Welcome back to 'Promise Land Preparation' Series! You can review part one by clicking here: Preparation To Enter The Promise Land, Part 1
The next two posts will be from Deuteronomy 1. Today's focus will be on Deuteronomy 1.19-25. We will nutshell 2 crucial points today of What God teaches us about Entering our Promise Land
God Has Promised Us The Promise Land - Take It!
There I told you, "You've made it to the Amorite hill country that God, our God, is giving us. Look, God, your God, has placed this land as a gift before you. Go ahead and take it now. God, the God-of-Your-Fathers, promised it to you. Don't be afraid. Don't lose heart." (From Deut 1.19-21 MSG, emphasis added)
What more confirmation do we need? Fellow Christ Follower, don't hesitate-Take the land. God is giving it to you! No Fear. Your Fear should only be reserved for God, but you shall fear no one else. You shall fear nothing else.
Scout Out Your Promise Land
But then you all came to me and said, "Let's send some men on ahead to scout out the land for us and bring back a report on the best route to take and the kinds of towns we can expect to find." That seemed like a good idea to me, so I picked twelve men, one from each tribe. They set out, climbing through the hills (From Deuteronomy 1.22-25 MSG, emphasis added).
Scout out your land and by all means do your research and due diligence. However, realize that God did not have them scout out their land in order to determine if they should take it or not. To the contrary, God gave them the land to take, so they only needed to scout it out to determine what it was like once they arrived!
Promise Land Pearls
1. God's Promise: Realize that God has a promise land in store for you. Be ready to Take It!
2. God's Path: Know God's path to your Promise Land and do your research. Scout your land, not to determine if you should take it, but instead, to know about it when you do take it!
Thursday, September 25, 2008
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
Whatever It Takes, Part IV: Jesus
Welcome back to the "Whatever It Takes" Series, here we will start part IV of the series by talking about our final point of doing Whatever It Takes: Following The Ultimate Example.
The Mac OS X Dictionary, of course the ultimate of all dictionaries, defines the word ultimate as:
• being the best or most extreme example of its kind : the ultimate accolade.
So when I talk about following The Ultimate Example when it comes to doing whatever it takes, I am talking, of course, about Jesus The Christ!
He is The Ultimate = The Best example that we could ever imagine following. He is the ultimate person to pattern our lives after. 1 John 2.6 says, "If we say we are his, we must follow the example of Christ. (CEV)"...other Translations say that we should lives as Jesus did, and that we should walk as Jesus did.
So over the next few "Whatever It Takes" posts, I am going to turn this final point of Following The Ultimate Example into a subcategory. It's going to be a Character Study of Jesus in the context of Leadership and doing whatever it takes. So our first look into The Life of Jesus will come from what John Maxwell calls "The Law of Sacrifice."
Matthew 26.47 through 27.54 tells us how Jesus gave up His life, how He laid it down for us. No one took it from Him. He did whatever it took for you and for me in order that we would have life to the full (John 10.10)
• Jesus gave His life so that we could have ours
• We must live as Christ died...thus we must live like Warriors for Christ!
• Jesus lived a life that pleased God His Father
• Like John Maxwell says, "This is the mark of a true leader. Leaders pay any price to get the
job done." ...Translation: Jesus did whatever it took!
The Mac OS X Dictionary, of course the ultimate of all dictionaries, defines the word ultimate as:
• being the best or most extreme example of its kind : the ultimate accolade.
So when I talk about following The Ultimate Example when it comes to doing whatever it takes, I am talking, of course, about Jesus The Christ!
He is The Ultimate = The Best example that we could ever imagine following. He is the ultimate person to pattern our lives after. 1 John 2.6 says, "If we say we are his, we must follow the example of Christ. (CEV)"...other Translations say that we should lives as Jesus did, and that we should walk as Jesus did.
So over the next few "Whatever It Takes" posts, I am going to turn this final point of Following The Ultimate Example into a subcategory. It's going to be a Character Study of Jesus in the context of Leadership and doing whatever it takes. So our first look into The Life of Jesus will come from what John Maxwell calls "The Law of Sacrifice."
Matthew 26.47 through 27.54 tells us how Jesus gave up His life, how He laid it down for us. No one took it from Him. He did whatever it took for you and for me in order that we would have life to the full (John 10.10)
• Jesus gave His life so that we could have ours
• We must live as Christ died...thus we must live like Warriors for Christ!
