Five Things

Good Housekeeping magazine once asked people to list the five things they first noticed when entering someone’s home.  First, they said they spotted piles of mail laying around... second, dust and cobwebs.  Next, a messy bathroom.  Fourth, dishes in the sink... and lastly, full and overflowing trash cans.  

This got me wondering what people notice when they first look into our lives.  Is it the smile on our face? The style of our clothing?  Or is it something else?  How does our heart look?  What words are we sharing?  Galatians 5:22-23 talk about the fruits of the spirit:  goodness, self-control, patience, peace, etc.  Are those the first things people notice about us?  Jesus tells us in Matthew 7 that people will recognize us by our fruit... so lets be sure that our first impression (and every impression thereafter) reflects Christ who lives within us. 

First Place

“They traded the truth about God for a lie. So they worshiped and served the things God created instead of the Creator himself, who is worthy of eternal praise! Amen.”  Romans 1:25

     Back when I was in elementary school, one of the most coveted positions in the classroom was line leader.  Everybody wanted it.  Few got the chance.  It was the coolest job there was.  As you walked, the class walked.  If you stopped at the water fountain, all 24 of your friends did too.  Being first had power.  Head of the line meant something.

Being first was important.  

It still is.  Only now, it isn’t walking in the front of the line... it’s putting the most important thing first in your mind and heart.  We don’t have to wait for a teacher to assign it... we get to pick it ourselves!  We get to decide what leads out in our lives everyday...

Number one matters.

True commitment requires sacrifice.   When it comes to what leads our lives, this couldn’t be more true.  In order for us to commit to making God first... to lead us... to guide us... to light the way...  something/someone that isn’t God needs to be moved from the number one spot and either made to be number 2 or 3... or lower. 

Maybe money’s been your idol for awhile... directing your thoughts and actions.  Perhaps it’s ego... or family... or power... or success... or maybe for you it’s that guilt you’ve started to focus all of your attention on.  Something has been in God’s place in your life and it needs to be given it’s proper position.  I believe that if we are going to change this world for Christ... to reach our God-Potential... to fully commit to God’s plan... we need to make and keep Him first. 

God’s opinion matters... Not the opinion of those who didn’t sacrifice themselves so that I could live eternally.

God’s words are true... Not the words of those who have ulterior motives or are trying to manipulate me

God’s values are perfect... Not the values of a world who couldn’t care less about my morality or thought life.

God’s place is first... Not behind something that fades, rusts, leaves, betrays, confuses, or abandons me.

Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn once said, ““We always pay dearly for chasing after what is cheap.”  I agree with that... time to move the cheap stuff out of the way and replace it with some One priceless.   

Investing

Below the Federal Reserve Bank in New York City sits five stories of priceless gold.  Locked behind a 90 ton steel door… in a maze of over 100 vaults… the precious metal sits protected and safe.  It is said that each vault can house 100,000 bricks of gold… and the total value of the stash?  Tens of billions of dollars per compartment… several hundred billion overall.

It would seem to most people that this gold is very safe.  After all, who could get down there let alone get anything back up.  But no matter how many steel doors you put on a structure, there is still a chance of something turning up missing or stolen.  The Bible talks about our inability to protect our treasure in Matthew 6:19-20 “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal.  But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal.”  Truth is… no matter how secure, put away, taken care of, or protected our stuff on this planet is… it’s still isn’t 100% theft-proof.  Want to have eternal treasure?  Something that lasts forever?  Start building a stockpile in Heaven!  Talk to others about Jesus… invest your resources in the local church…. spend time serving others and taking care of those in need.  It is then that you are generating eternal wealth.  And while it may not glimmer like gold… it is far more valuable.  

Today

Today is exactly 86,400 seconds long.... and it will go by in the blink of an eye.

Look at your day so far... you’re awake... maybe you’ve made some coffee... or a lunch appointment for later.  Maybe you’ve already checked your email, scanned twitter, and clicked the bookmark to join us here on my Facebook page.   Or perhaps it’s much later in your day and you’ve chatted with a client at lunch...or it’s night and you just put the kids to bed.

In any case... time hasn’t stopped or slowed down.  Not even once.  The sun blazed it’s path across the sky at the same rate it always does (except that once in Joshua 10:13).  

My point?  Today’s 86,400 seconds represent more than just things that happen to you. Your day is about more than handshakes, heartbreaks, and YouTube.  Your day was created special... by the Master Day-maker... by the One who cares more about you than anyone... by God.

Just for you.

