the following thought is from a friend of mine and a fellow co-pastor at cLife. i have been thinking of what to write as we finish out 2008 and Paul's thoughts seemed to say it all. enjoy!
Read: Philippians 3:12 – 14
12Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. 13Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, 14I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.
Today is the last day of the year and I love it. New Years Day is one of my very favorite days of the year. I love it because it represents an opportunity to start over. It’s an opportunity to put the past behind you and live in a fresh, new way.
I think people rarely spend enough time learning from their mistakes. As Randy Wolfe wrote about in his devotional a couple of days ago, I am really big on the “Year End Review”. Every year, for the past 6 or 7 years I have spent a couple of days at the end of the year thinking through the events of the past year. I do this as a way to learn from the mistakes and victories. Too many people claim to have 25 years of experience when they really just have 1 year of experience 25 times. Experience is not the best teacher, evaluated experience is.
I also am a firm believer that there are two things in the past that keep us from being all that God has for us in the future. These two things are our past failures and our past successes.
Past failures have a tendency to challenge our faith. They make us timid and cause us to refuse to take great risks for God. As Mark Twain once said, “If a cat jumps on a hot stove once, he won’t do it again….but he won’t jump on a cold stove either.” Past failures can greatly inhibit our ability to live fully in the future.
Past successes have a tendency to grow our pride. It has been said that the greatest enemy to tomorrow’s success is yesterday’s success. When you have some level of success, it is easy to believe that it comes easy and if you just manage to keep breathing, you “deserve” more. It often causes us to lose our dependence on God. It’s easy for success to lead to complacency and then you stop praying, working, and risking.
I think that is why the apostle Paul tells us in Philippians to “forget what is behind us and strain forward to what lies ahead.” That is great advice as we say goodbye to 2008. Study it, learn from it, forget it. Lean into this coming year and let it be a great year of faith for you.
Wednesday, December 31, 2008
Saturday, December 27, 2008
living in the dash
13"You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people’s feet. 14 "You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. 16In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven. matthew 5:13-16
well it’s over…..Christmas 2008 has successfully made the transition from being a future hope to a distant memory. i would guess a good number of children are already tired of their new toys and many adults are more than a little stir crazy. we frantically bought and wrapped gifts over the course of the past few months. many of us made our yearly pilgrimage to visit family and friends. food has been prepared and consumed. suddenly it’s over. almost as quickly as it came upon us it left us. and now we wait until the next holiday season.
i heard a quote a few years ago that really made an impact on my life. the speaker was talking about life and the brevity of it compared to the enormity of eternity. he referenced tombstones and said that when we conclude our journey on this side of eternity someone will etch our name into a stone and our birthday and day of passing will be divided by a hyphen. he said that the most important part of our lives is found in that little dash. the day we were born and the day we die aren’t nearly as important as the way we lived in the “dash.”
as we wrap up Christmas ’08 let’s not forget the importance of the dash. when you look at it this way: “Christmas 2008 – Christmas 2009” there is so much potential in the dash. what will God do in your life as you move forward into the end of one year and the beginning of the next? how will you leverage your time and resources to make God known in the world? who will you pray for specifically in the days that are ahead? in what ways will you become more like Christ?
interesting thought: Jesus did a lot during his “dash.” sometimes we minimize his life and ministry to his birth, death and resurrection. don’t get me wrong….these are HUGE parts of his story. however, I would suggest that the lame, blind, deaf and dumb who were healed by Jesus were glad he didn’t just show up in december! Jesus made the very most out of his time on earth….and so should we.
spend some time today asking God to give you a great vision for the year that lies ahead. make the very most of your dash!
well it’s over…..Christmas 2008 has successfully made the transition from being a future hope to a distant memory. i would guess a good number of children are already tired of their new toys and many adults are more than a little stir crazy. we frantically bought and wrapped gifts over the course of the past few months. many of us made our yearly pilgrimage to visit family and friends. food has been prepared and consumed. suddenly it’s over. almost as quickly as it came upon us it left us. and now we wait until the next holiday season.
i heard a quote a few years ago that really made an impact on my life. the speaker was talking about life and the brevity of it compared to the enormity of eternity. he referenced tombstones and said that when we conclude our journey on this side of eternity someone will etch our name into a stone and our birthday and day of passing will be divided by a hyphen. he said that the most important part of our lives is found in that little dash. the day we were born and the day we die aren’t nearly as important as the way we lived in the “dash.”
