God's Little Pencil

Mother Teresa once said, “"No one thinks of the pen while reading the letter. They only want to know the mind of the person who wrote the letter. That's exactly what I am in God's hand--a little pencil."

When you woke up this morning… how did you see yourself? The star of your own one-act play called life? A doormat? A VIP? Or maybe as someone who is insignificant in the grand scheme of things. In any case, I want to assure you this morning that you matter. You were put on this earth for great things. But that greatness might not be for what you think.

You weren’t put here on this planet to be great for your own sake but for God’s.

God must get bigger and we must get smaller.

Scripture says it this way in John 3:30 “He must become greater and greater, and I must become less and less.”

Let that sink in a second. Life isn’t about you. It isn’t about me either. We are tiny pencils writing God’s story that will impact the world. Some of us will write beautiful stories of love, sacrifice, dedication, and a willingness to serve others. Others will defy God and scribble out a message of selfishness and greed. Which are you?

God wants to write a new chapter for this world using you. Are you willing to let Him? Are you able to accept your role as HIS pencil and not your own? Are you ready to surrender your agenda for Christ’s? Today, take a minute and thank God that He uses broken pencils like you and I to impact His creation for good.

Impacting Others

Jackie Robinson was the first African-American person to play major league baseball. Breaking baseball’s color barrier, he faced jeering crowds in every stadium. Players would stomp on his feet and kick him. While playing one day in his home stadium in Brooklyn, he made an error. The fans began to ridicule him. He stood at second base, humiliated, while the fans booed. Then, shortstop Pee Wee Reese came over and stood next to him. He put his arm around Jackie Robinson and faced the crowd. The fans grew quiet. Robinson later said that arm around his shoulder saved his career.

Encouragement means so much.  Sometimes it’s verbal... a word of affirmation or a compliment.  Yet other times, it’s not.  It can come in the form of a hand squeeze, a wink, a pat on the back, or in Jackie Robinson’s case, an arm over the shoulder.  Regardless of how it is conveyed, everyone needs to be encouraged.  The Bible talks about it in 1 Thessalonians 5

Vs.  11 “So encourage each other and build each other up, just as you are already doing.”

Throughout the course of your life you will talk with many people.  Some will be closer than others... but all will be affected by the conversations.  What kind of impact are you having on them?  Are you building them up?  Helping them see their potential?  Reminding them of their value?   God has called us to do so.   There are enough people in this world trying to boo and jeer those you love.  Refuse to be one of them.  Choose to shine your light on the good things... point them out... lift them up... and encourage those around you to believe in themselves again.  It’s love like that that will change the world. 

Copy

“Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.”  Romans 12:2

A story is told about a couple of guests visiting the White House during the presidency of Calvin Coolidge.  As they sat at the dinner table, they watched the president pour coffee onto a saucer.  Thinking that was odd, the guests didn’t want to be rude so they copied him.  He then added coffee and cream to the mixture... the guests did the same.  Finally, without hesitation, the president of the United States bent over and put his saucer on the floor for the cat.  The guests sat there shocked... 

Many of us act the same way... We do things without knowing why or where they will lead us.  The Bible tells us to be careful of this... in Romans 12, Paul tells us not to copy the behaviors and customs of the world... but to let God steer our thoughts.  When Christ is guiding us... we end up in the center of His will for our lives.  Not pouring coffee for the cat... but making the impact we were created for!

Reach, Impact, Elevate

“For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places. Therefore, put on every piece of God’s armor so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil. Then after the battle you will still be standing firm.”  Ephesians 6:12-13 

Maybe you’ve heard the ancient story of Achilles... a great warrior and hero of Homer’s Iliad.  As legend tells it, his mother dipped him into the magical river Styx when he was a boy.  Holding him by his heel and lowering him under, she knew that immersing him in this body of water would make him invincible.  It worked.... Achilles became a strong warrior that couldn’t be defeated in battle.  However, he did have one weak spot.  Where?  You guessed it... the only spot that didn’t get dipped... his heel.   The one spot that his mother failed to cover in the magical water would be the exact place an arrow would land and sink in... killing Achilles.  This fictitious hero of legend was felled by a weak spot he didn’t even knew he had.

In Ephesians 6:12-13, we read that we, too, are in a battle.  And the enemy that fires his arrows is relentless and has great aim.  His sights are set on the areas of our lives that aren’t covered in armor.  His goal?  To take us down... to neutralize us by exploiting where we struggle.  

Where is your achilles heel?  For many, the struggle is generosity.  

We hold tightly to what we have in fear of not having enough.  We give what’s left over because we don’t trust.  We forget that giving to the local church is an act of obedience… of faith… and reveals whether or not we trust what God says in His word about provision.  

Do we really believe the Bible?  Are we in love with the parts that make us feel good and skim the parts that challenge us to stretch?  Why did Jesus talk so much about money?  Because He knew that it would be the one area that exposes many to the attacks of the enemy.  And the devil is a good shot.

How do we protect ourselves?  We simply have to have a plan. 

This weekend could be the start of a brand new plan for your life.  Everyone that calls Potential Church home has the opportunity to start the Temple Centurion journey… giving an offering above their normal tithe…  

Our Goals through Temple Centurion?

TO REACH:  BRING TRUTH TO NEW PLACES – Our vision is to change the world through 50 influential campuses across the globe.

TO IMPACT:  SHARING HOPE WITH THOSE IN NEED – We’re passionate about impacting beyond our walls to invest into our communities.

TO ELEVATE:  CREATING SPACES TO CONNECT WITH GOD – We strive to create and maintain spaces where people feel comfortable and welcomed.

As the weekend quickly approaches, I want to challenge you to pray, fast, and talk together as a family about this.  How can you get involved?  What is God whispering to your heart? 

I know this.  When we are generous with what God trusts us with… we receive blessings from Him.  And maybe one of the biggest blessings of all is knowing that the enemy can’t take us down by the achilles heel of giving.  Are you ready to put on that piece of armor?  Let’s get stronger together…