• Jesus lived a life that pleased God His Father
• Like John Maxwell says, "This is the mark of a true leader. Leaders pay any price to get the
job done." ...Translation: Jesus did whatever it took!
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
Preparation To Enter The Promise Land, Part 1
32 “Therefore you shall be careful to do as the LORD your God has commanded you; you shall not turn aside to the right hand or to the left. 33 You shall walk in all the ways which the LORD your God has commanded you, that you may live and that it may be well with you, and that you may prolong your days in the land which you shall possess.
I believe it was Bob Costas who once said, "Champions are not made on the field, they are simply recognized there." Champions must pay a price for glory. They must put in the blood, sweat, and tears in the off-season, in the camps, and in the every day practice in order to enter their promise land of victory. It's the same way for your life and in your walk as a Christ Follower. You must follow certain principles of success.
If you want to enter your promise land, the principles you must follow are God's Commandments. Not that they are a magic formula, but they are definitely a requirment, if you are to be in The Presence of God. He is calling you to be Holy as He is Holy. God will not be in the presence of sin; just as oil does not dissolve in water, God and sin simply don't mix...
Join me in the next few days as we walk through Deuteronomy together to see how God gives us this gameplan for success. He gives us the preparation we need so that we will be ready to enter our promise land. Then we will always remember that it is God Almighty who delivers us from slavery (sin) and gives us the land flowing with milk and honey.
23 Then He brought us out from there, that He might bring us in, to give us the land of which He swore to our fathers. 24 And the LORD commanded us to observe all these statutes, to fear the LORD our God, for our good always, that He might preserve us alive, as it is this day. 25 Then it will be righteousness for us, if we are careful to observe all these commandments before the LORD our God, as He has commanded us.’
Thursday, September 18, 2008
The Three T's of Triumph
Triumphant:adjective; having won a battle or contest; victorious
If you want to be Triumphant in your business, your family, your sporting events, etc, start applying the Three T's of Triumph:
Trust: People need to trust you. Relationships are built off of trust. Business Deals are built off of trust. Championship teams are built off of trust. You can have all the talent in the world, but when it comes down to it, Trust can be the deciding factor in you landing the promotion over your co-worker. Your success will possibly hinge on your relationships. It may not be that you have to have a stronger faith, or work harder, or even work smarter. You probably have all those attributes. What could be hampering your success is that people frankly don't trust you. Treat people with respect, become trustworthy (which has to be earned), and you will be Triumphant.
Talent: This is obvious, but often overlooked. Make sure you train like crazy to improve your talent, but at the same time, make sure you own your talent. Set a goal that you are only going to invest your talent into areas where you rank either #1 or #2. If you are in 3rd or 4th position, stop devoting your time to those areas. In other words, keep it simple. Steve Jobs, is the co-founder, chairman, and CEO of Apple Inc. When asked about Apple's success, he said, "I am proud of what we have done at Apple, and also proud of what we have not done." So don't fall into American Idol Syndrome and do something you were not created to do. Zone in on your specific talent and take it to new heights!
Tenacity: Tenacity is defined as "not easily dispelled or discouraged; persisting in existence or in a course of action." You must begin now to train yourself for persistence instead of quitting. You are going to have challenges where you feel that if God does not come through, than you are through. This is when you must take everything deep inside of your gut, all your soul, all your heart and live out the line from the famous Rocky movie that reads, "The body says stop, but the spirit cries NEVER!"
If you want to be Triumphant in your business, your family, your sporting events, etc, start applying the Three T's of Triumph:
Trust: People need to trust you. Relationships are built off of trust. Business Deals are built off of trust. Championship teams are built off of trust. You can have all the talent in the world, but when it comes down to it, Trust can be the deciding factor in you landing the promotion over your co-worker. Your success will possibly hinge on your relationships. It may not be that you have to have a stronger faith, or work harder, or even work smarter. You probably have all those attributes. What could be hampering your success is that people frankly don't trust you. Treat people with respect, become trustworthy (which has to be earned), and you will be Triumphant.
