Progress

It's never too late for progress. Progress keeps us moving forward and prevents us from being mundane and stagnant. Sharpening ourselves with the Word and by each other will keep us ready for battle with the Enemy. Do not ever think that it is too late for you to better equip yourself for this new life. Use the tools you have and the gifts God has blessed you with to reach those in need of God's saving grace. This is something that is never "too late" to begin.

"Do not neglect your gift, which was given you...Be diligent in these matters; give yourself wholly to them, so that everyone may see your progress. Watch your life and doctrine closely. Persevere in them, because if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers." - 1 Timothy 4:14-16 (NIV)

Motivation and focus will come when you seek Jesus in the morning. He will guide you through the day as you go out for battle - the battle against the Enemy to better ourselves in Christ, and to grow the kingdom of God. It is never too late for progress.

The Future

Marty was a pretty lucky guy. He got to zip to the future and see the woman that he married and his kids all grown up - even the job he had. That must have been nice to have confirmation (or warning ;) of things to come...especially if it were things that we'd be unsure of.

If someone would have told me 8, 10 years ago how my life would be now, I probably would have laughed in their face. I would have definitely thought it cool, but would not believe it nonetheless. It is so amazing how things have turned out; the wonderful, beautiful woman that I married, the adorable and smart kids that we have, and a great journey together that has led to this point. No, we're not wealthy by any means...financially, but we are definitely rich in God's blessings. And He takes care of us everyday and gets us through. I guess what I'm trying to say, is that God is great. He leads us on this path, and though sometimes rough and sometimes hard, He is always there in the end - with something amazing.

Ten years ago I thought I had it all figured out, and I thought that my life would be a certain way and with certain people ten years from then. Thank God that it didn't end up that way. Thank God for guiding me on a path that led to the wonderful "things" that I have now. To Jennifer, to Jaden, to Jacee, to family, to health, to life.

To rely on God and His timing is definitely a hard act, but is so worth it. And to think of the many, many blessings that I have missed out on because I was not 'there' when God had them for me. Though the future is still unclear, relying on God and looking to Him for guidance, is something that I will try and try to not take for granted any longer.
Lord, keep my eyes open!

The Tyranny of Things

Whenever I see a big, nice TV and a blu-ray disc player, a nice truck or house, a new pair of shoes, or anything that I would like to have, I have to be careful with my thoughts. I also have to be careful with my possessions controlling me. I have to be cautious not to put these things first, in front of God. It is so easy for us to focus on all the stuff that we have and all the stuff that we want. It is something that teeters on a dangerous line. And it is a trap easily fallen into - one that I have often been caught in recently.

I am very ashamed that I, as a follower of Christ, have let the things that God created takeover the place of the Creator - that I often let the things that God has created to bless me with, to draw me closer to Him with, and to show His glory with, take the place on His throne in my heart. Don't get me wrong, it is okay to have things, it is even okay to 'want' things, as long as they do not consume our heart - as long as they do not take dwelling in our heart so deep that if when taken away (He gives and takes away) it is so painful like roots being ripped from the ground - as long as it does not devastate us when gone. When God is our focus and when He is at His rightful place on His throne in our hearts, the things that we possess will not come between the Creator and the created.

Let us be thankful for what we have and be cautious of the things that we want. Let us no longer let things take residence in our hearts...on His throne. As for me, I will do my best to take pleasure in what I have that He has blessed me with - my wife, my kids, and my family.

I know that when I put Him first, that when I keep Him above all else, He will bless my life with more "things" than I can imagine.

Christians

I don't understand why Christians tend to bicker and fuss with each other about trivial things. It's just not important to argue little finite details about things that don't have any significance in our purpose. It seems as if we negatively debate with one another more than we do sharing the truth with the lost. This blows my mind. It's very disheartening. I love learning the Word and Truth as much as the next Christian and even enjoy healthy conversations with my friends about the Lord, but to exchange hurtful blows because of disagreement is ridiculous. Disagreement among believers is totally fine and can actually be very constructive, but should not result in assumptions and comments of arrogance. I mean, if a Christian is turned off by another Christian, then what would a non-Christian think? How do they feel? We must stand together with our mandate in mind, with our focus on the higher calling.

As one body we can take the Word to the world much more effectively. Apart, I'm afraid we will fail.

Without Him...

I think today told me something I needed to hear. Today was a really rough day. With the kids being sick (Jacee being very sick), work being crazy and hectic, and just having all kinds of junk plop on my head (figuratively) made it draining and depressing. This evening as I finally got a minute to rest, I realized that I had left God out of the day. I realized that my prayers today were held to a minimum...as in none. The truth is, my prayer life in the past few weeks has not been anything other than a joke. I have left God out of my difficulties and have had very little communication with Him. All intimacy with Jesus has dwindled recently and I now see the results, definitely. It has not been fun.

