takes place or what tragedy occurs, one thing is certain-God NEVER changes. Another thing is certain-He will walk with you for the rest of your life. Finally, if you will open your heart to Him, He will enable you to live life more fully than you ever have before. Praise His Holy name!!!
I will never forget where I was the morning of 9/11. In fact, I don't know anyone who will ever forget the morning our country was attacked and the way life in America changed afterwards...attendance in churches were at an all time high, flags proudly flew from houses, work places and cars, people put aside their differences and seemed to be more kind for a brief period of time.
Nine years later, as we remember those who lost their lives during the attacks, I am afraid that things have changed again, this time for the worse....we have debates over a Muslim mosque being built near Ground Zero and some fruitcake pastor in Florida threatening to burn the Quran.
NO matter what takes place or what tragedy occurs, one thing is certain-God NEVER changes. Another thing is certain-He will walk with you for the rest of your life. Finally, if you will open your heart to Him, He will enable you to live life more fully than you ever have before. Praise His Holy name!!!
Friday, September 10, 2010
Best of What's Around
The Lord is good, a refuge in times of trouble. He cares for those who trust in him... (Nahum 1:7)
I had a breakfast meeting scheduled yesterday morning for 7:45 am at the IHOP near my office. Man, was I looking forward to having a big breakfast and catching up with a good friend of mine. I kissed my wife and boys goodbye and jumped in the car, put the key into the ignition, turned it and nothing-the engine wouldn't start!!
I went down the street looking for a set of jumper cables and my neighbors let us borrow some. With help from my handy wife, we topped off the battery just enough to where my car would actually start. At this point, it was around 8:30 am, and my buddy arrived at our home to help me take care of my car.
We went to the first automotive supply store to have the battery checked and apparently, my common car needs a unique battery. The clerk at the first store informed me that he did not have the battery I needed. I called around and finally found another store that had the battery and after another jump start, I headed that way. After several attempts at installing various sized batteries, the "special battery" was not in stock and had to be ordered from another location. This added another hour to my wait. At this point, it was close to 10:30 and I was starving and had still not had breakfast. Additionally, I missed my 9:00 am meeting and was beginning to wonder if I was ever going to make it to work at all yesterday. Around 11:00 am, I had a new car battery and finally headed into the office!
On the way into work, I started to county my blessings and thank God. I want to make a point of how blessed I was that this happened to me yesterday instead of, let's say, today. For starters, I was blessed that my wife was home and was able to help me out as she left town to go on a beach trip later that morning. I was also blessed that my meeting was with an understanding friend instead of a meeting with a prospect or client. Another blessing was that it was ONLY a battery that needed to be replaced and not something more like the alternator; my wife is staying home from work until November and we don't have a money tree growing in the back yard.
God is always with us, even on some random day where the unexpected creeps into your life and causes trouble. I had a peace that everything would be just fine. The more I thought about how things could have been much worse, the more I realized just how blessed I really was!!!
I had a breakfast meeting scheduled yesterday morning for 7:45 am at the IHOP near my office. Man, was I looking forward to having a big breakfast and catching up with a good friend of mine. I kissed my wife and boys goodbye and jumped in the car, put the key into the ignition, turned it and nothing-the engine wouldn't start!!
I went down the street looking for a set of jumper cables and my neighbors let us borrow some. With help from my handy wife, we topped off the battery just enough to where my car would actually start. At this point, it was around 8:30 am, and my buddy arrived at our home to help me take care of my car.
We went to the first automotive supply store to have the battery checked and apparently, my common car needs a unique battery. The clerk at the first store informed me that he did not have the battery I needed. I called around and finally found another store that had the battery and after another jump start, I headed that way. After several attempts at installing various sized batteries, the "special battery" was not in stock and had to be ordered from another location. This added another hour to my wait. At this point, it was close to 10:30 and I was starving and had still not had breakfast. Additionally, I missed my 9:00 am meeting and was beginning to wonder if I was ever going to make it to work at all yesterday. Around 11:00 am, I had a new car battery and finally headed into the office!