Talent: This is obvious, but often overlooked. Make sure you train like crazy to improve your talent, but at the same time, make sure you own your talent. Set a goal that you are only going to invest your talent into areas where you rank either #1 or #2. If you are in 3rd or 4th position, stop devoting your time to those areas. In other words, keep it simple. Steve Jobs, is the co-founder, chairman, and CEO of Apple Inc. When asked about Apple's success, he said, "I am proud of what we have done at Apple, and also proud of what we have not done." So don't fall into American Idol Syndrome and do something you were not created to do. Zone in on your specific talent and take it to new heights!
Tenacity: Tenacity is defined as "not easily dispelled or discouraged; persisting in existence or in a course of action." You must begin now to train yourself for persistence instead of quitting. You are going to have challenges where you feel that if God does not come through, than you are through. This is when you must take everything deep inside of your gut, all your soul, all your heart and live out the line from the famous Rocky movie that reads, "The body says stop, but the spirit cries NEVER!"
God Sized Accomplishments
Are you ready to make some HUGE GOD SIZED ACCOMPLISHMENTS?
See below some things God has said to me with His inaudible yet unmistakable Voice as I have searched for purpose and meaning. I Pray The Spirit speaks to you only as He can through them...
1. Jesus & Living Water
Jesus is at the well with a samaritan women. she thinks the well is too deep in which to draw water. Jesus answered her, "If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water." Jesus is saying to you now, "(Your Name Here).... If you only knew...ask for living water...don't think the well is too deep."
2. Pray for a need to be met & Be an Answer To God's Prayer
• Focus on others and how your passions and gifts can fill a need
• Friedrich Beuchner defines "vocation" as the place where our deepest passions meet the worlds deepest need
3. Worry less what other people think & more about what God Thinks
4. Be willing to look foolish
• Take a look @ these "Fools".....
• Noah built an ark
• Zaccheus climbed a tree
• Peter walked on water
• David slung a stone
• Moses walked through a sea
• Joshua took a step
• Gideon fought with few
• Jesus hung on a Cross
5. Pray "Wet" Prayers = Gut Wrenching Prayers (i.e. See Christian's Sermon that will be posted in a few days)...& Always,Always,Always "Bother" God with Your Prayers
6. "Invest" where you are for the time being in order to bloom where you are headed
For the time being, make the investment with what you have, because God rewards what He can trust. Be faithful with a few things and He will put you in charge of many things!
'Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master's happiness!'Matthew 25.21-23 NIV
7.Embrace Uncertainty ("Uncertainty" is another word for "Adventure")
8. Consecrate Yourself
For us to be in The Presence of God we must Consecrate ourselves (i.e "to be set apart", or "to be Holy because God is Holy")...in other words, God can not be in the presence of sin, just like a bulldog can not stand to be in "The Grove"...the two just don't mix...take a look what God leads Joshua to say in order for God to work His Promise Land Miracles....
Joshua told the people, "Consecrate yourselves, for tomorrow the LORD will do amazing things among you." Joshua 3.5 NIV (emphasis addede)
The Message paraphrase uses the word, "Sanctify" and that The Lord will work miracle-wonders among you
And then, two verses later, Joshua 3.7, The Lord told Joshua, "Today I will begin to make you a great leader in the eyes of all the Israelites. They will know that I am with you, just as I was with Moses.
I will close with this quote from "In A Pit With A Lion On A Snowy Day,"
"The genealogy of blessing always traces back to God-ordained risks." (Pg 104)
-- "The height of your achievements will be determined by the depth of your convictions." ~ William Scolavino ~
See below some things God has said to me with His inaudible yet unmistakable Voice as I have searched for purpose and meaning. I Pray The Spirit speaks to you only as He can through them...
1. Jesus & Living Water
Jesus is at the well with a samaritan women. she thinks the well is too deep in which to draw water. Jesus answered her, "If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water." Jesus is saying to you now, "(Your Name Here).... If you only knew...ask for living water...don't think the well is too deep."
2. Pray for a need to be met & Be an Answer To God's Prayer
• Focus on others and how your passions and gifts can fill a need
• Friedrich Beuchner defines "vocation" as the place where our deepest passions meet the worlds deepest need
3. Worry less what other people think & more about what God Thinks
4. Be willing to look foolish
• Take a look @ these "Fools".....
