Praying with Purpose

Check out this great prayer by Paul found in Colossians...

"And so, from the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him,bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God."

Some things really struck me in this prayer, that made me want this prayer for my life.

First, that I might be "filled with the knowledge of God's will..." I want this! I want to know what God's will is in every situation.

Second, "in all spiritual wisdom and understanding..." It's not just God's will I want, but His will in spiritual things...that as I read His Word, He would reveal more and more of Himself, His truth, His wisdom, to me.

Third, it's not just wisdom and understanding and knowledge so I can be smarter, but "so as to walk in a manner worthy of The Lord..." It's acting on what He reveals to me...application! The doing doesn't save me, but the doing pleases Him. The doing is what leads to "bearing fruit in every good work." The doing is the fruit. Wisdom with Application is what I need.

Fourth, how does this prayer end? Right where it started; "increasing in the knowledge of God." It's like this...

Knowledge leads to Wisdom/Understanding leads to Plesaing Him leads to Bearing Fruit leads to Knowledge Increases.

That is a prayer I need daily...Amen!

Short Term or Long Term Gain?

Earlier this week I got a gift...a morning to myself. I decided to do one of my favorite things; go out for breakfast. I brought a newspaper, my Bible, and my journal. It was a beautiful morning and I sat outside reading, thinking, praying, and eating.

I LOVE breakfast food...and yet it doesn't always leave me feeling great. When I got the menu I saw a number of things I wanted to eat; pancakes with syrup, bacon, sausage, eggs, toast, Yum! Or maybe a big breakfast skillet, or the coffee cake soaked in butter. Hmmm. Intuitively, I knew my body...it doesn't do well with a big breakfast loaded with sugar. So I decided to do something I have never done...I ordered granola with soy milk, a side of fresh fruit, and some whole wheat toast. For me, in this one instance, I chose long term gain over short term...and it worked. Two hours after breakfast I still felt great.

Now go with me to 1 Samuel 8. The Israelites have been following Samuel for awhile and things have been going ok. However, he was growing older and decided to appoint his sons into leadership roles. Turns out the apples fell quite a ways away from the tree...

"You are old, and your sons do not follow your ways; now appoint a king to lead us, such as all the other nations have."

God correctly identifies that they are rejecting not Samuel, but Him...they are rejecting "Yahweh" as king. Still, God has compassion and he tells them exactly what will happen if they have a king...namely that their sons may have to join the army, their daughters will be taken into his service, the best of their stuff (animals and food) will be taken, and oh yeah, taxes...because someone will have to pay for the palace and all that. Even after explaining all of this to them, they still demand a king.

To put it simply, they chose a short term solution they thought would work, forsaking a better solution (keep trusting in God). They ate the bacon, pancakes, hash browns, toast and coffee cake and washed it all down with 5 cups of coffee. Tasted good while they were eating it, but an hour or two later, not so good. Aside from a few incredible kings, most of their leaders took them further away from God, leading them into deep sin.

I always wonder what would have happened if they had just trusted God to be their king? Probably Samuel's sons would have been dealt with and they would have enjoyed the blessing and protection of God so long as they followed Him. We'll never know...

My one point is this; in my own life, I too often choose the path of least resistance, and settle for something far less...how about you? Today, make it your aim to choose the long term gains...even if they're harder in the short term.

Don't be like Ashdod...

...or Ekron, or Gath for that matter.

just giving you something pretty to look at

The text is 1 Samuel 5. Here's what's going on. The ark has been captured by the Philistines and they aren't quite sure what to do with it. First they brought it to the town of Ashdod, and set it up in their temple next to Dagon, but clearly, Dagon wasn't up to the task. God afflicted the people with a plague of tumors and "brought devastation on them." In one verse we see both wisdom and folly from the Philistines;

"The ark of the god of Israel must not stay here with us, because his hand is heavy on us and on Dagon our god." (1 Samuel 5:7).

To their wisdom, they rightly understood that it was Yahweh who was wreaking havoc on them. To their folly, however, they simply passed the problem onto another town.

This pattern was repeated in the city of Gath, who passed the ark on to Ekron. The people of Ekron, were at least wise enough to not even let the ark in...so they sent it back to the Israelites.

