Money, a personality trait

OK so we talked about Money this past week at church.  That’s always a great way to get people’s attention.  Especially when everyone is concerned with our economic slowdown.  The name of the series is Bailout, which is unfortunately, how we all look at money sometimes.

We always are waiting for the big payday.  Well just to share a little secret with you…. I had a little payday of my own a few years a go.

Five years a go my parents died and left with me with a little money.  I also had some relatives, who will remain nameless during this piece , that also received some money after the death of my parents.  Here were the differences;

Heather and I were already tithing, they were not.  Heather and I stayed away from debt and just had successfully paid off everything except what we owed for our old cars and house.  My relatives did not have enough to rub two sticks together living from pay check to pay check.  I got a good amount and they got the equivalent of what they were pulling in a year’s time of working.  Plus  they got the two cars and all the home furnishings.

Here is what happened;

Heather and I worked on getting out of debt, which we have done and we continue to keep ot of debt.  First they quit working or trying to work for the next few months. Then my  relatives spent all the money, wrecked both cars and abandoned all the possessions.

Reason….bailout is not the answer.  A reshaping of the attitude of the heart is.  When we begin to learn that it is not our money then we are blessed with more to do more for God and it seems that our margin increases.  It starts with giving back to God what is His.  This is one of the areas that Heather and I started doing early and ever since then we have always had what we needed.  My relatives from this story still have not learned this and they are living the same way.

Discovering God’s Will Part 4

Now here’s the real challenge in understanding God’s will. It’s not that God does not want to communicate with us and that He is not seeking us out. The real problem for most of us is that we do not want to follow through. Jehovah, father, loved you enough to send His son to die so there probably is not a problem with his concern for us.

There is a tendency, though, on our part to say God I want you to show me what you want to do because I would like to consider it. God I have these options and I am really interested in your options so can you put that on my plate so I can consider it along with all my other choices.

Now I have learned this the hard way along with many others of you that when God gives you an option he does not say “If I were you”. When He acts God assumes that there will be participation and action on your part. So God has to wait until you’re ready and for when your answer is not, “give me an option” but “yes, yes, yes!” “Whatever it is you want me to do I will do it!” When you get to that point personally you will hear from God loud and clear. God loves to give direction to His children, not for consideration or deliberation but for participation. He knows when we are ready.

Are you ready to participate?

Discovering God’s Will pt. 3

So, we have the Providential Will of God (those things you don’t have to pray for) and the Moral Will of God (the dos and donts).  When we keep these as our boundaries it helps us to see the

3.  The Personal Will of God

This is that area where we question, should I marry this person, should I take this job, should we buy that house and so on.  We find an example in I Cor. where Paul relates about the personal will of God for his life.
I Corinthians 1:1 “This letter is from Paul, chosen by the will of God to be an apostle of Christ Jesus, and from our brother Sosthenes.” NLT

Paul felt that he was suppose to be an apostle, it was not a calling for everyone but he felt that this was something for him.  Here is another verse you probably will not want to memorize:

I Peter 4:19
“19 So if you are suffering according to God’s will, keep on doing what is right, and trust yourself to the God who made you, for He will never fail you.” NLT

Some Christ Followers are called on to suffer according to the will of God.  It is not the most uplifting news for you and I but there is a purpose for it and there are many other verses like this in the Bible.  But all of the life decisions like jobs, living situations, and relationships, etc.. all fall under the personal will of God.

Now, this next point is very important and you need to understand this in order for the next few blogs to mean anything to you.  Pray over this and ask Him to show this to you.

“The more familiar you become with the providential will of God, and the more obedient you become to the moral will of God, the easier it will be for you to discover the personal will of God.”

We will look at that a little bit more in depth next time.

Discovering God’s Will pt. 2

Ok so last week we started out with understanding God’s Providential Will.  That is the things that He is going to do anyway.  Now we are going to look at the other boundary line which is the Moral Will of God.

2.  The moral will of God.

These are the things that God has given us all as commands.  These are the shalt not’s and you will do’s.  Let’s take for example:

I Thessalonians 4:3-5 “3 God wants you to be holy, so you should keep clear of all sexual sin. 4 Then each of you will control your body and live in holiness and honor-5 not in lustful passion as the pagans do, in their ignorance of God and his ways.” NLT
Well that’s pretty self explanatory

Here is another verse that we probably do not want to memorize:
I Peter 2:13 & 17 “13 For the Lord’s sake, accept all authority-the king as head of state, 14 and the officials he has appointed… “17 Show respect for everyone. Love your Christian brothers and sisters.* Fear God. Show respect for the king.” NLT

In other words obey those in authority over you.  I wonder how many of us have a hard time figuring out the Will of God when it’s in black and white and in front of us.  How many of us out there speed?  Or how about those of us there that are hiding a little something from the IRS?
All throughout scriptures we find the basic moral will of God, the dos and do nots.  So here it is…..The more familiar we become with the moral will of God the more we are able to discern the third aspect of God’s will and that is:

Oh well, wait till next time

Discovering God’s Will pt. 1

For the next few blogs we are going to be looking at the topic of Discovering God’s Will for your Life.  A few weeks a go I felt as if this is what God was wanting me to share with some of our cool volunteers at Oak Leaf Church.  I heard back from a few that it was something that they needed to hear.  I think that it is this way with more folks than what we think.  So we are going to take it from the top as in what’s God’s Will for the world and take it all the way down to what does it mean for me.  I think this will be very eye opening for all of us. Because until we get this we have no idea what it is we are suppose to be doing.  Have you felt that way lately?