• Noah built an ark
• Zaccheus climbed a tree
• Peter walked on water
• David slung a stone
• Moses walked through a sea
• Joshua took a step
• Gideon fought with few
• Jesus hung on a Cross
5. Pray "Wet" Prayers = Gut Wrenching Prayers (i.e. See Christian's Sermon that will be posted in a few days)...& Always,Always,Always "Bother" God with Your Prayers
6. "Invest" where you are for the time being in order to bloom where you are headed
For the time being, make the investment with what you have, because God rewards what He can trust. Be faithful with a few things and He will put you in charge of many things!
'Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master's happiness!'Matthew 25.21-23 NIV
7.Embrace Uncertainty ("Uncertainty" is another word for "Adventure")
• At most we will only be 80% certain, this is where the leap of Faith and Risk taking come into play. Don't wait for 100% certainty, you may miss your opportunity.
• All you have to do is know "Why?" and God provides the "How?"
8. Consecrate Yourself
For us to be in The Presence of God we must Consecrate ourselves (i.e "to be set apart", or "to be Holy because God is Holy")...in other words, God can not be in the presence of sin, just like a bulldog can not stand to be in "The Grove"...the two just don't mix...take a look what God leads Joshua to say in order for God to work His Promise Land Miracles....
Joshua told the people, "Consecrate yourselves, for tomorrow the LORD will do amazing things among you." Joshua 3.5 NIV (emphasis addede)
The Message paraphrase uses the word, "Sanctify" and that The Lord will work miracle-wonders among you
And then, two verses later, Joshua 3.7, The Lord told Joshua, "Today I will begin to make you a great leader in the eyes of all the Israelites. They will know that I am with you, just as I was with Moses.
I will close with this quote from "In A Pit With A Lion On A Snowy Day,"
"The genealogy of blessing always traces back to God-ordained risks." (Pg 104)
-- "The height of your achievements will be determined by the depth of your convictions." ~ William Scolavino ~
Sunday, September 14, 2008
Whatever It Takes, Part III
Welcome to part III of "Whatever It Takes." Today I will "nutshell" the next 4 points that talk about how to do "Whatever It Takes" to follow Christ with Character so that you can lead with confidence.
• Set Goals: Be disciplined and Be responsible
• Be a "Surround Sound Steward" in every part of your life
• Be Concrete In Your Convictions
• Be ready for the 2 minute drill
Set Goals: Be disciplined and Be responsible
Two of my favorite quotes about goal setting actually have to do with not setting goals: "If you don't aim for anything, then you will miss everything," and "You miss 100% of the shots you never take." These quotes place the emphasis of the importance of setting goals because we need to focus on what we want, but we need to understand what we miss out on as well.
As you follow Christ and claim that He is not only #1 in your life, but that He is your life, I want you to focus on 3 "pearls," specific areas of goal setting that will help you do "whatever it takes" to make your relationship with God all that it is meant to be.
#1 Discipline: setting goals and making promises that you keep to your self. Be disciplined to set goals of Prayer, Bible Study, Serving, going on Mission trips, tithing, etc. and keep these promises
#2 Responsibility: setting goals and making promises that you keep to others. When you make a promise to teach Sunday school or Disciple a small group, then be prepared, establish relationships, and be on time. You have not only made a promise to others, but you are filling a need that God wants for His Kingdom, so be responsible and do it with a great attitude
#3 Committment: this is what makes discipline and responsibility work. Committment is the feul and the life source that makes your discipline and your responsibility fruitful.
2 Chronicles 16:9 says, "For the eyes of the LORD range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him.
"Surround Sound Stewardship"
I love watching a great movie and nothing is better when you get to watch it with surround sound. The music, the voices, the sound effects all have such rich detail because you are hearing them from all angles. Your are surrounded with sound. The same goes for our stewardshipt. Don't just think of stewardship as giving the three T's: Time, Talent, and Tithe. Those are amazing and definitely the foundation of being a good steward, but you must have more of a "surround" mentality. In other words, be a "Surround Sound Steward" and give back in all areas and from all angles of your life. You and I need to be stewards not only of the 3 T's, but also our gifts, our thoughts, our belief, our faith...our creativity...we need to be good stewards of our attitude and our deciscions. Think about this: the only part of creation that God gave the gift of deciscion making to is to humans, all other creatures live off of instinct. So make decisions a sense of steward ship. Seek God's Counsel, listen for His Wisdom, and then "man-up" and make great deciscions! i.e. doing "Whatever It Takes!"
