The other night me and dad got the chance to go to a Dailey and Vincent concert. Right off the bat I have lost most of you. But one of the coolest things happened to me. I had sent Jamie Dailey a message on Facebook and requested a song. He wrote back and said they would do it. Well, I was excited. We went to the concert, it was awesome. They sang their last song, said goodnight and walked off. Dad said, did they sing the song you wanted? I said no I guess they didn't have time. By now everybody was standing and clapping. The group came back out and said we have time for a few more. Then Jamie says, there was a guy on Facebook named Paul. Where are you Paul? You wanted to hear I Believe right? I said yes. And they sang it. I sat there and thought man how cool is that, that Jamie Dailey just called my name from on stage? As popular as they are he remembered my request and he granted it.
Well, that got me to thinking. As awesome as that was and how it made me feel, how much greater it is to know that God has called my name. And not only did he call my name but he knows me like nobody else. He knows my every need, he knows when I'm feeling down, he knows when I need comfort, in fact Psalm 40:17 says But I am poor and needy, yet the Lord thinketh upon me. What a great comfort to know that we are on his mind. Next time you feel helpless and that nobody wants anything to do with you remember that God is thinking about you. As big as God is and of all the things he's created he still takes time to hear and answer our prayers. What a joy to know that He called my name.
Saturday, January 29, 2011
Thursday, January 27, 2011
What Am I Doing Here?
How many people have ever sat and wondered what is our purpose here? Why has God placed us in a certain position, job, or circumstance? Sometimes we forget what the goal of a Christian is. Have you ever been doing something or going somewhere and get about halfway done and wonder, what was I getting ready to do? Sometimes we lose focus of our objectives. And that's where we need a reminder. We have to be reminded of our goals. As an employee we wonder why do I have to be here 50 to 60 hours a week? What is the point of this job? Then you receive your paycheck and that is your reminder. Somebody has to work to pay the bills and provide for the family. And as a Christian many times come that we get so distracted by the things taking place in our personal lives and jobs that our vision gets clouded and we fail to remember that we should be magnifying the Lord. One of my favorite verses has become Psalm 34:2 Oh magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt his name together. That should be our purpose. That the Lord would be magnified in our lives.
Why has God placed me in this position? If you have been called into some sort of ministry (preaching, singing, Sunday school, visitation) there is going to come a time when this question comes across your mind. You go to a place to share your ministry and things don't go the way you had planned. Nobody seemed to be blessed, nobody responded, and it seems like all the time we spent preparing was a waste. But we should be reminded of Isaiah 55:11 So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall proper in the thing whereto I sent it. If you are doing as God has called you, you can be assured that there will be results. Maybe not as quickly as you want but it will be done in His time.
Finally we get to the question, why does God put me in these circumstances? We often question why we go through trials and pains. While we know Romans 8:28 can be a great comfort we still sit and think, how can anything good possibly come out of something that brings us so much pain? There are many things we can learn from our trials. Sometimes we struggle to be humbled, to be reminded that we are not running our own life. Other times we struggle that our faith may increase. Struggles cause our faith to increase when we depend completely on God to meet our needs. And we may struggle so that we see the reality of who he is. Sometimes we have to be reminded that he is God and that he has the ability to provide every need. But through all the trials of life we can find comfort in the Word of God. II Corinthians 12:9 says And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. When life starts to get you down and it seems like the valley will never end remember that His grace is sufficient for all our needs.
So, what are you doing here?
Why has God placed me in this position? If you have been called into some sort of ministry (preaching, singing, Sunday school, visitation) there is going to come a time when this question comes across your mind. You go to a place to share your ministry and things don't go the way you had planned. Nobody seemed to be blessed, nobody responded, and it seems like all the time we spent preparing was a waste. But we should be reminded of Isaiah 55:11 So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall proper in the thing whereto I sent it. If you are doing as God has called you, you can be assured that there will be results. Maybe not as quickly as you want but it will be done in His time.
