Reputation

I struggled with things through out my life. With my racing, I often struggle with how my race car looks, how it runs and how fast it is. Pride gets in the way and I want it to be faster, I want to spend money building a bigger motor, and making more horse power just to be able to say that it is faster. But, the reality of the matter is in the type of drag racing I do it doesn't matter how fast your car is, it's how well you know the car and how well you drive. This is a great point to ponder as I think of reputation and how it affects us.
ANother thing is every time I have someone knew find out that I drag race they usually ask 2 questions, where and how often do you win? Neither of those questions involve how fast the car is or what it looks like.
It's the same way with our lives. People are looking at our performance and our reputation/integrity. Very few people will be concerned with how much money we have, how powerful we are at work, and how big of a portfolio we have(I don't even have one). People judge us and make decisions about us based on what, our name. When the name Jeff Gatlin comes up in conversation(which I am sure is a rarity) people will immediately talk about me in terms of my actions and my reputation. They won't think much about how poor I am, how I look or maybe even how I talk or act. They'll look past that and immediately I am known by my reputation. In Proverbs the 22nd chapter this is addressed right off the bat in the first verses.

Proverbs 22:1
1 A good name is more desirable than great riches; to be esteemed is better than silver or gold.2 Rich and poor have this in common: The Lord is the Maker of them all.3 A prudent man sees danger and takes refuge, but the simple keep going and suffer for it. 4 Humility and the fear of the Lord bring wealth and honor.

A good name is more desirable than great riches, your reputation and your integrity being intact are far greater than any amount of money you may gain by tarnishing them. THere is nothing in this world worth trashing your name and your reputation for, nothing. If we are seeking true wealth we need to look at verse 4 and understand that it comes from humility and more importantly fear of the Lord. The fear of the Lord comes from being humbled by what He has done in your life, and for you in advance. Understanding grace brings about humility, which brings about true wealth, which ends in a good reputation which is the greatest thing you can possess in life. So guard your name, create for yourself a great reputation and all the other things will slowly fall into place.
THanks for reading, I may not be able to blog over the next few days as I will be in Orlando on business. So if not, have a great week and weekend and hope to see you soon!

Tuesday

Yeah, yeah I know I mixed up the blogs yesterday. I put them both on the wrong blog, it's just a testament of what my weekend was like. And by the way, it was Monday, you can't judge on Monday morning it' just not right!
So I got up and read My utmost for His Highest this morning. I'm not really sure why because I usually read it in the afternoon or around lunch time. It was an interesting one that fits well into what I am studying about prayer in my usual quiet time. Revelation 1:7 says, behold He is coming with clouds....
I think it is interesting that we read that, clouds are usually a sign of some type of disturbance in the weather systems. If they are dark it is a sign that you are about to get wet, if they are white, they are many times still a disturbance in the sun's ability to light us up here on earth. Either way, they are disturbances blocking out the light and changing the atmosphere. It tells us that God is coming down with the clouds. Interesting isn't it that we don't always associate God with hard times or trials. THere's something else that I don't think we pay a lot of attention to.
We hear often that when we are in trials God is using them to help us learn something. There is something in that "cloud" or trial that is leading us to grow closer to Him. That is a partially correct statement.
God is in the trial and He is allowing it to happen so that our faith grows. But, He is trying to unlearn something in our lives. Many times our trials are involving money, financial burdens, or even loved ones. If we are struggling financially it very well may be that God is trying to help us to lose our dependency on monetary things for comfort. We find comfort in knowing that our bills will be paid, that our house, car and utilities are taken care of. But is that really where we should find our greatest comfort? No, certainly not. Many times we are being tested as we are losing a loved one to death or illness, we find our greatest comfort and our greatest relationship to be in other humans sometimes and God is trying to help us build into a trusting relationship with Him.
We must find our greatest comfort in God, and our greatest relationship must be with Him as well. Until, we get to that point, the clouds aren't just going to be a regular occurrence in our lives, they are a needed occurrence in our lives.
So put your trust in Him, and make Him your closest friend and you will understand every trial that comes your way, and the clouds won't be so dark from that point on.
Have a great day and God Bless!