Concrete Convictions
...what message are we sending our children, our family, our co-workers when we don't do whatever it takes...if we tell our kids it's ok to miss Prayer time or church services, then we are communicating that Jesus Is not number one, and then later in life, they will always push Him aside and not give one thought of not making time to follow Him...
"So what?" you ask, "So what if I push Him aside, I have got work to do...I have a game to go to." Here is the point: small compromises turn into BIG compromises.
If you skip your talks and your Prayer with our Warrior Jesus in the morning, then you will give into the enemy in the afternoon. If you bail on God in your committment to Bible Study or going to Church, then when it comes to ethical deciscions it the business world, you will give into temptation like a kid in a candy store.
It's all about making the "pre-deciscion" of having convictions and standing on principles that will give you a frame work of living. This is why it is so important to do "Whatever It Takes" because there will be pressure packed moments that arise in your life, and like Joe Montana during the "2 minute drill" in a football game, you are going to need the foundation that will allow you to be ready for whatever comes your way.
2 minute drill:
The last two mintues of a football game can be one of the most pressured packed moments in all of sports, but the greates champions (Favre, Montana, Elway) were always prepared because they did whatever it took, 7 days a week, 365 days a year to prepare themselves to always be ready whenever, wherever, however to make the right plays and the right deciscions to take their teams from the jaws of defeat to the heights of victory. Will you be ready, will your children be ready when the 2 minute drills of life hit? Will you live a lifestyle of following Christ and living on Biblical Principles? Here's the deal: our true measure and our true character comes out when we are battle tested, and we will not be ready if we constantly put Jesus off...but think about how we will be able to doing anything through Christ who strenghthens us if we "workout" with Him on a 365, 24/7 basis!!!
We must understand that God created us physcially, but He also creates our relationships, our time, our opportunity....He is The Creator of all, yes He gives us free will and the Spiritual Gift of Decision making, but His Will is still determined by His Creativity...just think how God will Bless your life and the lives of those around us if we would just do "Whatever It Takes" in our relationship with Him. Christ is the foundation, the source, and the way. We will discuss the last principle of doing "Whatever It Takes" in the next post, which is to Follow The Ultimate Example...
To God Be The Glory! Amen!
• Set Goals: Be disciplined and Be responsible
• Be a "Surround Sound Steward" in every part of your life
• Be Concrete In Your Convictions
• Be ready for the 2 minute drill
Set Goals: Be disciplined and Be responsible
Two of my favorite quotes about goal setting actually have to do with not setting goals: "If you don't aim for anything, then you will miss everything," and "You miss 100% of the shots you never take." These quotes place the emphasis of the importance of setting goals because we need to focus on what we want, but we need to understand what we miss out on as well.
As you follow Christ and claim that He is not only #1 in your life, but that He is your life, I want you to focus on 3 "pearls," specific areas of goal setting that will help you do "whatever it takes" to make your relationship with God all that it is meant to be.
#1 Discipline: setting goals and making promises that you keep to your self. Be disciplined to set goals of Prayer, Bible Study, Serving, going on Mission trips, tithing, etc. and keep these promises
#2 Responsibility: setting goals and making promises that you keep to others. When you make a promise to teach Sunday school or Disciple a small group, then be prepared, establish relationships, and be on time. You have not only made a promise to others, but you are filling a need that God wants for His Kingdom, so be responsible and do it with a great attitude
#3 Committment: this is what makes discipline and responsibility work. Committment is the feul and the life source that makes your discipline and your responsibility fruitful.
2 Chronicles 16:9 says, "For the eyes of the LORD range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him.
"Surround Sound Stewardship"
I love watching a great movie and nothing is better when you get to watch it with surround sound. The music, the voices, the sound effects all have such rich detail because you are hearing them from all angles. Your are surrounded with sound. The same goes for our stewardshipt. Don't just think of stewardship as giving the three T's: Time, Talent, and Tithe. Those are amazing and definitely the foundation of being a good steward, but you must have more of a "surround" mentality. In other words, be a "Surround Sound Steward" and give back in all areas and from all angles of your life. You and I need to be stewards not only of the 3 T's, but also our gifts, our thoughts, our belief, our faith...our creativity...we need to be good stewards of our attitude and our deciscions. Think about this: the only part of creation that God gave the gift of deciscion making to is to humans, all other creatures live off of instinct. So make decisions a sense of steward ship. Seek God's Counsel, listen for His Wisdom, and then "man-up" and make great deciscions! i.e. doing "Whatever It Takes!"
