Something to think about...

Sometimes things just hit you quite directly. I was meeting with a friend the other day and we were reading in Luke. We were practicing his English conversation. As we were talking about some of the simple points that Luke is making in his short letter, it struck me. I was taken aback a bit. I realized just how much that I accept about what the Bible says, just because I have had the opportunity to read, learn, study, be challenged by it and to grow because of making a choice to believe and follow the teachings of the Bible. Now, I am not selling short AT ALL the power of God and the work of His Holy Spirit in my and your lives. I am just saying that for over thirty something years I have been being influenced by the teachings in the Bible. My friend, very close to my age, has not. What I noticed as we talked was how our basic beliefs in life: how we treat others, how we look at others, how we react to others... is so different. I began to think about the golden rule, Matt 7:12. Jesus tells us to treat others the way we want to be treated. Many in the world will treat those people that are nice to them in a nice way. Some people in the world treat others in a way so that only they themselves will get ahead "in the game". Christians try to live by treating others good, because that is how we want others to treat us. It is also because we are called to be more than just average, more than just good enough, we are challenged to be a light for our Father and our brother Jesus Christ. Okay, this is nothing new, this is just looking at what we know and how we know the world is. But what struck me was how incredible it is to be a child of God. To be molded and made to be the way that God wants us to be, not how the world wants us to be. This is a BIG thing. Okay, perhaps you know me personally and you know that I do NOT always act like God would have me to act. I do not deny it. What I do is rejoice in the fact that even though I do not always act the way God wants or even the way I know I should be acting, I have forgiveness because of Jesus Christ. That makes me want to allow the Spirit to have a greater hold on my life and my actions and thoughts. But it also reminds me of how far He has brought me. I am trying to be a better person. I am trying to be different in a world full of meanness and hatefulness. I am, through God's Grace, a better example of Jesus to this world than I was 20 years ago. I am counting on, that if I live that long, in another 20 years I will be even a better light to this dark world than I am today. That comes because of the Spirit and because of me spending time in prayer and in study of the Bible. It has made an incredible difference in my life, my attitudes and my actions in my daily life. It has CHANGED me for the better. What a blessing it has been to have God's word, God's Spirit and God's love in my life. This might seem like I am rambling to you... but I challenge you to think over these thoughts. Remember the ways that God has worked in your life to make you not only a better person, but a very different one than you were a few years ago. Stop and think about not only the decisions you make everyday but also the actions that are played out in your life each day, because you follow The Master, Jesus Christ. My friend is reading with me in Luke, he has the opportunity to hear how I view the world and its people. He gets to hear how God has changed me as I have walked with Him. He gets to hear about the different way Jesus treated people. He gets to hear the Good News of forgiveness of sins through Christ. And I get to also be reminded of how blessed I am to have, for so many years, the opportunity to spend time in God's word and in His presence on a daily basis. I get the privilege to worship with people who are also striving to be more like Jesus. We are family. I am thankful for these reminders of how incredible it is to be a child of God! May you see this day how our Father is blessing you and using you as a blessing to this world. Mark

What are you looking at?

