As obedient children, let yourselves be pulled into a way of life shaped by God's life, a life energetic and blazing with holiness. God said, "I am holy; you be holy." ~ From 1 Peter 1.13-16 MSG
God calls us to be Holy. We act like this is a difficult thing to do. It's not. We need a paradigm shift. If God, the Carpenter of Creation, The One who Breathed life into us, calls us to be holy, then this should be the most natural process in the world. And not obeying God and not allowing ourselves to be "pulled into a life shaped by God's life" could be a major, if not the major, stumbling block in our lives...a stumbling block that is keeping us from living the blessed life that God desires for us.
What difference does it make?
Why do we need to be holy as God is holy? Well, if you want to be in the presence of God and live the life He has called you to live, having His miracle wonders done in and through your life, then you must be set apart for His Glory. Just as oil and water do not mix, God and sin do not mix. If we are not holy, then it means we are living in sin...God will not be in the presence of sin...
Then Joshua told the people, "Make yourselves holy, because tomorrow the Lord will do amazing things among you." ~ Joshua 3.5 NCV ~
Do we want The Lord to do amazing things among us for our "tomorrow's?" If so, we must become holy.
Grace and Truth
God loves us and is merciful (Grace) but because He loves us so much, He will not tolerate a life of sin...He will hold us accountable (Truth).
You call out to God for help and he helps—he's a good Father that way. But don't forget, he's also a responsible Father, and won't let you get by with sloppy living. ~ Peter 1.17 MSG ~
What Do You Believe?
So what it comes to is this: Do you really believe in God and His Son Jesus? Wrestle with this question today...because if you do and it is my Prayer that you do and that God will tug on your soul...I Pray that you will come near to Him and that He will come near to you (James 4.8)... then the process of becoming Holy will be as natural as breathing.
The Price Has Been Paid
Your life is a journey you must travel with a deep consciousness of God. It cost God plenty to get you out of that dead-end, empty-headed life you grew up in. He paid with Christ's sacred blood, you know. He died like an unblemished, sacrificial lamb. ~ 1 Peter 1.18-21 MSG ~
What's keeping you and me from being Holy? Is it lying? Criticizing? Judging? Laziness? Addictions? Consumerism and the worship of stuff? Fear, doubt, or insecurity? Whatever it is,
today is the day to rid our selves of this "sloppy living." We need to become Holy so that "tomorrow" The Lord will do amazing things among us!
Tuesday, December 2, 2008
Monday, December 1, 2008
Brand New Life!
What a God we have! And how fortunate we are to have him, this Father of our Master Jesus! Because Jesus was raised from the dead, we've been given a brand-new life and have everything to live for, including a future in heaven—and the future starts now!
God is keeping careful watch over us and the future.
The Day is coming when you'll have it all—life healed and whole.
1 Peter 1:3-5 (The Message) - emphasis added
God is keeping careful watch over us and the future.
The Day is coming when you'll have it all—life healed and whole.
1 Peter 1:3-5 (The Message) - emphasis added
Saturday, November 29, 2008
Competition: Remember Your Name
Here is part 2 of the 2 part series, "Competition." For part 1, click here.
In the last post, I mentioned how we should embrace challenge and gravitate towards obstacles. By welcoming such competition, our true potential can be unleashed and a new level of self-awareness can occur...for example:
David slayed his Goliath
Noah rose above his Flood
Gideon defeated his Midianites
Moses parted his Red Sea
Joshua stepped into his Jordan River
Benaiah chased his lion
Jesus conquered His Cross
Embracing these challenges, accepting the "competition," and gravitating towards obstacles allowed these great Champions to unleash their potential. And through it, everyone else benefits!
Because Christ Conquered His Cross, we can conquer ours. As we conquer ours, others can conquer theirs...
These Champions names are remembered because of their attitude towards competition.
How will your name be remembered?
In the last post, I mentioned how we should embrace challenge and gravitate towards obstacles. By welcoming such competition, our true potential can be unleashed and a new level of self-awareness can occur...for example:
David slayed his Goliath
Noah rose above his Flood
Gideon defeated his Midianites
Moses parted his Red Sea
Joshua stepped into his Jordan River
Benaiah chased his lion
Jesus conquered His Cross
Embracing these challenges, accepting the "competition," and gravitating towards obstacles allowed these great Champions to unleash their potential. And through it, everyone else benefits!
Because Christ Conquered His Cross, we can conquer ours. As we conquer ours, others can conquer theirs...
These Champions names are remembered because of their attitude towards competition.
How will your name be remembered?
Competition: Make Me Better!
Here is the first installment of a Two part series: "Competition"
Christian and I have a quote that we live, train, and compete by: "Make Me Better!"
The essence is this...When Christian does his best, it creates a desire for me to do my best, which in turn, fuels him to do his best...pretty cool cycle!
So the point is this: Competition brings out the best in us. We should embrace challenge and gravitate towards obstacles. If we want to be the best, we must compete against the best, and instead of getting nervous and psyching our selves out, we should allow competition and the "Make Me Better" principle drive us to a new level of living and performance.