So saying that, here we go;

How do we know what it is that we are suppose to be doing?  How do we know the discernible will of God?  How do we hear the voice of God?   I don’t mean so much an audible voice.  I have never heard God like that and I don’t think I want to.  Can you imagine that kind of stuff would mess you up for the rest of your life!

But what we are talking about is the Jehovah, a father, God that is concerned with the decisions we are making.  We need to step back for a moment and stop being so wrapped up in our own lives and see that God has a much bigger and grander scheme than what we know about.  He wants you and me to be an integral part of it and He wants to use us.

Take a look at this really cool verse

Proverbs 3:6 …”in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight”. (NIV)

He will make your paths obvious. He will make it all clear.  This is a promise to us from God the father that when we want to get in on the game plan and be a part of the scheme He will let you know what it is your are suppose to be doing.

According to the scriptures there are three different ways that we can describe the will of God.  That is if we took all the times that the will of God is mentioned in the Bible it would be put in of three categories.

The will of God three different ways:

1.    The providential will of God.
2.    The moral will of God.
3.    The personal will of God.

1.     The providential will of God.
It is the stuff that God is going to do.  You do not have to pray for it because it will happen anyway.

Galatians 4:4-5 4 “But when the right time came, God sent his Son, born of a woman, subject to the law. 5 God sent him to buy freedom for us who were slaves to the law, so that he could adopt us as his very own children.” NLT

Rev. 20:11-15 stated that all of us will be judged.  We do not have to request it.  He is just going to do it and nothing will change His mind.  It was the providential will of God that Jesus would return, that He would raise up the Messiah through the nation of Israel.  God is going to do these things whether we like it or not and it is not hinged on our desire or obedience.

But now here is the interesting point; God uses men and women to fulfill His providential will. (E.g. Mary mother of Jesus, Abraham father of the Israelites, Apostle Paul preacher to the Gentiles, etc…)  As believers the more we recognize the providential will of God the more we can identify and discern His will for our lives.  And the only way to find out His will is to read the scriptures.

We’ll talk about step two next time.

A Good Day…

Sometimes, the days can be long being a pastor and the hours are kind of weird but the pay-offs can be out of this world!

Yesterday, I had the opportunity to hang out with my Journey Group and discuss the topic of bitterness.  This is a huge one for guys, especially when it comes to our relationships with our fathers.  It was a good time for discussion and a good time to begin working on forgiving those that have wronged us.

Then while driving home I got to chat with a great lady about some of her ups and downs in her Journey Group life.  It was a good time to hear her concerns and then begin to encourage and plan with her about what she can do.

Then after the kids were in bed I snuck out to meet with one of my Journey Group coaches.  We had a great time talking a little bit about group and a  lot about what God may be up to in his life.

All in all, even though it was a long day it was a good day.  While driving that night I felt like that I was able to actually be effective in being a pastor.  I was able to mentor, encourage, lead, and challenge people to follow what God is asking them to do with their lives.

I know that I made my Father smile….it was a good day.

It takes more than what you think.

As I have been going through the book of Luke there have been some things that have been sticking out to me.  Things, wouldn’t you believe it, about church stuff.

A lot of us think we have it figured out.   I mean we follow the rules, go to church, we’re  a good citizen, etc…  Along with this we might even be followers of Christ.  So what else is there?  Is there anything else I should be concerned with.  Have I made it and from this point on it is just keep getting better by making sure that my sinful nature stays checked.

Listen to what Jesus had to say;

18 A ruler questioned Him, saying, “Good Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” 19 And Jesus said to him, “Why do you call Me good? No one is good except God alone. 20 “You know the commandments, ‘DO NOT COMMIT ADULTERY , DO NOT MURDER , DO NOT STEAL , DO NOT BEAR FALSE WITNESS , HONOR YOUR FATHER AND MOTHER .’” 21 And he said, “All these things I have kept from my youth.” 22 When Jesus heard this, He said to him, “One thing you still lack; sell all that you possess and distribute it to the poor, and you shall have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.” 23 But when he had heard these things, he became very sad, for he was extremely rich. 24 And Jesus looked at him and said, “How hard it is for those who are wealthy to enter the kingdom of God! 25 “For it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.” 26 They who heard it said, “Then who can be saved?”

Along with following the rules comes the sacrifice.  You see it was easy for this guy to follow the rules and because of his cushy lifestyle he didn’t have to sweat too much.  Then Jesus dropped the bomb on him and basically said that following Him would have to cost something.