Interesting weekend

I had what many would consider a boring and downer of a weekend. As I look back on it I made some major strides in some important areas.
Friday night our softball game got cancelled(even though it quit raining by 4:00) and that left me with no plans. I was at home with ALexa and P.J. and we watched a lot of Nickelodeon and played some games. It was a great night despite not sticking with the original plans.
Saturday we got up and Alexa went with one of my co-workers to watch dolphins and Tara went to work at 7:00 am. I chose to stay up rather than go back to sleep and I got a lot of reading and praying done. I was able to go into the living room and just sit in complete peace(a rare thing in our house) and read, study and pray. More importantly listen to God and just allow my mind and my body to shut down and listen to God.
I got P.J. up and we were off to a funeral for a lady that lived in the Homeless Coalition while I was there. She had faught with cancer for a long time, and most importantly she had loved the Lord. She was neat, came from a rough background, had lived an extremely rough life and was thankful that God loved her anyway. She was a major part of me actually understanding God's grace to the extent that I do as I talked with her in the mornings and saw her come to grips with God's grace. It was a great funeral and I was glad I attended.
After that we hit the pool, then had Aaron and Megan over for dinner and a movie. It was a great night of just hanging out and getting to know each other a little better. I believe that God has big plans to use them in our church's growth over the next several years and I am thankful God sent them into our lives.
Sunday morning was a morning I must confess that I struggled somewhat. The words of Armando Silverio were the only thing I could hear ringing through my head. He told me when I first started in youth ministry as I struggled with numbers regularly something I will never forget. "If you have 8 children, and only 3 of them show up for dinner, won't you feed them?" I knew this SUnday would be the smallest crowd we have ever had at Freedom, and yet God empowered me and used me to deliver on a message that has been on my heart for a while. I didn't do so wishing this family, or that person was there(which is a major breakthrough for me). Summer time is rough and I man times selfishly, find myself looking forward to school starting back.
Although, I must confess I am thankful for families that spend time together which is becoming less of a trend in today's world.
Have a great day and God Bless!

Ask, seek, knock

Luke 11:9-10 for me is one of the most mis-understood passages in the Bible. We stop with the part where it says "ask and you shall receive." SO there's my problem, I don't have everything I want or need because I haven't asked yet. Problem solved, I asked it will be here tomorrow.
"So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened."
Jesus makes several statements here, but there are 3 words to focus on. Ask, seek and knock. One of those alone will not do the trick. Jesus is telling us to ask, talk to God and let him know what your desires are. He knows them already, but it is important that we voice them to Him on a regular basis.
Seek, seeking involves active praying. You can't just pray once and call it seeking. Seeking out God's will is a process that changes you on a daily or weekly basis. I can honestly say that I don't pray the same, or even for the same things I did even just a year ago. Why? Because God has changed my desires through my prayer life not the other way around. I think far too often we think of the widow who wore down the judge in one of Jesus' stories. She plead so often that finally the judge gave her the freedom she had plead for so many times. Prayer to God is different, in that He will change us as we seek His will.
But we have to knock. If you are really looking for someone you don't just knock on their door and if they don't answer walk away. We knock again or ring the door bell. If we want to get inside of God's will for ourselves we must knock, ask and actively seek it. As we do so our prayer life, our relationship with Him and our lifestyles will change drastically.
Here's how I heard it explained one time. God does not have to be waked or cajoled into giving us what we need--many gifts he bestows on teh ungodly and ungrateful; but his choicest blessings are reserved for those who will value them and who show their appreciation by asking until they receive. I think that pretty much sums it up for us.
So remember, ask, seek and knock and God will with time reveal to you His perfect and pleasing will for your life.
have a great weekend!