W. Timothy Gallwey states the following in his book, The Inner Game Of Tennis:
"Competition then becomes an interesting device in which each player, by making his maximum effort to win, gives the other the opportunity he desires to reach new levels of self-awareness....and learning to welcome obstacles in competition automatically increases one's ability to find advantage in all the difficulties one meets in the course of one's life."
Who is making you better? Who are you making better?
Christian and I have a quote that we live, train, and compete by: "Make Me Better!"
The essence is this...When Christian does his best, it creates a desire for me to do my best, which in turn, fuels him to do his best...pretty cool cycle!
So the point is this: Competition brings out the best in us. We should embrace challenge and gravitate towards obstacles. If we want to be the best, we must compete against the best, and instead of getting nervous and psyching our selves out, we should allow competition and the "Make Me Better" principle drive us to a new level of living and performance.
W. Timothy Gallwey states the following in his book, The Inner Game Of Tennis:
"Competition then becomes an interesting device in which each player, by making his maximum effort to win, gives the other the opportunity he desires to reach new levels of self-awareness....and learning to welcome obstacles in competition automatically increases one's ability to find advantage in all the difficulties one meets in the course of one's life."
Who is making you better? Who are you making better?
Friday, November 28, 2008
Decisions
“In any moment of decision, the best thing you can do is the right thing, the next best thing is the wrong thing, and the worst thing you can do is nothing.” ~Teddy Roosevelt ~
“Be willing to make decisions. That's the most important quality in a good leader.”
~ General George S. Patton ~
“A wise man makes his own decisions, an ignorant man follows public opinion”
~ Chinese Proverb ~
“Stay committed to your decisions, but stay flexible in your approach.”
~ Tom Robbins ~
“Be willing to make decisions. That's the most important quality in a good leader.”
~ General George S. Patton ~
“A wise man makes his own decisions, an ignorant man follows public opinion”
~ Chinese Proverb ~
“Stay committed to your decisions, but stay flexible in your approach.”
~ Tom Robbins ~
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
The Giving Father
For the past two days, I have kept my beautiful 15 month old daughter. My wife went to work; my little friend and I went to play! Today, around 2:30pm, my wife's work at the office was slowing down. She called and wanted to be with our little gift from God. So, little cutie and I turned off the cartoon, packed up her milk, put her silver shoes on and left for moma's office!
I've got to tell you, spending all day and all night together with your little child will give you life. When I was giving her to 'moma' at 2:30pm, it was hard. Here's the deal. Selfishly, I wanted to keep her home and continue rolling around on the ground with her listening to her contagious laugh. It's not like I was giving her away to a stranger. I was giving her and her moma time to play in the afternoon since I had the chance to "hog" her for the past two days.
When I drove away. I missed her. We had spent all day and all night together...no day care...no work...just us. As I drove away I began thinking about God the Father giving us His One and Only Son Jesus Christ and then the Son giving His life on the Cross. The Father gave His Son over to death. For you, me, the church, the world!
As a dad, I think of my daughter and my son. Then I think of God the Father's Son. How much love is in God that He would give His One and Only Son for us. I had a hard enough time simply giving my daughter over to my wife for two half and hours :)
God so loved the world that He gave His One and Only Son...being a dad now, I have only begun to realize what kind of God we have who loves us that much....God have mercy on us for being numb to Your love, Oh Father...
I've got to tell you, spending all day and all night together with your little child will give you life. When I was giving her to 'moma' at 2:30pm, it was hard. Here's the deal. Selfishly, I wanted to keep her home and continue rolling around on the ground with her listening to her contagious laugh. It's not like I was giving her away to a stranger. I was giving her and her moma time to play in the afternoon since I had the chance to "hog" her for the past two days.
When I drove away. I missed her. We had spent all day and all night together...no day care...no work...just us. As I drove away I began thinking about God the Father giving us His One and Only Son Jesus Christ and then the Son giving His life on the Cross. The Father gave His Son over to death. For you, me, the church, the world!
As a dad, I think of my daughter and my son. Then I think of God the Father's Son. How much love is in God that He would give His One and Only Son for us. I had a hard enough time simply giving my daughter over to my wife for two half and hours :)
God so loved the world that He gave His One and Only Son...being a dad now, I have only begun to realize what kind of God we have who loves us that much....God have mercy on us for being numb to Your love, Oh Father...
Amazing Aristotle Articulations
"You will never do anything in this world without courage. It is the greatest quality of the mind next to honor.”
"We become just by performing just actions, temperate by performing temperate actions, brave by performing brave actions.”
"First, have a definite, clear practical ideal; a goal, an objective. Second, have the necessary means to achieve your ends; wisdom, money, materials, and methods. Third, adjust all your means to that end
"Pleasure in the job puts perfection in the work.”
"The energy of the mind is the essence of life.”
"We become just by performing just actions, temperate by performing temperate actions, brave by performing brave actions.”
"First, have a definite, clear practical ideal; a goal, an objective. Second, have the necessary means to achieve your ends; wisdom, money, materials, and methods. Third, adjust all your means to that end
"Pleasure in the job puts perfection in the work.”
"The energy of the mind is the essence of life.”
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)