as we wrap up Christmas ’08 let’s not forget the importance of the dash. when you look at it this way: “Christmas 2008 – Christmas 2009” there is so much potential in the dash. what will God do in your life as you move forward into the end of one year and the beginning of the next? how will you leverage your time and resources to make God known in the world? who will you pray for specifically in the days that are ahead? in what ways will you become more like Christ?
interesting thought: Jesus did a lot during his “dash.” sometimes we minimize his life and ministry to his birth, death and resurrection. don’t get me wrong….these are HUGE parts of his story. however, I would suggest that the lame, blind, deaf and dumb who were healed by Jesus were glad he didn’t just show up in december! Jesus made the very most out of his time on earth….and so should we.
spend some time today asking God to give you a great vision for the year that lies ahead. make the very most of your dash!
Sunday, December 21, 2008
i am second
i was driving down interstate 30 last week and noticed a billboard that had a picture of josh hamilton on it and it said "i am second." having no idea what it was all about i looked it up as soon as i got home. it was, and continues to be, an amazing website where people are sharing their stories. a website where people, some celebrities and some not so much, humbly recount what God has done in their lives. a website that cause it's viewer to consider the implications of God being number one in your life.
i want to encourage you to go and spend some time at this site. it would do the contemporary movement of christians a great deal of good if we were to do the following 2 things:
1. share our stories....tell others how God has made us new.
2. remind ourselves that God is number 1....we are second at best.
enjoy your time at iamsecond.com
i want to encourage you to go and spend some time at this site. it would do the contemporary movement of christians a great deal of good if we were to do the following 2 things:
1. share our stories....tell others how God has made us new.
2. remind ourselves that God is number 1....we are second at best.
enjoy your time at iamsecond.com
Friday, December 19, 2008
open mouth....speak words
yesterday i received a phone call from my mom. she informed me that my grandmother was in the emergency room due to some breathing and blood pressure issues. my grandmother celebrated her 90th birthday in september so her little body is already frail and weak. i jumped in my car and drove to mt. pleasant because i wanted to make sure i was able to tell her at least one more time how much i love her.
she is legally speaking my step-grandmother. however she has always loved my brother and i as if we were blood relatives. there has never been a difference in any of our minds. during the course of my life she has been at every birthday party, every graduation, my wedding and every monumental occasion i have experienced. this woman is a part of who i am and i wanted to be with her. i wanted to make sure she knew i was there for her....just as she has always been there for me.
in september we threw a big 90th birthday party for her. all of the family was there and it was a blessing for each of us to spend time honoring her. some of us grandkids wrote letters about her and read them during the party. we wanted to make sure she knew exactly where we stood when it came to our love and appreciation for her influence in our lives. i think it blessed her.
yesterday when i walked into her room she couldn't speak very clearly but she didn't take her eyes off of me. i stayed with her for about 6 hours and in that time i couldn't take my mind off of the party we had in september. it was so good to know that she knows how much we love her. what needed to be said....had been said.
as you move boldly into Christmas 2008 let me encourage you to do something big...say what needs to be said. write a letter, send an e-mail, pick up the phone or write in the sky but say what needs to be said. too many people live with the regret of what they "should have done." let's commit to one another that we will move forward with the assurance that all accounts are settled and everything that needs to be said....has been said.
she is legally speaking my step-grandmother. however she has always loved my brother and i as if we were blood relatives. there has never been a difference in any of our minds. during the course of my life she has been at every birthday party, every graduation, my wedding and every monumental occasion i have experienced. this woman is a part of who i am and i wanted to be with her. i wanted to make sure she knew i was there for her....just as she has always been there for me.
in september we threw a big 90th birthday party for her. all of the family was there and it was a blessing for each of us to spend time honoring her. some of us grandkids wrote letters about her and read them during the party. we wanted to make sure she knew exactly where we stood when it came to our love and appreciation for her influence in our lives. i think it blessed her.
yesterday when i walked into her room she couldn't speak very clearly but she didn't take her eyes off of me. i stayed with her for about 6 hours and in that time i couldn't take my mind off of the party we had in september. it was so good to know that she knows how much we love her. what needed to be said....had been said.
as you move boldly into Christmas 2008 let me encourage you to do something big...say what needs to be said. write a letter, send an e-mail, pick up the phone or write in the sky but say what needs to be said. too many people live with the regret of what they "should have done." let's commit to one another that we will move forward with the assurance that all accounts are settled and everything that needs to be said....has been said.
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