Where are you at?  I don’t think this means that having things is bad but you have them for a purpose.  Your ‘stuff’ belongs to God anyway.  Are you ready to give it up.  When you serve does it cost you anything?  Is there a level of discomfort that comes with it?  Or is it easy for you to serve because your life is cushy?

Jesus seemd to put a big emphasis on it (eternal life). Should’nt you?

The Servant Church

Parable of the Dinner – Luke 14

16 But He said to him, “A man was giving a big dinner, and he invited many; 17 and at the dinner hour he sent his slave to say to those who had been invited, ‘Come; for everything is ready now.’ 18 “But they all alike began to make excuses. The first one said to him, ‘I have bought a piece of land and I need to go out and look at it; please consider me excused.’ 19 “Another one said, ‘I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I am going to try them out; please consider me excused.’ 20 “Another one said, ‘I have married a wife, and for that reason I cannot come.’ 21 “And the slave came back and reported this to his master. Then the head of the household became angry and said to his slave, ‘Go out at once into the streets and lanes of the city and bring in here the poor and crippled and blind and lame.’ 22 “And the slave said, ‘Master, what you commanded has been done, and still there is room.’ 23 “And the master said to the slave, ‘Go out into the highways and along the hedges, and compel them to come in, so that my house may be filled.

24 ‘For I tell you, none of those men who were invited shall taste of my dinner.’”

I was reading this story, that Jesus told, the other day and something stuck out to me.  You see, most would agree that this is a parable that teaches that Jesus came for the Jews first and when they didn’t care the good news it would be shared with the Gentiles, that’s everyone else and that’s good news for us.

But what I noticed is what the servant was doing for his master.  To me, and I say this is totally from my head and should not be taken as some type of commentary note, the role of the servant is what caught my eye.  He was the go between, the one that got the message out.

The servant, I took it was now the church, let’s say Oak Leaf.  Here’s what I think should be going on.

• We’re suppose to be the interceder between the world and God.
• The message is for everyone not just those of our preferences.
• We should already know the mind of God and be about doing His will before He even asks us to do something.

It is a tough role to be the servant.  Are you up for the challenge?

The Danger of Falsehood

Two weeks a go Ray Boltz comes out and admits he’s gay, you can read about it here.  I don’t have a problem with this, as a matter of fact if the story stops there it’s fine.  I mean we all have things that are hidden and then we bring out these things for others to see.  Maybe it’s out of guilt or we need some closure to things and I get that.  What I don’t get, well let me rephrase that, what I unfortunately get is that we (the world) believe that this makes it alright.

One of my best friends did the same thing.  I already knew he had some tendencies and I knew he would probably never be rid of these feelings he had.  He got married, had two kids, then decided to let his spouse know that he was ‘living’ a gay lifestyle.  Even after this I ‘still’ accepted him and said I would stand by him through this.  Instead of facing the problem he left his family to pursue this lifestyle.  I guess I should have believed that this was alright too.

I can’t do it.  Am I angry?  Yes.  Is it because he left his family?  Yes, but that’s not all of it.  You see, like I said we all have things in our closet or things that we deal with. He left me, his friend.  I was a fellow Christ follower living day to day with temptations.  Normal everyday thoughts that come into your head that you have to fight against.  What is the difference between my friend and you or me?  What is the difference whether it is heterosexual or homosexual tendencies.  Why is the guy that comes out of the closet being gay should be understood and allowed to live a lifestyle the way he wants?  What is the difference if I want to leave my wife for another woman?  God made me that way and you should accept it.

I am upset because he gave up.  He left the game and left me on the field.  Guys, go after your friends.  Don’t let them skip out on the game easily.  The price is way too high.

Always be Aware!

Apostasy…Now that is strong word.  I mean, it is basically being a false teacher, leading people away from God instead of to Him.  As a pastor/teacher I am held to a higher responsibility than most.  That concerns me a lot.  No one wants to be accused of leading others astray.  And no one wants to have to face a God that is going to hold you responsible and accountable for it.

When I first became a pastor I was coming out of an age of self-discovery and of redefining who I am.  The greatest experience I had during this time, besides marrying my awesome wife, was getting a degree in Mental Health Counseling.  At that time I thought this was my way of helping people and I was good at it.  I actually had an act for it but now at the other end of the road I think it was as much for me as it was for others.  It helped me take a good look at myself and know who I am.

I am a sinner.  I am out for myself.  I like pleasing me.  I am just like everyone else…

Because of being able to see this more clearly I now can watch out for it all the more.  Which brings me back to that Apostasy word.

Everything I do now in ministry is tainted with questions; “What does it do for me?”, “How does it make me feel?”  “Who is this for?”

When I ask these questions it helps me weigh my motives and sets the path for decision making.  It also helps in talking with others because I am wondering about their motives as well.

If you are one of the cool people I work with let’s always be aware of our motives. If you are a leader be especially careful because we are also responsible for others.  Because at Oak Leaf you know what our call is; “Leading people from where they are to where God wants them to be.”  God wants them closer to Him and if we get in the way there will be consequences.