Was reading in Hebrews today. Man, is there a lot there or what? As I was reading through the 11 chapter, I ran into this verse: Heb 11:27 It was by faith that Moses left the land of Egypt. He was not afraid of the king. Moses kept right on going because he kept his eyes on the one who is invisible. What struck me so profoundly was the last part, "...he kept his eyes on the one who is invisible." Let that soak in a minute. I had to. When I think about looking at something, I am so thankful for sight. I can see the beautiful nature God has made, I can see the many people that are walking in the city that I live in and I can see my wonderful wife sitting next to me at the breakfast table who has been my helper and encourager for over 30 years now... When I think of invisible, I think of Harry Potter's famous cape... I think of not seeing something. So how do the two come together, seeing and not seeing? The writer of the Hebrews letter tells us that Moses kept his eyes on God. He listened to God's direction, even when it did not make since to those other people in his world at the time. How blessed we are to have the scripture! We get to see the before, during and after picture of God's plan for planet earth and its people. How cool is that? Before you decide I have totally lost it today, let me make a suggestion. Think over your life. I bet where you are right now you would have never seen yourself there 10 years earlier, am I right? It is true for me. Now, as you think about that, think deeper, think about how God has directly lead you into specific directions that have lead you to this point in our life. Yea, you know they are there. They are sometimes hard to explain, because we don't often get a burning bush in the wilderness talking to us like happened to Moses. But, you know them, you remember them and you are thankful that you can see God working in and through your life. That is us keeping our eyes on the one who is invisible. He is visible in our lives, but mainly through how He chooses to work through us in His world. For me it is knowing, for example, that the people that God puts in my path in my daily life, are not there by accident, they are there so that our paths will cross and I have the opportunity to get to know them, influence them or be influenced by them. Seeing the invisible can sometimes be tricky. Ha, there is one of those statements that is small but says a lot! I think the answer also lies in the same verse. The author tells us that Moses, "kept his eyes on" Him. He was LOOKING FOR HIM. This is a lifestyle, this is a walk this is a way of life, everyday. Moses did not know what his future held, but he did know who did hold it, and Moses sought to follow that guiding. A good example for us. Look for the invisible things that God is doing in your life. Expect God to work in your life and then be bold enough and brave enough to follow that direction. You have been doing it, some of us for a very long time, keeping doing it and strive to look more, to see more and to follow more the directions of your maker, redeemer and friend. How blessed we are to have the scriptures. How much more blessed we are to have a Father that loves us, provides for us and waits for us to spend eternity with Him in His presence!! Have a blessed day. Mark