Concrete Convictions
...what message are we sending our children, our family, our co-workers when we don't do whatever it takes...if we tell our kids it's ok to miss Prayer time or church services, then we are communicating that Jesus Is not number one, and then later in life, they will always push Him aside and not give one thought of not making time to follow Him...
"So what?" you ask, "So what if I push Him aside, I have got work to do...I have a game to go to." Here is the point: small compromises turn into BIG compromises.
If you skip your talks and your Prayer with our Warrior Jesus in the morning, then you will give into the enemy in the afternoon. If you bail on God in your committment to Bible Study or going to Church, then when it comes to ethical deciscions it the business world, you will give into temptation like a kid in a candy store.
It's all about making the "pre-deciscion" of having convictions and standing on principles that will give you a frame work of living. This is why it is so important to do "Whatever It Takes" because there will be pressure packed moments that arise in your life, and like Joe Montana during the "2 minute drill" in a football game, you are going to need the foundation that will allow you to be ready for whatever comes your way.
2 minute drill:
The last two mintues of a football game can be one of the most pressured packed moments in all of sports, but the greates champions (Favre, Montana, Elway) were always prepared because they did whatever it took, 7 days a week, 365 days a year to prepare themselves to always be ready whenever, wherever, however to make the right plays and the right deciscions to take their teams from the jaws of defeat to the heights of victory. Will you be ready, will your children be ready when the 2 minute drills of life hit? Will you live a lifestyle of following Christ and living on Biblical Principles? Here's the deal: our true measure and our true character comes out when we are battle tested, and we will not be ready if we constantly put Jesus off...but think about how we will be able to doing anything through Christ who strenghthens us if we "workout" with Him on a 365, 24/7 basis!!!
We must understand that God created us physcially, but He also creates our relationships, our time, our opportunity....He is The Creator of all, yes He gives us free will and the Spiritual Gift of Decision making, but His Will is still determined by His Creativity...just think how God will Bless your life and the lives of those around us if we would just do "Whatever It Takes" in our relationship with Him. Christ is the foundation, the source, and the way. We will discuss the last principle of doing "Whatever It Takes" in the next post, which is to Follow The Ultimate Example...
To God Be The Glory! Amen!
Saturday, September 13, 2008
Whatever It Takes, Part II
Here are some bullet points about what we talked about on the track:
• Do "Whatever It Takes" To Strengthen your relationship with God
• "Manipulate" your Management & Be Relational
• Balancing is Unifying, Separates become Fused
• Give your first fruits
• Set Goals: Be disciplined and responsible
• Be a "Surround Sound Steward" in every part of your life
• Be Concrete In Your Convictions
• Be ready for the 2 minute drill
• Follow The Ultimate Example
I will briefly touch on each point over the next 3 posts, this post will cover the first 4 points:
Whatever It Takes: Christian taught me this: Devotion time is not something we do, it is Someone We are with....it is time invested talking with Jesus...so if you wake up late and have to rush out the door...then do whatever it takes to Pray, Fast, Serve, Read at another time of the day...just make sure the next day you get back on track and keep your responsibility of talking with our Brother Jesus.
Management Manipulation/Be Relational: make up time....if I don't workout in the morning, then I do whatever it takes to do it in the evening...If I don't study in the morning, then I manipulate my time and set a goal to study at night. The same goes with Worship and Talking with Christ...that is also what separates being legalistic versus relational. Legalistic says "I must do my quiet time in the morning and only in the morning,"...Being like this is doing devotions just for the sake of checking it off your busy to-do list. Being Relational says, "I will speak and Pray with Jesus in the morning and throughout the whole day, just like you would speak and spend time with your family or best friends...it's not something you speed through and check off, It is a conversation and a relationship invested in.
