Distractions

Jesus told him, "Anyone who puts a hand to the plow and then looks back is not fit for the Kingdom of God.”  Luke 9:62

I was driving home in the pouring rain the other evening and took my eyes off of the road for only a split second and hit some standing water on the highway that almost caused me to hydroplane.  Luckily, I was able to regain control of my car quickly and the rest of my ride home was a white-knuckle ride to say the very least.

Just like the standing water on the road, distractions can also take our focus off of Jesus.  We might be doing some great things, but if we take our eyes off of our Lord for a moment, we can quickly stumble and fall.  The enemy will stop at nothing to try and distract us.

When our minds are focused on God, we are less likely to be tempted and sin, so the enemy will stop at nothing to make sure our thoughts are not focused on our Loving God.  There are other distractions that can cause us to be distracted as well-busyness, material things, problems, and even things we enjoy, can all cause us to lose our focus on God.

Be aware of these things that distract our minds so that you can minimize them and stay on course with righteousness.

Trouble

So we don't look at the troubles we can see now; rather we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen.  For things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever.  2 Corinthians 4:18

It's hard to not be troubled by all that's going on in the world today.  Just tune into the national news for a few moments and you will find that there is never a shortage of disaster on any given day. 

Regardless, God promises us that the troubles looming in front of us will not last forever.  Our goal should be to shift our focus away from the trouble we now see and look instead to the things that will last forever-God's love, his gift of salvation, his care for us, and eternity in heaven with him.

When we live with a heavenly perspective, it puts the hurt and troubles we experience in this world in their proper place-temporary and we know they won't last.

We can live with confidence despite our struggles today knowing that God promises each of us a world where there is no more hurt or pain.

All You Need Is Love

Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God.  1 John 4:7

The Beatles were onto something with "All You Need Is Love."  After all, Jesus identified the two greatest commandments as loving God and loving other people.  Even John made the radical statement that "those who lack love don't know God." 

What surprises me about Christianity in modern times is that many people understand the need to go to church, to serve and volunteer when it's convenient, and people will support the occasional mission trip or ministry effort, but when it comes to love, the majority of the modern Christian church seems to be missing something.

It's sad, because it's not that we don't have love, it's just that individually speaking, we as believers are often times indistinguishable from the world around us. 

There is an urgency in John's instructions-we have been born of a loving God and what this word needs now more than anything is love.

Couldn't Get It Right

Without me you can do nothing.  John 15:5

One of our boys' favorite Bible stories is how David defeated Goliath.  If you think about it, there were probably thousands of Israelite soldiers that were better equipped to battle with Goliath rather than David.  Regardless, most any rational soldier's reaction to fighting Goliath would have been one of fear, stress, and anxiety.

David didn't waiver because he realized that it was God’s battle and not his own.

Apart from the Lord, he didn't stand a chance.  However, with God’s help and mighty strength, David was confident that everything would turn out just fine-and it did!

Give A Little Bit

When Christ, who is your life, is revealed to the whole world, you will share in all His glory. Colossians 3:4

Watching our two boys grow up is such a blessing.  When I see our oldest son bickering about having to share something with his little brother, it reminds me of how possessive of my toys I once was with my little sister when we were both children. Ever since I can remember, our parents worked hard to teach us the value of sharing with each other...

For most of us, as grown adults, sharing is still a hard concept for many of us to understand. I believe it is due to our fallen and sinful nature that we prefer to receive rather than to give and our thirst to accumulate rather than relinquish.

As followers of Christ, we are called to share everything-our love, time, faith, resources, talents, possessions,  and money with others.  People who share and give are promised the benefits of being generous, which are far greater than the fleeting moments of receiving.

When you realize how much God has shared and given to you, it's hard not to want to go and give and share with others in return.

This Thanksgiving/Christmas season, think of what you have that you can generously share with others...

Against The Wind

I will give you a new heart, and I will put a new spirit in you.  I will take out your stony, stubborn heart and give you a tender, responsive heart. Ezekiel 36:26

Having two children has made me inadvertently expect our oldest son to be more mature than he can actually be at his age.  It's really not fair, considering he's twelve years old and almost halfway through the sixth grade. I also have this tendency to want to be in control and it's often a power struggle in our household.

When we give God control of our lives, he gives us a new heart, nature, and desire to please him.  God renews our hearts when we come to him with some humility and we turn away from our old sinful habits.  As we do these things, our love for him will grow.

God has the power to change the coldest and hardest of hearts into loving ones.  Are you willing to let go and let God change you?

Running

The Lord says, "I will rescue those who love me.  I will protect those who trust in my name.  When they call on me, I will answer; I will be with them in trouble.  I will rescue and honor them.  I will reward them with a long life and give them my salvation." Psalm 91:14-16

  

It baffles me why I have wasted so much of my life running away from God's love.  Hindsight being much clearer now, I can't fathom all of the blessings that I missed out on for so long. 

The truth of the matter is that we are not some creatures that just randomly evolved; God created each of us in his own image so that we could have a relationship with him.  He loves us because he created us. 

God wants nothing more from us but our love and a relationship with him, so stop running away from him and discover the purpose for which you and I were created!