Encouraged

As I sit here this morning, in Leipzig, Germany, after just a little over six weeks of traveling, visiting, making presentations, preaching and enjoying time with family that included being there for the birth of our second and third grandchildren, I can say that I have been so encouraged by our trip back to the states. Seeing family and friends is always very encouraging. Being in worship services in Paradise, California, Edmond, OK, Lawton, OK, and in the Little Rock, AR area were absolutely incredible. One of the most encouraging things for me to realize is the overwhelming feeling that I felt that God's people are breaking out of the mold of "doing church" and really seeking to deepen their individual relationship with our Father. This is something that has been on my heart and mind for me personally. As I consider Jesus response to the question of what is really important, ie, the greatest command in Matt 22, I am reminded that Jesus thought loving God was the most important thing that we can do as we live our lives. He expresses that this is done by using every fiber of our being, physical, spiritual and intellectual. Everything that we have and are to love and serve our Father. Jesus said that was what is important. Continuing to develop our relationship, to grow it, to nurture it, to cultivate it, to spend time and effort doing what we can do to deepen it and make it more real and meaningful in our lives EVERYDAY! But he didn't stop with just that thought, he said that we needed to love others also... those in the family of God and those that are not yet a part of the family. The religious expert only asked for one command, Jesus gave him two. Jesus gave him the answer for our lives. He did not just give him an answer to satisfy his need to "do what he had to do". No, Jesus told him the secret of scripture... It is about love, God is love and we as his children love Him and seek to share and show that love with those that we come in contact with everyday, both in and out of the body of Christ. I think it is sooooo easy to get busy doing good things and forget to spend the time we need and aught to deepening our relationship with our Father. Know what I mean? You have a list of things to do, people to help, lessons to prepare, people to visit... and yet no time to spend with our Father. We need time, in His word for growth and direction, in prayer for communication with Him seeking His guidance and direction and developing a deeper awareness of what it means to be His child, and we need time of silence. A time to listen to what He has to say to us. The last is often, for me, the most difficult. Sitting, not letting the millions of distractions of my world interfere with my personal quite time with my Father. Listening to His direction, seeking to feel and understanding the moving of the Spirit in my life. Why is this so hard? It seems quite simple that if I want to have a deeper relationship with another human being, I must spend time with this person, getting to know them and letting them get to know me... but so much of the time I spend my time talking with my Father, but not so much time seeking to hear Him.Sounds a little one sided, yea? I think so. So, I am striving to find more balance in my relationship with my Father. I spend time talking with Him, but I also spend time in quite, just seeking to hear His direction. Talking and listening, it takes both to have the relationship that we both want to have. I said I was encouraged. I am. I see that people that I had the privilege to visit are seeking the same thing. Making it real, not playing church. Not being a part of a club, but being a family. A family seeking to get to know our God and Father in the deepest possible way. Seeking to share what they are finding with those who do not yet know our Father. I must confess, I am not there yet... I guess it is one of those lifelong journeys. But I am encouraged by seeing how His people are striving to serve Him and get to know Him on a deeper and more intimate and personal level. I have a renewed strength as I too seek to explore how to better my relationship with my Father. I have a friend, that generally the first question he asks you after seeing you is, "How is your relationship with God/Jesus?" That makes some people very nervous... he gets right to the point, right to the heart of the matter, right to what is really important in this world... and he puts you in the hot seat, if it is not being a priority in your life. I have seen people squirm when he asks them, I have also seen people not even flinch, because, even though they feel like they would like to improve, they are walking, talking and listening to the Father in their daily lives. How about you? Where are you at today? Are you ready to take it to the next level? Ready to get to know the Creator in a more intimate and intense way? How is your relationship with your God and Father? I think these are questions that we must ask ourselves on a regular basis. These are questions that we need to be asking each other on a regular basis. So, if you are not where you need/want to be... get busy, start making some changes. If you are doing well, look around you, talk to some other people, ask them the difficult questions and then seek to help them improve and deepen their walk with the Father. Love God, love others... this sums up God's plan for man. How cool is that? Thanks for reading, thanks for considering what I am sharing. Got some input? I would love to hear your ideas, responses, even disagreements. May God bless us as we seek to serve Him, love Him deeper and allow His Spirit to make us into the people He intended for us to be. My you be a blessing to someone this day. Thank you for letting me be a part of your life. Mark

Following directions...

Honestly, not one of my strong points. I tend to try to do something, and when all else fails, read the directions. Did I just say that? Or was that my wife? :-)
Alas... I am learning.
I think about a cabinet that I had bought recently. Here, many times when you buy a cabinet, what we call a Schrank, it is in pieces and you have to put it together. I do love me some IKEA furniture, all the instructions are in picture form. Ha.
But, this cabinet was not from IKEA, so the directions, even though they had a few pics, were mostly words. Ugh. So, Larry was over to help me put it together. We open the box and start to take out all the pieces. Then we start, randomly I must say, to try to fit pieces together. Let's just say that did not last long. We then began to look at the directions. When we followed the directions, well, yes, things went much smoother.

I was thinking about that as I read John 15:1-17 today. Think about these two verses from that section of scripture:

Jn 15:4 Remain in me, and I will remain in you. For a branch cannot produce fruit if it is severed from the vine, and you cannot be fruitful apart from me.
Jn 15:5 “Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing.

Jesus is talking about being connected to God. We are connected to God through Him, Jesus. Notice that in these two verses he states that we can not grow more fruit, personally or numerically, when we are not connected to God through Him. Then he goes on to say that we can do NOTHING if we are not joined to God through Him.

He talks about remaining IN him. How do we do that? How do we stay connected to God through Jesus? Look at verse 10:

Jn 15:10 When you obey me, you remain in my love, just as I obey my Father and remain in his love.

Jesus tells us how to remain IN him, just like He remained IN the Father... by obeying. If we live following Jesus' teachings and examples, we remain in the Father's love. We remain connected to the Father.