Here's what struck me about the Philistines and these three cities. Here they are, confronted with the God of their enemies, Yahweh. Clearly they have wisdom enough to see that Yahweh is destroying them. They must have been able to conclude that Yahweh was more powerful then Dagon. One would think their response might have been to repent, and worship this new powerful God. But no, they simply want to rid themselves of Him and go back to worshipping Dagon.

Now obviously there are bigger issues here...we know that the Israelites were God's chosen people, not the Philistines. However, it did strike me how often I do things similar to how these three cities responded.

When confronted with my own sin, or wrongful behaviours, or things I need to change, or bad habits, what do I do? I'd like to say I immediately repent, humbly, and run to God. However, all too often I shift the blame, or ignore the problem, or pretend I didn't hear, or perhaps worst of all I do nothing. These responses essentially accomplish the same thing that the Philistines were trying to accomplish; pushing God away.

After reading this passage, I was left with a question which I leave with you today. Is there something God is trying to get your attention about? If so, are you responding to Him, or pushing Him away? Let's not make the same mistake the Philistines made...but instead, embrace our Father. After all, He did demonstrate His love for you on the cross...I think we can trust Him.

Background Matters

If you read this blog at all, you know that I'm a passionate amateur photographer. I love getting out with my camera and finding beauty. One thing I've learned in photography is that "background matters." Take a look at these two pictures of a Heron;

They're both ok pictures...however, the first one them "pops" quite a bit more. Why? Simply because of the background. The water background is a dark color, and is smooth, which contrasts the color of the Heron and causes it to draw our focus. In the second picture the bird has moved a little, and the background has gotten a lot busier, and lighter in color, diluting our focus leading to a less striking picture. Quite often photographers, myself included, pay too little attention to the "background." We focus on the subject but ignore how the background of our photo can add to or take away from the subject.

It's the same in life. Too often I pay little or no attention to the "background" of my life...and yet the background affects so much of who I am. Very rarely do any of us stop what we're doing, put on a cd or song, and sit still and listen to the song. However, we often have music playing "in the background." That music has an effect in you. It can lift your spirit, or take you back in time, or give you energy (like my "running" playlist), or make you feel blue or depressed. And yet music is kind of a "background thing."

There are other "background" things that effect us. The shows/movies we watch, the news we choose to read, the radio stations we listen to, food we eat and drink, and more. These things may seem trivial, and yet they affect us.

"If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is,seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth."
What is in the background of your life, perhaps diluting the striking subject that God has made you to be? Is your background stuff helping you or hurting you? Is it drawing you closer to God or pushing Him away? Maybe it's time to move a little, and change that background.

Getting Dressed

Something we all do, every day, is get dressed, and I'm guessing most of us put some thought into it before we just throw on some clothes. I usually consider, (briefly), a number of things such as the weather, my activities, any meetings I may be having, whether I'm riding my scooter or driving my car, etc. Maybe my favorite time of day, clothing wise, is after I've put my son to bed and I slip into my "loungey" clothes - cotton sweats and a favorite hooded sweatshirt. Recently I was reading in Romans and this verse got me pondering...

"So let us put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light. Let us behave decently, as in the daytime, not in carousing and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and debauchery, not in dissension and jealousy. 14 Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the flesh." (Romans 8:13-14).

I love how verse 14 reads in The Message; "Get out of bed and get dressed! Don’t loiter and linger, waiting until the very last minute. Dress yourselves in Christ, and be up and about!"

What would it look like if I started each day "putting on Jesus" like I put on clothes? Immediately I think of two things;

1) Putting on my proper identity, and

2) Putting on Christ's character and attributes.

The most important thing about any of us what we believe about God and Jesus, our "theology," but perhaps the second most thing about us is what we believe about ourselves. Part of that answer can be found in the book of Ephesians. In the first 14 verses of chapter one alone, we learn a number of things about ourselves. We learn that those who are "in Christ" are Saints, are Blessed, are Chosen, are Adopted, are Sealed, are Redeemed, have an Inheritance, have Salvation, have the Holy Spirit, and more. And that's just what the first few verses of Ephesians say about our identity. I wonder how many of us live with a proper identity? I know I don't...

Clothing ourselves with Christ also means wearing his character and attributes. Of course I immediately think of the "fruit of the Spirit" - love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Some of those fruit come natural to me; others I have to work at. But all of them should be part of my outfit. In addition I think of one huge quality of Jesus that God loves to see in all of his...his humility. 

"And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. 9 Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, 10 so that at the name of Jesusevery knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father." (Philippians 2:8-10).