Finally we get to the question, why does God put me in these circumstances? We often question why we go through trials and pains. While we know Romans 8:28 can be a great comfort we still sit and think, how can anything good possibly come out of something that brings us so much pain? There are many things we can learn from our trials. Sometimes we struggle to be humbled, to be reminded that we are not running our own life. Other times we struggle that our faith may increase. Struggles cause our faith to increase when we depend completely on God to meet our needs. And we may struggle so that we see the reality of who he is. Sometimes we have to be reminded that he is God and that he has the ability to provide every need. But through all the trials of life we can find comfort in the Word of God. II Corinthians 12:9 says And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. When life starts to get you down and it seems like the valley will never end remember that His grace is sufficient for all our needs.
So, what are you doing here?
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
What Do You See?
Have you ever gone to the lumber section in Home Depot? What do you see when you look? A lot of people will look and just see a bunch of wood in nice stacks. Some people walk in and just look at the price and shake their head. Others look at the condition of the lumber and can't believe that anybody would even put it in with the other boards.
I guess I might be different than other people. I like to go into Home Depot and just look around. Usually when I go to the lumber section I like to look at the potential that is in the lumber. Or what that lumber can become in the right hands. I see a shed, a deck, a finished basement, cabinetry, or furniture. I also understand that as I think of what the product could be and how nice it could be that their is a price tag for that. And I also realize that not every board may be the most desirable for my project but they can all be used for something. Some need the edges sanded down, some need to be cut down to remove a bad spot. But the fact is if I don't see the potential in that lumber then I'm not going to invest my time and money into it.
Unfortunately this is how a lot of Christians view sinners. You look at them but because of their condition and the time it would take you, you pass them by instead of witnessing to them. In other words, because of their personal appearance, financial condition or over all life style we don't consider giving them the time of day. These people may be broken inside, forsaken by others and looking for a reason of hope. And the whole time we have the answer for their need. But due to our lack of compassion or our desire to do God's will we decide to pass by and let somebody else tell them about Jesus.
Romans 5:8 says But God commendeth his love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. We need to understand this verse and take it to heart. It says while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. God looked ahead in time and saw us in our sin, he saw how we would treat him and how we would use him. He saw us in our broken condition. He saw the price it would take to redeem us and despite all that he endured the cross for us. While the world looked at us as worthless he saw the potential in each one of us. He knew what we could become in the hands of the master. And because of his love for us he invested his very best to pay the penalty of sin.
Next time you decide to pass up the chance to witness. Take a look at the potential in that person. Look beyond their faults and condition. Because after all, God did say whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.
I guess I might be different than other people. I like to go into Home Depot and just look around. Usually when I go to the lumber section I like to look at the potential that is in the lumber. Or what that lumber can become in the right hands. I see a shed, a deck, a finished basement, cabinetry, or furniture. I also understand that as I think of what the product could be and how nice it could be that their is a price tag for that. And I also realize that not every board may be the most desirable for my project but they can all be used for something. Some need the edges sanded down, some need to be cut down to remove a bad spot. But the fact is if I don't see the potential in that lumber then I'm not going to invest my time and money into it.
Unfortunately this is how a lot of Christians view sinners. You look at them but because of their condition and the time it would take you, you pass them by instead of witnessing to them. In other words, because of their personal appearance, financial condition or over all life style we don't consider giving them the time of day. These people may be broken inside, forsaken by others and looking for a reason of hope. And the whole time we have the answer for their need. But due to our lack of compassion or our desire to do God's will we decide to pass by and let somebody else tell them about Jesus.
Romans 5:8 says But God commendeth his love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. We need to understand this verse and take it to heart. It says while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. God looked ahead in time and saw us in our sin, he saw how we would treat him and how we would use him. He saw us in our broken condition. He saw the price it would take to redeem us and despite all that he endured the cross for us. While the world looked at us as worthless he saw the potential in each one of us. He knew what we could become in the hands of the master. And because of his love for us he invested his very best to pay the penalty of sin.
Next time you decide to pass up the chance to witness. Take a look at the potential in that person. Look beyond their faults and condition. Because after all, God did say whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.
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