Jesus is the greatest instruction manual of all times. He gives us a picture of how to live. He is our living IKEA instruction booklet! When we seek to follow his example, even though we WILL mess up, we are still connected to the Father. That means we are bathed in His love, His grace, His forgiveness and His guidance in our lives. That my friend is GOOD NEWS and a great instruction manual.

May your life be blessed this day as you allow God's word to work in your life.
Mark

I am back...

I do enjoying posting on this blog... even though I do not use it as much as I used to. But when I have thoughts just running through my mind and I cannot seem to get them fleshed out... I often turn here just to ramble. So here it goes...
Tonight is English Bible Study in Leipzig, Germany. I am finishing up on my lesson and one thought leads to another... ever had that happen. ha, of course you have.
We are looking at the Sermon on the Mount. Tonight we will look at Matt 5:21-22. It deals with anger, or really, when you strip away everything, it deals with matters of the heart. Where is your heart? If it is in the right place, we will treat others better. I am always going back to Matt 7:12 when I read about how Jesus is telling us the best way to live. It seems to continue to come to me as a backdrop to all of these things... treating others the way you WANT TO BE TREATED. Jesus is always dealing with our hearts. Encouraging us to do what we do because our hearts are in the right place, with Him. Underlying that thought is the two greatest commands ever given, Love God and Love Others.
When we really, I mean really do this... Love God, Love others, treat others the way we want to be treated... we will have arrived. When we are trying to fulfill these things, we WILL BE BETTER PEOPLE AND THE WORLD WILL BE A BETTER PLACE. A little heaven on earth, because YOU are trying to be a better person, trying to be more like Jesus Christ. Many times I focus on my shortcoming, my failures... today, I want me and you to think about the ways we are loving God, loving others and treating other the right way. Pray about this, think about this and strive to not just do better, but acknowledge that God is working in our lives and He is making a difference in this word THROUGH US! It is high time we give our God and Father some credit for working and making a difference in our lives!
I am not saying be satisfied where you are at, what I am saying is look how far you have come... because of God living in your life.
May God continue, not only to bless you, but continue to make you a blessing to others that you come in contact with this day... THIS DAY.
Thanks for taking time with me today.
Mark

July 2011

I know, I know, it has been forever.
I am taking a course through Harding University, called People Helping. In this course I have been reading about how important it is for our relationship with our Father to be where it needs to be, should be, where He wants it to be, so that we are better prepared to help others. I know, seems simple, but how much time do you dedicate each day to enhancing your relationship with your creator? Do not be offended, I have been asking myself the same question.
One of the things that I have been trying to do, and just for the record it is very difficult for me, is taking time three times each week just to be SILENT. I call it my silent time with God. Going into a room, by myself, and taking a specific amount of time (I am starting with 10 minutes) and just sitting there, with my eyes closed, no one else in the room... except God, and sitting in complete silence. At first you will hear every noise that is in the house. You will hear everything that is going on outside the house, it is as though you have been given the gift of super sonic hearing... but you sit, and you listen. God often comes in a whisper. For me that means it is often soft, subtle and I have to listen hard to hear it. It is also a time for me to experience God. God is timeless, He is not in or bound by time... think on that one a bit. In my silent time, I am not bound by time. Okay, I have committed time to sit quietly, but in this time, there is no time. I know, it sounds a bit different, but it is how I feel. Some days I hear God speak, no I am not crazy. Some days I sit the whole time and fight the urge to pray to Him. I can not hear Him if I am too busy talking to Him.
Anyhow, I do know that this time dedicated to trying to listen to my Father's influence in my life is time well spent. It is not easy, to do, to explain and even to understand, but I do feel it is a time, specifically dedicated to God. It brings me nearer to Him. When I am nearer to Him, I am better prepared to Help Others.
Agree? Disagree? That is okay too! Think I am crazy? Perhaps. But I do want to do what I can to deepen my relationship with my Father. How about you? What ways, what disciplines are you trying to do that bring you into closer contact with God? Let me know, I am interested, both in what you are doing and your response to what I am attempting to do. Thanks and God bless. Until the next time....
Mark

A Very Looong time

The title has nothing to do with today's thought. It has just been a very long time since I wrote something on this blog. What often happens to me is that I have many things to do and so I do not take the time to post a thought on this site. Sort of like not making the time to work on the church Webpage like I want, would like, should do on a regular basis...