So tomorrow morning, when you get dressed, remember to not only put on your physical clothes, but put on your spiritual clothes as well. Choose your outfit carefully, and make sure you wear your proper identity, accompanied with the character and attributes of Christ. Clothe yourself in Him.

Your Greatest Gift...?

What is the greatest gift? The greatest gift you've ever received? The greatest gift you've ever given? Certainly for all believers the greatest gift we've ever received is the gift of Jesus. But what is it about that gift that makes it so great? Ok, that might seem like a really dumb question, but hang with me for a few...

That gift, that gift of Jesus means a lot of things...

• It is a gift of forgiveness...that our sins will no longer be held against us. Huge! We deserve death but get life.
• It is a gift of a future...that we have an incredible future awaiting us in heaven.
• It is a gift of power...that because of Jesus, we now have an amazing power at work in us; (The Holy Spirit).
• It is a gift of intimacy with God...that we now can have a direct conversation with the Creator of the Universe, is in-comprehensible.
• It is a gift of value...our lives matter...they matter to Him. Let's camp on this one for a minute...

One of the things that we easily forget is this gift of value. I often imagine what life apart from Christ would be like. For me, at least, apart from Him, what's the point? There is no point. If there were no God, there would be very little (if anything) to live for. 

Bring it down even further...many people struggle with their identity. There are so many people who walk through life feeling lonely, or worse, worthless. This was one of the things that Jesus did so well...he came near to people, and gave them value. He was blind to the prejudices and judgments that often cloud our value systems...instead, he would come near to someone; a homeless person, a cripple, a tax collector, an adulterer, and He would look them in the eye and show them value.

A couple of weeks ago I was at Starbucks with my "almost 3 year old" son. There was one particular person who caught my eye; he was outside, in a wheelchair, wearing a "Desert Storm Veteran" hat. He looked cold, looked homeless (although I don't know), and so I bought him a cup of coffee and brought it out to him. That was the easy part. He then came inside to add cream and sugar and stuff, and that's when I heard God whispering to me; "Mike, what is easier? Buying him a cup of coffee, or engaging him in conversation?" So I put a video on my ipod for my son, and as this man filled up his coffee, I asked him one question, I think, about serving in Desert Storm. 30 minutes later, he was still sharing stories with me and it was so apparent that he was starved for community, and perhaps starved for a life that has value.

I share this story not to brag on myself, for I am far too often the one who goes through life "too busy" to stop and engage...but it did dawn on me how little effort it took on my part to help bring worth and value to someone who, in God's eyes, is every bit as worthy as I am. Jesus died for his life...and mine.

" 'Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?'
Jesus replied: 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments."

A Lesson from Mr. B

I recently got word that my art teacher from elementary through High School, Charlie Brown, (yes, that's his real name), was retiring after 50 years of service to Bellevue Christian School. Mr. B (as he is affectionately known) is a great man and I am reminded of something he taught me long ago.

I believe I was in Junior High at the time, in Art class, and I was working on a drawing, trying painstakingly to put on paper what I saw in my mind's eye. I made a mistake and grew increasingly frustrated, which Mr. B picked up on. He came by my desk and asked what was wrong...I showed him my blunder. He replied simply, "there are no mistakes...you just make it into something else." He then proceeded to take his pencil and turn what I thought was a mistake into something beautiful.

Little did I know at the time the valuable lessons he had just imparted on me.

• At the highest level, he saved my drawing that day.
• Going a little deeper, he gave me a way to approach problems and mistakes...that instead of brooding on the mistake, you turn it into something else. Sure the end result might look different from what you had intended, but not necessarily worse...and quite often, better.
• At the deepest level he showed me God. I believe this is one of God's greatest joys; taking what we think are mistakes and blunders, sins and scars, and redeeming them for His glory. In essence taking what we think is ugly, and making it into something beautiful.

"And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose." (Romans 8:28 - NAS)

"That’s why we can be so sure that every detail in our lives of love for God is worked into something good." (Romans 8:28 - The Message)

The lessons here are two-fold; first, remember that there is no blunder or mistake, no sin or scar, that is so great that God, the great Healer, cannot redeem. He can make anything beautiful. The second lesson is this...because of Mr. B's retirement, I was able to email this story to someone who is compiling these memories for him. So take moment and think of someone who has greatly impacted you, and write them a note or send them an email. Let them know how much it meant.