No, they don't hate you

Why does the Bible tell us to do the things it tells us to do? Why do our parents require certain things of us? Why did our coaches push us so hard? Why did we have to make certain grades in school in order to be able to do the fun extra-curricular things we truly enjoyed? What was the point in all these things? Was it not to help us become the best we are capable of becoming?

I think its sometimes easy to forget that the ones pushing us to do these things really want the best for our lives. God is the perfect example. He didn't give all these rules to inhibit but rather to free. Granted we have to have self-discipline in order to live up (as best we can) to His commands, but in the end it frees us. Our parents while not perfect because they are flesh, give us rules as well, not as a hindrance but in order to teach us how to be respectable people. Our coaches wanted our best effort and often made us run when we didn't give it or showed less than desirable attitudes not because they didn't like us, but because they saw what we were capable of and how the things we were doing could limit our potential. Likewise teachers did the same thing (minus the running.)

Something else I often forgot and sometimes still do is that my idea of the perfect way to do things doesn't always happen. People are different, and while sometimes others should improve upon their methods, sometimes it is I who needs to realize that my way isn't always the right one. I think though that when we start giving people the benefit of the doubt that they are trying to do the right thing (helping them out when they are not trying), that we will be able to accomplish much more then if we see people in the light of they don't know what they are talking about, or they are doing this because they don't like us. The more we learn to work with people while staying solidly grounded in the Truth, the more I believe we will be able to accomplish both for the Lord and in the objectives we are trying to achieve. 

"Do to others as you would have them do to you." Luke 6:31

Carpe Diem

"We cannot change the cards we are dealt, just how we play the hand." ~ Randy Pausch

I love inspirational things, quotes, stories, people... They somehow just awaken things inside of me that make me want to go out and conquer the world. haha. In ways they allow me to have opportunities with people that I might not could have on my own due to the limitations of my own experiences.

This particular quote that I put up above is a neat thought in and of itself and is made even more impressive due to the fact that this man was dying of pancreatic cancer when he said it. People like him prove to me that life is more about the view we take on our circumstances rather than the circumstances themselves. I have prayed a lot lately that I won't see the difficulties but rather the challenges and opportunities in the difficulties. (Challenges may sound like difficulties, but to me a challenge is something to be overcome and help strengthen rather than to hold you back.)

I love so many of the Old Testament stories, of the seemingly insurmountable odds and the way God overcomes in each like Daniel in the lion's den or Moses with the Israelites. I think that is the real secret. We each have our own part to do in the insurmountable odds we face each day, but we also have our own set of limitations. If we try to face our challenges by ourselves, we will be stopped by our limitations every time. However if instead we seek God's direction, what is there that we will not be able to do? So as we go through each day, may we live it in view of God's unlimited power and dare to do great things in His kingdom.

Jesus replied, "What is impossible with men is possible with God." 
~ Luke 18:27 (NIV)

Another on Wooden

   Over the years I have grown to love Coach Wooden's philosophy on basketball. I think mostly because it is so applicable to life for it is grounded in Bible principles. He talks about giving your best on every possession. The idea behind this is not that you will make every shot, never have a turnover, and break the press every single time. The idea is that you give yourself the best opportunity to do these things.
   Something I'm learning as I have begun coaching is that this is the principle I need to be teaching. Intensity. The desire to give the absolute best effort on every play. Well that is great for basketball but how does that relate to life? Simple. Everyday we are given a gift of 24 hours. How we consistently spend these hours will determine the direction of our lives. The reason for that is simply that these hours in essence are our lives. We are given a gift of how to spend them.
   Something else I'm learning is that there are things we have to do. We aren't necessarily given a choice, (if we want to eat or get an education or fill in the blank.) Yet we can still make the most even of these hours by the way we choose to see them. Our attitude truly does make an impact on the direction of our lives. We may waste a day here or there, but if we choose to learn from our mistakes even the initially wasted day can bring impact into our lives. If we live each day with an intensity to use it to the best of our ability for the Lord, I think we will meet with results unimagined. They will exceed our expectations.

"Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men." Colossians 3:23 (NIV)

journey

   I have often heard, and occasionally thought myself, "I wish I knew..." I believe though that one of the sweetest blessings God gives us is the inability to know the future. Part of the thrill of life is the journey, and if we were to take away that element, where would be the joy in triumph or the strength to endure hard times? Faith would not be necessary because it would be trust in the seen not in the unseen.
   What trials have you been through in your lifetime? How did you get through? If you're anything like me you often look back thinking you should have done this or that different. And sometimes you should have, you knew better, but you did the opposite of what should have been done. Other times you learn during, or after, the right course to have taken. Other times you nail it. This is the journey.
   We were in James a lot yesterday during the morning class and the lessons presented, and the idea of tests came up. What is the point of a test? Is it not to test what we have learned to see if we can apply it? I was thinking yesterday how cool it is that God doesn't make us sit there and take a written test. Rather He gives us one life to do with as we please, and yet it is a test in and of itself to determine our final dwelling place. We can study or we can do things our own way. We can take our experiences and make corrections or we can fail in the same ways over and over. We can grow or we can stay the same. Probably the biggest difference is that it is an open note, phone a friend, and the most important, ask the Creator for help and guidance type test.
   We don't see the exact test ahead of time (although we are given examples of the same type problems). If we did we might not study as hard because we thought it was easy or we might get discouraged and simply not try (which would be a horrible thing because God's grace is an amazing thing when accessed on His terms.) We should always remember that the test and the One who gives it are always for our benefit, while the tempter, which is something totally different entirely, is out for our destruction. May we take the test that is a journey with the view of the reward always in sight.

"Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything."
~James 1:4 (NIV)
  

questions for study

I have been wanting to study lately about how we should react to people... how Christ reacted to people because I often hear conflicting statements with the Christ I understand the Bible to speak of and the One I see the world talk about. I've come up with questions I'm hoping to go into more in-depth and thought they might prove to be an interesting study for others as well.

What does our attitude toward sin need to be?

What about our attitude toward the sinner?

Is Christ's forgiveness conditional?

Is His love?

How does Jesus address sin?

How does He address the sinner?

Just some thoughts to ponder. More importantly to examine the answers with the Word.

"Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth." ~2 Timothy 2:15 (KJV)

Answers

   I pray about a lot of things. Sometimes they seem pretty insignificant, but often I pray about them anyway, many times just so that I won't worry about it. I found myself praying a couple days ago about not running out of gas in my mower. It really wasn't that big of a deal if I did. Worst case scenario, I had to go home and get gas and be slightly inconvenienced. I found myself at the very last stretch about to make it with a short strip and a half left to go when my mower sputtered and ran out of gas. Even though it wasn't a big deal, I still didn't understand the purpose in me running out with that little bit left to go, and yet I did. So I went home, got gas and came back pouring just a little bit into the tank because I didn't need very much, but it wouldn't start so I added more, and finished the job.
   Tonight I was heading out to mow, and dad told me he hoped I had gas in the mower because he had just given the rest to someone who had run out in town and was needing some for their vehicle. Dad has told me for years that it is uncanny how often I drain the tank in the mower of gas without a drop to spare. That thought popped in my mind as I went out to check the mowers, and I was trying to figure out other arrangements of when to mow. I checked the one I usually bagged with and it was totally dry. We had a couple others, but I wasn't sure how well they bag or if we even still had one that fit so I had ruled them out. We looked around for the other mower that bagged well and I realized that it was still at the house I had mowed at a few days before. Then I remembered the prayer I had prayed, and how I had to fill it with even more gas in order to get it started.
   It's a simple illustration and life definitely would have moved on quite normally had I not been able to mow that lawn tonight, but it reminded me of a deeper principle that I have seen demonstrated over and over in my life (often with guys I like who don't like me back or vice versa.) That principle is God answers prayers in accordance with our needs and not always with our wants. This is not always easy to understand in the moment when we really want something, but it is such a comfort when we do understand not only the concept, but the love God has for us. One of the last guys I liked I thought had everything I wanted. He was very attractive, had a good sense of humor, was easy to talk to, but even more than that he had the love and devotion for God that I long for in a guy. He was everything I thought I wanted, and yet God told me no. It was not an easy pill to swallow, but the prayer that kept coming back in my head was, thank You for what I don't understand, but I know is in Your control...
   It was not my quickness that taught me this prayer, but rather God showing me His faithfulness over and over and over. In little things like allowing me to have enough gas to mow a lawn, and bigger things like saying no to a guy so that I could go without hindrance to the place that I truly believe is where I can serve God best. He really is an awesome God.

"Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us, to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen." Ephesians 3:20,21 (NIV)

How do you define success?

   How do you define success? The answer is important because more than likely it is what motivates you to do what you do. I believe we all want to be successful. However it is not always success in the eyes of the world that we are seeking.
   Success is many things to different people. I think one of the best definitions I have come across is John Wooden's. He said, "Success is the peace of mind that is a direct result of knowing that you did the best of which you were capable of doing." I think this coupled with the idea of serving God on His terms is what true success looks like. I guess if I were to write it out it would sound something like this: success is the peace of mind that is a direct result of knowing that you did the best to serve God on His terms of which you are capable of doing.
   I sincerely believe that each of us were put here to do something great for the kingdom of God. My gift is not the same as yours, and yours isn't the same as somebody else's. Nor can I do what you were put here to do better than you can nor you do better what someone else was gifted with.
   I have been reading and listening to leadership material by John Maxwell and he talks a lot about leading from the middle. In other words, not everyone is meant to be at the very top position, in fact, few are. Maybe you are meant to lead at the top of your organization and that is wonderful, I hope you succeed. However, maybe you are where you are because that is the exact place you need to be. Please don't think I'm trying to stifle ambition! At the same time, don't think that just because where you are isn't at the top (positions the world is usually impressed by) that your gifts and abilities aren't needed. 

"Now the body is not made up of one part but of many." ~1 Corinthians 12:14