God says to come to Him with anything and everything. He wants us to depend on Him. Where we are weak, He is strong. He is there to lift us up and to take our burdens and cares from us...if we will only come to Him, and with them in hand. This is something that I have lost sight of in the recent weeks and is something I totally regret. I have been in a state of independence, and that is dangerous. As hard as today was, it has given me encouragement. It has encouraged me to never stop talking to Jesus, to never keep Him out of anything. When we keep Jesus close and share with Him, things are always better.

Tomorrow should be a good day.

How I Know

I became a Christian at an early age. As I grew, I began to understand more about God. I began to know Him more. But one thing I never fully comprehended, not until Dec. 29, 2005.

God the Father gave His son to die, for me, for you, for all. He chose to let His Son be the scapegoat for us, for our transgressions. This has always been a very awesome and amazing thing in my faith, of course. But I never quite recognized how much of a sacrifice this was to the Father. I never totally perceived that this must have been a truly hurtful experience for God. Then it happened...my son was born. Upon holding my first child in my arms, my newborn son, I instantly knew that there was nothing I would not do for him, that I would give my life for him. I also knew that I could never give him away.

I know that God loves me in a way that nobody can. He loves me so much that He gave His one and only Son for my redemption. He let His son go, die, for me and you. This is a powerful love. This is an unconditional love. This is a love without any limitations. I know this because I could never give my son for you, or for my family, or for anybody. My daughter was born last year giving me two children. Even with having two children, I could still not give just one of them. If I had twenty...still, not one.

This shows me the intensity and magnitude of God's love. This brings to light, in my life, the awesome sacrifice that God made. And each day that I hold my kids, I am reminded of this perfect love.

Jesus '08

Has Jesus not "won the election" in the hearts of the people? Have we not been campaigning?

I'm not one who is all into politics in an intense manner. Other than election years I do not pay much attention to the government, though it is true I probably should. At any rate, I am worried about our country. Not worried because of who is going to be president, but worried that whether it is McCain or Obama, the winner will know what is best for the country, and have integrity and heart to guide this nation in one of its toughest times this century. This country has taken big hits throughout this decade and in the most recent years, especially months, we have fallen to a record low in many areas. America is looking to two candidates to fix these issues, to correct its problems, to heal a broken nation.

I do not agree.

In times like this, especially, I see how dependent people are in others, and even dependent on themselves. In times like this I picture Jesus looking out, beckoning for the lost, confused, and broken to come to Him. He sees these lost, confused, and broken, and it breaks His heart. He sees them put there trust and faith in a person and others and it breaks His heart even more. If this nation, and world, could only see, could only understand, that Christ is the answer and that Christ is the cure. Why can't they see? Why don't they understand? Are they not being showed the powerful and saving grace of the Messiah?

I'm afraid not.

If you are a believer, it is our duty, our calling, NO - our responsibility to seek out the lost, to embrace the confused, and to take in the broken. It is our command to share the love of Christ and to spread the news of His grace by our words, actions...and lives. It should be our passion to see the kingdom of God growing and the world we live in healing. McCain cannot provide this. Obama cannot provide this. I cannot accomplish this and you cannot accomplish this. Jesus Christ the Son of God is waiting to reach down and enthrall His children with redemption...oh, much needed and much awaited redemption. In only Him can this be done.

Let us begin.

Motives Revealed

When I was a kid I would sometimes keep things from my parents. I mean who didn't, right? You know the story...whenever you broke the lamp you would try to fix it and not tell, or maybe you got in trouble at school and didn't tell them. It could of been a flat out lie like when asked if you fed the dog and you said yes when you didn't, or not telling the whole truth about when your homework was due. These things are common and more than likely we have all had our share of secrets.

There is a very important truth that I am reminded about. The truth that comes from Paul in the fourth chapter of 1 Corinthians. Paul states that the light of Christ will expose the motives of men's hearts. Though important, it is nothing new to us to hear that we will be judged by God. All things that we have done and partaken in will be judged and revealed during this time with our Father. But here we read from Paul that God will reveal our deepest, darkest secrets...the hidden motives in our hearts. Wow...all intentions lurking in my heart, the motives that I hide, its true purposes, will all be uncovered and seen. I don't know about you, but to me this is unsettling, troubling. I am not ready for that. My heart's deep and dark secrets would not hold up to well in the court of God's law. The light would shine in on a lot of darkness, for in my heart are motives not fit for a crown.

We all try to be something that we aren't at some point. Every so often we hide our true intentions to look better and for other reasons. Trying to be someone we are not in front of our fellow men is not healthy. And to do so to God is pointless and dangerous. We cannot keep things from God obviously, but we should be true to Him and come to Him as we are...failures and all, especially failures. Coming to Him for healing and renewal is what is necessary for the cleansing of the heart. When we reveal to Him our secrets, our "hidden" foils, the deep motives of our hearts, we will experience the light of Christ and the rushing in of His grace. So, my goal is to drop 'the act' and show God my real, true self, though greatly imperfect, so He can remove the darkness.

Thank you Jesus for Your powerful grace.
Reveal to me my heart's true motives...that I may reveal them to You.