On the way into work, I started to county my blessings and thank God. I want to make a point of how blessed I was that this happened to me yesterday instead of, let's say, today. For starters, I was blessed that my wife was home and was able to help me out as she left town to go on a beach trip later that morning. I was also blessed that my meeting was with an understanding friend instead of a meeting with a prospect or client. Another blessing was that it was ONLY a battery that needed to be replaced and not something more like the alternator; my wife is staying home from work until November and we don't have a money tree growing in the back yard.
God is always with us, even on some random day where the unexpected creeps into your life and causes trouble. I had a peace that everything would be just fine. The more I thought about how things could have been much worse, the more I realized just how blessed I really was!!!
Thursday, September 9, 2010
Pray
Pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests...be alert. (Ephesians 6:18)
I can always tell the difference in my day when I have neglected to start my day with prayer. Some mornings, as hard as I try, I lose my focus and my short-spanned attention locks in on all of the static and noise in my life. No wonder it's easy to miss God's gentle voice.
We are always in the midst of Spiritual warfare and the key to success during wartime is communication. The key to a successful marriage is communication. The key to success in any business is, you guessed it, communication. I really could go on and on...
If communication is so important why do we often neglect to communicate with our Creator? Trying to do things on our own without communicating with God is almost like jumping out of an airplane with out a parachute.
We need to pray often, pray hard and pray for everything. MC Hammer said it best-"we need to pray just to make it today!"
I can always tell the difference in my day when I have neglected to start my day with prayer. Some mornings, as hard as I try, I lose my focus and my short-spanned attention locks in on all of the static and noise in my life. No wonder it's easy to miss God's gentle voice.
We are always in the midst of Spiritual warfare and the key to success during wartime is communication. The key to a successful marriage is communication. The key to success in any business is, you guessed it, communication. I really could go on and on...
If communication is so important why do we often neglect to communicate with our Creator? Trying to do things on our own without communicating with God is almost like jumping out of an airplane with out a parachute.
We need to pray often, pray hard and pray for everything. MC Hammer said it best-"we need to pray just to make it today!"
Wednesday, September 8, 2010
Teach Your Children
My son, don't despise the Lord's discipline and do not resent His rebuke, because the Lord disciplines those He loves as a father the son he delights in. (Proverbs 3:11-12)
Discipline is certainly not a popular word. I don't enjoy being disciplined any more than our three year old son does. Most of the time his temper tantrums are pretty humorous; he wants orange juice instead of milk, he wants a particular race car instead of the ones he is playing with, he doesn't want to come in for the night and would rather stay across the street with our neighbor's children, when it's time to come in for the night...
I was a pretty troublesome child and raised hell most of my life. I always joke that I caused my father's hair to grey when I reached the 5th grade and sometimes when I ponder all that I did, it's probably true!! I never understood my father's discipline until I became a father. Looking back, I was disciplined out of love.
Even though I am much older, there are times that our Father lovingly disciplines me. The word discipline means "to teach and to train." It sounds negative because the word "discipline" is often associated with someone who is not loving. God doesn't punish us to be cruel and because He enjoys seeing us in pain, but because He loves us and wants us to grow knowing the difference between right and wrong. In order to be morally strong and good, His loving discipline enables us to do just that.
Discipline is certainly not a popular word. I don't enjoy being disciplined any more than our three year old son does. Most of the time his temper tantrums are pretty humorous; he wants orange juice instead of milk, he wants a particular race car instead of the ones he is playing with, he doesn't want to come in for the night and would rather stay across the street with our neighbor's children, when it's time to come in for the night...
I was a pretty troublesome child and raised hell most of my life. I always joke that I caused my father's hair to grey when I reached the 5th grade and sometimes when I ponder all that I did, it's probably true!! I never understood my father's discipline until I became a father. Looking back, I was disciplined out of love.
Even though I am much older, there are times that our Father lovingly disciplines me. The word discipline means "to teach and to train." It sounds negative because the word "discipline" is often associated with someone who is not loving. God doesn't punish us to be cruel and because He enjoys seeing us in pain, but because He loves us and wants us to grow knowing the difference between right and wrong. In order to be morally strong and good, His loving discipline enables us to do just that.
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