Balance: Doing and accomplishing what God has called us to do and then at the same time, follow Him, Pray, attend Church, serve, etc, are not separate categories...they are fused together, they are one, they are synergistic...so don't look at it from the perspective as, "O.k. I got my Bible study in, now I can go to work and forget all about being a Christ Follower." No my friend, everywhere you go, everything you do is to be done for The Glory of God. Once you understand that following Him is a lifestyle, your life will no longer be separated in to "God-Boxes" versus "Culture Boxes." Balancing your life becomes unifying and your separates become fused. Your relationship with Christ creates synergy, where the sum is greater than the whole of its parts. You will then gain momentum and live as Christ has called you to live.
First Fruits: You always need to focus on giving God your best. He gave us His best when He sent His Son Jesus to die for us. Leviticus 23.9-10 tells us how we are to give God the first of our bests (our first fruits). Everything we are Blessed with comes from God; give Him the first portion back...The first of your paycheck, the first day of your week (Sunday), the first of your days (morning time)...Look when Jesus Prayed:
You must give Him every second of your life, but I am talking about Tithing your first fruits as mentioned above. Your whole day will be set off right when you gain wisdom and strength from Him in the morning. Giving God your first fruits also gives you a framework in which to not only be a part of building His Kingdom, but it reminds you to be Thankful and remember where your good gifts come from.
• Do "Whatever It Takes" To Strengthen your relationship with God
• "Manipulate" your Management & Be Relational
• Balancing is Unifying, Separates become Fused
• Give your first fruits
• Set Goals: Be disciplined and responsible
• Be a "Surround Sound Steward" in every part of your life
• Be Concrete In Your Convictions
• Be ready for the 2 minute drill
• Follow The Ultimate Example
I will briefly touch on each point over the next 3 posts, this post will cover the first 4 points:
Whatever It Takes: Christian taught me this: Devotion time is not something we do, it is Someone We are with....it is time invested talking with Jesus...so if you wake up late and have to rush out the door...then do whatever it takes to Pray, Fast, Serve, Read at another time of the day...just make sure the next day you get back on track and keep your responsibility of talking with our Brother Jesus.
Management Manipulation/Be Relational: make up time....if I don't workout in the morning, then I do whatever it takes to do it in the evening...If I don't study in the morning, then I manipulate my time and set a goal to study at night. The same goes with Worship and Talking with Christ...that is also what separates being legalistic versus relational. Legalistic says "I must do my quiet time in the morning and only in the morning,"...Being like this is doing devotions just for the sake of checking it off your busy to-do list. Being Relational says, "I will speak and Pray with Jesus in the morning and throughout the whole day, just like you would speak and spend time with your family or best friends...it's not something you speed through and check off, It is a conversation and a relationship invested in.
Balance: Doing and accomplishing what God has called us to do and then at the same time, follow Him, Pray, attend Church, serve, etc, are not separate categories...they are fused together, they are one, they are synergistic...so don't look at it from the perspective as, "O.k. I got my Bible study in, now I can go to work and forget all about being a Christ Follower." No my friend, everywhere you go, everything you do is to be done for The Glory of God. Once you understand that following Him is a lifestyle, your life will no longer be separated in to "God-Boxes" versus "Culture Boxes." Balancing your life becomes unifying and your separates become fused. Your relationship with Christ creates synergy, where the sum is greater than the whole of its parts. You will then gain momentum and live as Christ has called you to live.
First Fruits: You always need to focus on giving God your best. He gave us His best when He sent His Son Jesus to die for us. Leviticus 23.9-10 tells us how we are to give God the first of our bests (our first fruits). Everything we are Blessed with comes from God; give Him the first portion back...The first of your paycheck, the first day of your week (Sunday), the first of your days (morning time)...Look when Jesus Prayed:
Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed
Mark 1.35
Mark 1.35
You must give Him every second of your life, but I am talking about Tithing your first fruits as mentioned above. Your whole day will be set off right when you gain wisdom and strength from Him in the morning. Giving God your first fruits also gives you a framework in which to not only be a part of building His Kingdom, but it reminds you to be Thankful and remember where your good gifts come from.
And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus.
Philippians 4:19
Philippians 4:19
I will talk briefly about the next four points in the next post! Have a great day, Victory In Christ! Amen!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)