Rollercoaster road to Humility

So I am on this official journey, seeking to find my utmost ability to be humble. Throwing my pride out the best that I can and following God. Yet the rollercoaster that has staggered me over the past week is almost numbing. I have never hit so many highs and lows in a two week period.
It all started about a month ago when I realized that several of the kids I needed to step up and be leaders weren't even going to camp. Then at the last minute I get one of our most promising leaders back on board for camp. We go to camp and it's moving and amazing as it always is. We see lives changed, hearts touched and people re-united with their passion for God.
Then I get home last week and find out that I didn't even get paid for the week I was at camp because of a misunderstanding in our handbook at the Betty Griffin House. (We're already about a paycheck behind this summer now a half paycheck to top it off) I get that behind me, scrape Tara up off the floor and we move on knowing God will take care of us. Sunday morning is the most amazing Sunday in quite a while as well worship together, and allow our young people to touch our hearts through their experiences at camp and over the past few weeks. We seem to be on the right path finally and then last night we have the smallest group I have had in a long time at youth. I'm fumbling for ways to even describe how I am feeling and then I march right through the lesson I had prepared on Psalm 16 and one part that I had forgotten putting in was PRoverbs 5:3 I believe.
Trust in the Lord with all your heart, lean not on your own understanding, in all your ways acknowledge Him and He will make your paths straight.
Duh! The rollercoaster is simply caused by my emotions. The path is perfectly straight, there is not one doubt in my heart when I spend time alone with God daily that I am where he wants me to be right now, and I am conforming to His plans and not my own. But, it's when I start thinking big and working toward big things that I get knocked off the path of my own doings.
So when you're feeling the rush of rollercoaster living, ask yourself if you are living in God's will. And, if you are, it's a sure thing that the path is straight and you are making it a rollercoaster of your own emotions. Stay trusting in Him, throw out your own feelings for the matter and let Him guide you. The end results will be far greater than the lows you endure in the middle.
Have a great day and thanks for reading!

Old Testament Humility

If you asked me who two of the more humble people in the Old Testament were I would most likely respond with Job for #1. Here's a guy who has everything in the world but doesn't seem to acknowledge it. He stays even keel on a path toward a personal relationship with God. My second choice may not be a popular one but it's a great one, Habakkuk. Hab as I will refer to him is a great example of how our suffering and response to hard times molds us into humble people.
Think about the last time you thought you were really suffering, you were in a state of Chicken Little where it seemed as though the sky was faling on you. Your whole world seemed to be crashing in around you. Are you there? I am, I have no problem flashing back not so long ago to a time when these feelings overwhelmed me.
Let's take a look at Hab and his world changing suffering that he encountered. In the first chapter he seems to be somewhat whining to God. In Habakkuk 1:2 He says, "Oh Lord, how long shall I cry for help, and You not hear me? Be honest, you've felt this way haven't you. I think everyone at some point has had a cry on their heart that overtook their prayer life and impatiently expected results right then. Habakkuk is there, but he seems to stop after this prayer. He decides that it is in God's hands and he passes it on to Him. He waits, quietly knowing that the Babylonians are about to destroy them, still he waits quietly for the Lord.
God tells him that they are going to lose everything they have, yet Habakkuk's response in chapter 3 will blow your mind!
Chapter 3:17-18 say, "Though the fit tree should not blossom, nor fruit be on the vines, the produce of the olive fail and the fields yield no food, the flock be cut off from the fold adn there be no herds in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord; I will take joy in my salvation."
Their whole being, their food, their resources, their livestock, everything is about to be destroyed by the Babylonians and he says what? Yet I will rejoice in the Lord; I will take joy in my salvation. Wow!
What is it that I use to humble myself when I think I am suffering too much? I would hope it's the place that you put yourself when things are crashing in and a pity party is on the horizon. The cross!
You see if you put yourself at the foot of the cross, and truly acknowledge and feel the way it takes away all of your pride and entitledness you will be truly humbled. Why am I so moved by Job and Habakkuk? They can't do that. They don't have the illustration and the experience that we do in the Cross. They can only glory in God and His promises, no Jesus to this point, no sinless example of life lived to God's Glory, no cross, no resurrection and yet they humble themselves in understanding what they deserve. That says a lot, if we can't humble ourselves with the example of Christ's life and death then we certainly can't put ourselves in a league with these 2 guys Job and Habakkuk. Hab doesn't only rejoice in the suffering, he's doing it with a promise from God that more is coming.
Do you remember suffering like we talked about earlier? Do you recall a time when things were bad and you knew they would get worse? How did you handle it? Did you take joy in God's promises? Did you put yourself at the foot of the cross?