Nobody on this whole planet has a day like you do.  The faces you’ll see... the words you will say... all unique to you.  Each experience hand-crafted to teach you something, remind you that you are loved, or present you with something that only you can grow from. 

What’s that “something”?  Opportunity.  What will you do with your opportunity today?

Make the most of life?

“Live wisely among those who are not believers, and make the most of every opportunity.”  - Colossians 4:5

Do good for others?

“Therefore, whenever we have the opportunity, we should do good to everyone—especially to those in the family of faith.” Galatians 6:10

Be positive?  Teach someone something? Comfort a friend?  Confront someone lovingly?  Cease a relationship?  Start a new one?  Launch a business?  Take a class?  

You have 86,400 seconds a day to make the most of the opportunities that God has placed on your heart.  Some you will know are coming and you can prepare for... others you will be forced to handle on the spot.  In either case, your decision will move you closer to your God-potential or draw you further away... There are no neutral choices.  

The challenge with opportunity is that we think we have to wait for it to arrive... We’re ready for the thing we think is best for us... standing at the dock waiting for that ship to come in!  Unfortunately...many times while we wait for that ship, opportunity arrives on a plane at the airport.  

And we have to adjust.  And we think we miss it.  And life doesn’t go as we want it to.  And we aren’t ready.  And we think God’s mad at us.  And we think we deserve it.  

God doesn’t see it that way.

Tomorrow morning, God is going to reset the timer and you’re going to get another 86,400 seconds to love, protect, trust, obey, serve, give, cheer, be brave, dive in, high-five, cry, laugh, defend, and follow through.  There might be someone in your path that needs to hear about Christ... or someone who needs to see it modeled in your behavior.  Maybe what you’ve been praying for will come to fruition...or maybe it’s another day when God tells you to patiently wait because He has something better for you.  

Tomorrow you may get the opportunity to break the cycle and be the dad you didn’t have... or you’ll spend your seconds being both mom and dad to your kids.   I don’t know what opportunity you’ll have when God wakes you up in the morning... or even the ones He has planned out for the rest of your today...

What I do know is that you’ll have them... and that 95% of your success in those opportunities... the way you can truly honor God with the way you handle them... is in your perspective.  Winston Churchill said it this way:

“A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty.”  

What do you see ahead?   Walls or windows?  Challenges or chances?   A way to feel sorry for yourself or a way to trust God because you don’t understand?  Sometimes we want to see life-events as punishment for our sins when all God means them to be are chances to grow.  The way we view what happened or what will happen to us can dramatically alter the way we see the size of our God.  

God is NEVER small.  He is all-powerful.  He is all-knowing.  He is everywhere at one time.  

And He has put together a day of chances and challenges that can draw you closer to Him and His will for your life.  It just takes the right perspective and an unflinching focus on loving Christ and loving those He has put in our path.  

The clock is ticking.   Make every second (and every opportunity) count.

Making Good Choices

Some choices we are tough.  

Getting up early to go to the gym isn’t always easy… but it helps me stay healthy.  Prioritizing my family… spending wisely… reading vs. watching TV… quiet time with God… all of these are opportunities for growth that I have to intentionally decide beforehand what I’m going to do or else derail God’s plan for my life. 

But many don’t choose the best way for their lives.  They tend to delay discipline and embrace passivity.   

Life is so much better when we pre-determine those decisions.  What will we do when things get inconvenient, tough, unmanageable, or challenging?  Why delay doing what’s right?

What are you waiting for?

Are you waiting for God to be generous in your life?  Begin the habit of giving with the right heart...  Paul said, “You must each decide in your heart how much to give. And don’t give reluctantly or in response to pressure. “For God loves a person who gives cheerfully.” 2 Cor. 9:7  

Are you waiting for God to answer your prayer?  Remember that His timing is always perfect... He is never late... or early... or forgetful.  Sometimes the answer is wait a little longer... I have something better than you can imagine.  Jesus said, “Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you.”  Matthew 7:7

Are you waiting to have the time?  Do you have more duties than daylight?  Remember, you have the same 24 hours a day that the disciples had... that Einstein had... that everyone who has ever lived on planet Earth had.. it’s what you do with those precious minutes that matters!  Paul said, “Make the most of every opportunity in these evil days.” Ephesians 5:16

The situation may never be perfect.  You may never feel adequately prepared.  You may think your under equipped, ill-resourced, and the wrong person for the job.  You’re in good company:

Jonah, Moses, Gideon, Rahab, Esther... the list goes on... 