So, I was reading today and I came across this verse in John 15. Jesus, having just finished the Passover feast with his disciples and also the washing washing of their feet, continues on in his dialog to them. He is talking about how important it is for them (and us) to stay connected to Him. When we are connected to Him, then we are in fact connected to the Father. Our Father, the creator of the world and ... well, just everything, things we see, know and still cannot grasp or imagine... he is THE CREATOR. So being connected is really important.

I ran on to this verse: Jn 15:7 If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you. As I read that verse, I have to admit, I really liked the tail end of it. ...ask whatever you WISH and it will be given you. Out of the whole verse you see where my eyes went to, or should I say my mind. Hmm, what do I wish for. Perhaps the reason for the draw is because of what time of year it is. Here in Germany it is Christmas Market time. That means tons and tons of little booths with all sorts of Chistmasy things to eat, buy, see and think about for gifts for ... me or someone else for the holidays. I love Christmas time. I wish for a lot of things every Christmas, but I don't get them all. Do you? Okay, digressing here...

As I consider this verse, or I should say reconsider this verse, I notice a couple of things. First, the part that caught my... little boy eyes... is at the end of a sentence. Perhaps Jesus was putting the less important part at the end for a reason. What does he start with? He starts with what I like to call the biggest small word in the world, IF. So, I get the feeling that me getting to ask what I wish for and Him granting that for me is contingent on something. Hmm. I have to remember to take this verse and keep it where it was at, in the middle of a conversation Jesus was having with His followers, about being tied into him and through him being connected to the father, the creator. After the contingency word, Jesus tells us what we have to do. One, remain in Him. Two let His word remain in us. What does this mean for you and me today? This was written 2000 years ago. Jesus has lived, died, been resurrected and has ascended into heaven and we are waiting for his return. How can I remain in him. For me, the two reasons he gave are really intertwined. Remaining in Jesus, is walking with Jesus or walking like we learn that Jesus walked. Being Jesus like. How can we do that, first we do that by letting his word, GOD'S WORD, into our hearts and minds by spending time, not just reading it, but studying it, meditating on it, savoring it and letting it work on our hearts. Letting it change us from the inside out. When we believed what we read in the Bible, and seek to show Jesus that we love him by following what he has instructed us to do, we are remaining in Jesus, we are allowing His word(s) to remain in us. As children of the living God we also have something else, we have the Holy Spirit that lives IN us to help us to grow, help us to understand the things we read, to convict us of those areas that we are not conforming to God's idea of the way to live.

So, as I considered this thoughts this morning, it became quite apparent to me that once I tried to tackle the first part of that verse, when I got the last part, I realized that what I would be wishing for... not a Christmas list from Santa Claus... but the opportunity for God to change me into the person that he wants me to be. To be praying for those people that God puts in my life that do not know him yet, that His spirit will work on their hearts and that he will use me and give me wisdom to be an instrument of his service in these peoples lives.

I am still gonna enjoy Christmas time. I am gonna love getting and giving gifts. But when I WISH for things in my time of prayer with my father through my blessed savior, I am going to ask Him for the things that will further His will in this world. I know what that is, it is simple. It is giving the people of this world who do not know God an opportunity to see him through me. Getting His message of love and grace into a lost world. He wants everyone to come to him, so do I. I want to be up for the task, that is my wish.

God bless you and may you feel his peace in a powerful way this day. Thanks for spending a few minutes with me today.

Mark