Can't carry a mirror

So we discussed yesterday the cream cheese scenario. We discussed how important it is to use God's Word to get rid fo the cream cheese that is sometimes all over our faces. But today I want to talk to you about something equally as important. Having people around you who will care for you, love you and let you know when that cream cheese is there. I'm talking about real community. You've got to surround yourself with other believers who care about you, pray for you and give you godly advice on a regular basis. The best place to find that is at church. You need to belong to a church who demonstrates through its members these qualities.
You don't just need to belong, but you need to cultivate relationships within that church and make sure you're helping others find the cream cheese as well. You must be willing to do this lovingly however, no one wants to feel like they are on trial all the time. Everyone, does appreciate godly advice in timely situations however.
Proverbs 12:15 tells us, "The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, but a wise man listens to advice."
When I read this book for the first time about 4 or 5 years ago I wanted this community, it did not exist where I was at. I started cultivating it in those closest to me. I started it with Amber Lowe who was helping me with youth. We were riding in the car on the way to the PRomise Radion Station to get a packet to put together a scavenger hunt for free tix to night of joy. I told AMber about wanting that community in my life because it was missing in our current setting. I told her I wanted her to be real honest with me when I did something questionable or that she didn't think was a good idea. (I started with her because we all knew she could handle that job, hahaha! We love you AMber) So anyway I now have about 20 or so people many who still attend our old church who I can sit down with and get real honest answers about blemishes in my life and I am thankful for every one of them. The majority of those people however, are in our new church family at Freedom Baptist and they are cultivating this type of realness and honesty in their walk with others in the body and I love it!
So get your pride out of the way, let godly people advise you and you'll be on your way to building community. More importantly you'll be on your way to living a life that is pleasing in the eyes of God. By allowing His Word to convict you and other believers around you to help in the molding process we set ourselves up to really be used by God. In admitting your faults you are far more usable in the reaching of lost souls than if you act righteous in that of yourself. You must show weakness for non-believers to get it, to truly get it. No one wants to feel like they have to become perfect to get into a community, or for that matter to become a Christian. Being a Christian isn't about being perfect, or even about trying to appear perfect. It's about allowing God to mold us and make us into what He created us to be. It's about letting God use the people He put into our lives to remind us of our sinfulness and our need for His grace and mercy. It's about a relationship with Jesus Christ so pure, that we fell inadequate on a daily basis.
So find that "community" in your life and dive in, let them show you your blemishes and make sure you help them too, but remember do it with your heart and don't judge lest you be judged!

Carrying a mirror

C.J. Mahaney shares a story that is a great illustration of the importance of God's Word and Community. I'm talking about genuine community and not just community. First I want to talk about the importance of God's Word.
God's Word is to be a mirror revealing all of our shortcomings and not just something we pick up and read. We should be convicted every time we read our Bibles, convicted because of our sin, our fleshiness(not sure if that's a word) and our pride. The Word of God doesn't just act as a map pointing us to the way we should live, it actively shows us the way we are living.
Mahaney shares a story of sitting in a small cafe outside of a business district. He sits down and orders some coffee and a bagel. While he's there he scans the room and sees a gentleman sitting at a table alone. He has a briefcase, a very nice and expensive suit and a very shiny pair of shoes on. He notices that this man must be someone very important somewhere. He is a very distinguished looking man who the workers in the cafe seem to respect greatly.
The man orders a cream cheese bagel and a coffee. He sits quietly seeming to play out the day ahead in his mind and enjoys his breakfast. The man eats rather quickly and is finished before C.J. and his company. As the many lays his napkin on the table he has several of the employees of the cafe come buy and call him by name, wishing him a great day, and telling him they will see him tomorrow. Clearly, he is a regular and that is part of his daily routine. As he stands he turns to grab his coat and smiles at Mahaney and gathers his things. He walks out the door and as he passes Mahaney's table it becomes very clear to Mahaney that the man has a glob of cream cheese in his mustache. How sad, Mahaney thinks that no one even mentioned that to him, some out of fear, others out of lack of care. No one told him and he was off in his expensive Armani suit and shoes with his briefcase tucked neatly under his arm and his hair all neatly in place with a big glob of cream cheese on his face.
What a perfect picture of what we as believers need from God's Word and from other believers. We need to have God's Word act as a mirror, because we all see the faults in others but we need God's Word to reveal to us the shortfalls in our own lives. We need something unwavering, unchanging and perfect to reveal our faults and only God's Word and a relationship with our Creator and Savior will suffice.
So spend time in the Word daily, use it to reveal your faults so that you can share this humbling experience with others.