But today, God has tapped you on the shoulder.  He wants you to make that positive change in your life.  Share your story with your office.  Defuse the situation with your family.   Be the husband or wife you were designed to be.  Give your child another chance.  Move forward...no, leap forward.  

Today… refuse to live the life you think you deserve and start living the one you were created for.  

The situation may not look perfect... but don’t wait.  God’s got your back.  

Life Speed

The other day I read that the earth spins 1000 times faster at the equator than it does at either one of the poles.  In fact, that’s why rockets are launched closer to the Earth’s midline than further away.  When a spacecraft is launched from around the equator, it is already traveling at a considerably faster speed… thus making it more fuel efficient and quicker to enter orbit.  

Isn’t that true in our lives as well?  The closer we are to the center of things…the faster paced life is.  Some thrive in the environment… while others do whatever they can to retreat to the slower pace of the poles.  But what speed does God want us to live?  

Galatians 6:9 tells us: “So let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up.”  We have to remember that It’s not about the speed of life…it’s about staying at it and not quitting.   There will be times in our lives where we’ll sprint…and others where we’ll jog.  What God is concerned about is our priorities and our perseverance.  At whatever speed you’re living… are we putting Him first?  Are we loving and serving others?  If so… run on.  Don’t give up on the dream that He’s put in your heart long before you were born.  And whatever you do… in whatever season you find yourself in… at whatever speed life is coming at you…. don’t quit.   Breakthrough is coming… and God has big things planned for you!

First

“They traded the truth about God for a lie. So they worshiped and served the things God created instead of the Creator himself, who is worthy of eternal praise! Amen.”  Romans 1:25

     Back when I was in elementary school, one of the most coveted positions in the classroom was line leader.  Everybody wanted it.  Few got the chance.  It was the coolest job there was.  As you walked, the class walked.  If you stopped at the water fountain, all 24 of your friends did too.  Being first had power.  Head of the line meant something.

Being first was important.  

It still is.  Only now, it isn’t walking in the front of the line... it’s putting the most important thing first in your mind and heart.  We don’t have to wait for a teacher to assign it... we get to pick it ourselves!  We get to decide what leads out in our lives everyday...

Number one matters.

True commitment requires sacrifice.   When it comes to what leads our lives, this couldn’t be more true.  In order for us to commit to making God first... to lead us... to guide us... to light the way...  something/someone that isn’t God needs to be moved from the number one spot and either made to be number 2 or 3... or lower. 

Maybe money’s been your idol for awhile... directing your thoughts and actions.  Perhaps it’s ego... or family... or power... or success... or maybe for you it’s that guilt you’ve started to focus all of your attention on.  Something has been in God’s place in your life and it needs to be given it’s proper position.  I believe that if we are going to change this world for Christ... to reach our God-Potential... to fully commit to God’s plan... we need to make and keep Him first. 

God’s opinion matters... Not the opinion of those who didn’t sacrifice themselves so that I could live eternally.

God’s words are true... Not the words of those who have ulterior motives or are trying to manipulate me

God’s values are perfect... Not the values of a world who couldn’t care less about my morality or thought life.

God’s place is first... Not behind something that fades, rusts, leaves, betrays, confuses, or abandons me.

Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn once said, ““We always pay dearly for chasing after what is cheap.”  I agree with that... time to move the cheap stuff out of the way and replace it with some One priceless. 

Only Read This If You Have Time

“For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven...” Ecclesiastes 3:1

Life’s most precious commodity is time.  In the course of one twenty-four hour day, we deal with so much... decide so much... and try to fit in so much.  It’s sometimes amazing how it all happens.  Have you ever looked back at a period of time and wished you could have done more?  Changed something that you really needed to do but didn’t?   Made time for someone that you opted not to?

We’ve all been there.  

  Often we don’t prioritize the important people or things in our lives and they get swept away in the waves of daily routine and stress that inevitably come.   We spend our energy committing to things we have no intention of doing... doing things that are good instead of great... or putting material gain over relational growth with those that matter to us.  A harsh reality... but the pain of regret is far more difficult to deal with than the temporary sting of the word “no” to things of lesser importance.  

Want to memorize scripture?  Put it on your calendar app.  Want to grow closer to your kids?  Carve out family time and promise to let nothing take its place.  Get healthier?  Set the alarm for the gym.  You’ll be surprised at what you can accomplish!   

Once you set your priorities, I guarantee that you can get more done in twenty-four hours of spending time on them... than a lifetime of “when I get around to it.”   

Live intentionally.  Understand the gift of time.  Put first things first.  And give glory to God when it all comes together.   Sounds like the start of a great life plan to me.