One more thing to focus on this weekend

In the 8th chapter of his book on Humility, C.J. Mahaney brings up and interesting point to ponder. He states that we should, "look for evidences of grace in the lives of others." He says that if we do that we will focus on the fruits of the spirit which are :Joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. How is this practice humbling in the least you ask?
Focusing on these things will help you to do 2 things, first of all it will show you God at work all around you in the lives of people you are closest to. Secondly, it will allow you to understand God a little better.
Think of the people who are the strongest Christians who surround you. THink of some of the things you have either said or done to them in the past and focus on how they treat you. Most likely, they treat you with several of the fruits of the spirit. If they do, knowing what you have done to them, how you have acting toward them, or even how you have thought toward them do you deserve the way they treat you. Did they treat you with peace, patience and kindness? Are they a faithful and gentle friend exhibiting self-control? If so that can only be because of God at work in your life and in theirs. Otherwise none of those would be an option.
Now we've looked at the fruits of the Spirit, how about the gifts of the Spirit. These are equally important in seeing and comprehending God at work in your life. When you can see the fruits of the spirit and the gifts of the spirit at work in the lives of others you can fully understand how humbling it is that God would use sinners such as us. Come on now, you know when you are around certain people, other Christians you think about the mistakes they've made in the past. You atleast allow your mind to wander off to that time when you watched them fall, or you fell with them. Yet, God continues to use them right there in that place. ANd, even more amazingly He continues to build a relationship with and use you, the very person who has sinned tremendously, and the very person who may not have forgiven someone else for there shortcomings.
So think about the fruits of the Spirit, then look for the gifts of the Spirit in those around you and allow God to show you He is at work all around you. USing sinners such as yourself to accomplish big things for His kingdom on a daily basis.

humility is also

So I'm still working my way through C.J. Mahaney's book on Humility. It's a great read, it's the kind of book I would usually finish in about 2 days, but this time I'm taking it slow so I can focus on it, and let it all soak in.
Humility is also giving God your complete day. It's turning your thoughts and actions over to Him from the moment you get up each day until you back to sleep. The more dependence we show Him, the more humble we will become. If we start our day by praying for humility and letting God know we want to give Him 100% of the glory for the day then we better live in a way that we can glorify Him.
We also need to cast all of our cares on Him. A day, and a life filled with anxiety is a day that shows little or no humility. When our lives are filled with anxiety and worry we are attempting to take control of things we have no control over. We need to turn all of that control(or attempt to have it) over to the only person who can control it and that is God. So start your day off by giving God the glory, giving Him complete control over your day, and most importantly give Him all the gratitude you can give.
Mahaney brings up an interesting point in that we are most humble when we are sleeping. Atleast that is the way I view it, when we lay our heads down at night we are placing all of our trust in that bed to hold us, our locked doors to keep us safe, and our bodies(God's finest creation)going and sustaining life through the night. Not one of us rests at night thinking about breathing, about our organs keeping going, or even about our safety. There will be those times when worry sweeps over us in one of these areas but it will not win. Our tiredness will win every time and we will be fast asleep fully relying on God. What if we spent our days like that? What if our days were worry free, and totally dependent on God. They can be if we'll follow this small step in giving God the glory, and casting all of our cares on Him. This will make the day more meaningful for us, and give us a better chance to live for Him without anxiety and worry rearing their ugly heads.

Humility is

So I closed yesterday with the statement of what Humility is. That definition and much of my thoughts this week come from a book I am reading entitled, "Humility, True Greatness." It's written by C.J. Mahaney who is considered one of the top pastors and theological thinkers of our time. That definition was:
Humility is honestly assessing ourselves in view of God's holiness and our sinfulness. Humility is those times when we come to grips with the fact that we are totally and completely inadequate for anything we attempt to accomplish outside of the power of God.
One thing C.J. says we have to come to grips with in order to gain true humility is the ransom that was paid. In Biblical times if a servant's ransom was paid they now belonged to a new owner and were indebted to the new person who had paid the ransom. As sinners we technically belonged to the world, but once Jesus CHrist died on a cross and raised again we became in debt to Him alone. To fully understand that is to allow God to instill in our lives a true reality of what Humility is. To come to grips with the amount of sin still in our lives as new creations in debt to a Savior is very important. Until we realize the debt, what the debt meant, and how it was truly paid for we cannot experience the true greatness of owning a Christlike humility.
Look at the lives of James and John two of JEsus' closest followers and strongest leaders. They were completely full of pride, so much so that they argued over who was the greatest among the disciples. They were comparing themselves to the other disciples and figuring one of them was a shew-in for the greatest disciple award. They were both accepting MVP awards from their leader in their own minds. We already discussed what they said and how Jesus reacted yesterday, but at some point each of them changed completely.
They went from prideful, self-confident MVP's of the disciple world to completely humble servants of Christ. In part because of what Jesus said to them during their argument but mainly because of one major event in their lives. In the Epistles of John he is a completely different man, later we see James and how much he has changed. Pride doesn't even seem to rear its ugly head, and as for self-confidence there is none to be found after one certain event. Have you guessed what that event was? Jesus death on the cross. After Jesus died on the cross they fully understood their sin, their pride and most importantly their place. Once they had been ransomed from sin they were completely new people.
So, if you truly want godly and biblical humility you need to look at the cross. Until you see yourself as an endentured servant ransomed from sin and from flesh you will never acheive such humility. Sure you can be humble in the world's eyes, but is that really worth anything? I don't think it is.

What humility is not

I want to spend a few days talking about humility. I shared with the church family on Sunday and in a recent blog that I feel my greatest need is for more humility. It's funny because several people have told me that they feel that is my greatest asset, my humility. The more I study it, the more I realize that I am not humble by any means. Humility is not what we think it is. In the world's eyes we may be humble, but the true measure is where we fit on that scale in God's eyes.
Humility is not denying that we are great at something. It is not putting our head down and saying, "Oh that was nothing, or I had nothing to do with it" when someone sends praises your way. It also is not measured according to how you do as opposed to others.
Humility is not measured man to man. If you measure anything you do, in any way towards what man is doing there is no humility in that. Yes, I do think I am more humble than most. Yes I do feel that I do my best to draw attention away from me, and point people towards Christ. Yes, I do long for people to remember the words of Christ and not my own. And in the very statement of such things is my lack of humility. I know a lot of pastors who walk around in their suits, with their hairspray and cologne on. Wearing their expensive shoes, watches and cufflinks. I'm not one of them, therefore I am clearly more humble than they are. I know a lot of pastors that would never go on a youth camp trip and room with other kids, spend the whole night hanging out and listening to them and watching sports with them. I know of a lot of pastors that would never climb in a van that has a rusted top, seats falling apart, and won't go over 60 and pick kids up in the worst parts of town just so that those kids have an opporunity to experience Christ for one hour every WEdnesday night. I know of a lot of pastors who would have taken a job at a small church such as Freedom, and immediately put their name on the sign as prompted by everyone as if that is the key to growing a church. I am clearly more humble than they are. I'm sure you will agree.
There's our human problem. We measure flesh versus flesh and take our crown of humility for the fact that we are more humble than those around us. I can go on and on telling you examples of how humble I truly am, and in doing so I am telling you my weakness is humility and I'm using the wrong scale.
In Mark 9 the disciples are arguing over who is the greatest. Jesus tells them to be greatest they must become a slave to all. At this time a slave was the lowest form of all humanity, and Jesus tells them to be humble in the world's eyes is to become the least of all humanity. BUt, to become great in God's eyes is truly to become the least of all humanity.
Humility, have you got it? Do you really know what it is, and how to measure it? I want to share that with you over the next few days.

Be still!

So I'm still flying high after yesterday's service. We had an amazingly moving experience with God yesterday. Today, I just wanted to get up pray, read my Bible and my quiet time and take off ready to combat another day. But I didn't. I spent time reading my Bible, I spent time in prayer and then I did the hardest part(atleast for me) I sat there quietly and listened to God.
If you asked me what one piece of Christian disciplines is missing today I would say it is listening to God. Sure as devoted Christians we read our Bibles daily and God does speak to us through that. Sure, we pray every day and before every meal and we communicate openly with God during those times. But, do we truly stop and allow Him to speak to us through those times. I will openly confess to you that this is one of the things I struggle with from time to time. I never miss a day in the Word or in prayer, but boy do I run back to life when I'm done forgetting to just allow my mind to be empty and if anything focus on the things I've just read in scripture a few minutes prior. I actually spent about 2 months building this discipline into my own devotion times about a year ago. Do I still do it every time? Not always, but I would highly recommend it to anyone looking to hear from God.
He tells us, Be Still and Know that I am God. Sure we're still when reading the BIble and when praying, but what happens afterward can make or break your entire day.
Quiet time is meant to be just that, quiet and still. It can't even become that when we squeeze in 10-15 minutes of reading and the same amount of time in prayer and then rush back into life. Our minds don't work that way.
So during your next quiet time extend it about 5 minutes and just sit there quietly and let God ease your mind, your frustrations and your struggles by being still.

It's official

I've been to camp every year(except last year but we won't talk about that) for a long, long time. I've seen a lot of kids get saved, rededicate their lives to Christ, get called into the ministry and all other types of decisions.
This week I watched a group of young people change day to day. Not the way it usually happens, on the last night but day by day. I believe we have finally put together a group who wants to know Jesus, and wants to let everyone know what He has done for us.
I just want to share with you a few things that have happened this week. We went from the usual high-low. Which is something we do almost every time we are together. We go around the room and each person shares with the group what their high for the past week and their low for the last week were. We did that and it was nothing special.
Then, we spent time sharing with each other what our weaknesses are. If you know teenagers the last thing the ever do is show any weakness or vulnerability. Here we were sharing them openly.
A few days later we spent a signifigant amount of time in prayer together as a group. Then we sealed the week with a sunrise. We had the whole group(except for the usual ones) up and ready to hit the beach at 6:00 for prayer. We sang a few songs and then we took a shell, each of us picked one up. We took them and placed a problem or weakness that is keeping us from God on that shell. We walked out and threw the shells out into the ocean signifying our giving those things to God and letting them go. Putting them in GOd's hands and walking away. Then we took the time to just watch the sun come up.
I shared with them that our greatest fear is quiet and stillness some times and we need to start enjoying it more often. So we sat, no talking no moving just watching the sun come up and enjoying God's creation.
Have a great weekend! We will be having some inspiration shared by Ethan Gumble after worship this Sunday and then a youth led service the following Sunday! If you can make it don't miss what is going on in the lives of these young people!

He did what?

Have you ever known a scorekeeper? You know that friend, relative or maybe even a signifigant other who is constantly keeping track of favors. They let you know how many times they've helped you as opposed to how much you've done for them. I have friends like that, they are always willing to let you know about it. "I'll do it, but you know you already owe me", or "You gotta do it, remember when I helped you?" These are the things they will say to us. Well, guess what. The one being that has ever been is the one who should do this the most. Jesus should be saying, "You want me to do what?" You expect me to do what? He could easily say, "Jeff I can't forgive you for that sin, I can't let you into heaven look at what you've done" or "I can't be there for you and help you this time, I've already done so much" But that is exactly the opposite of how Jesus works. Look at the 5th chapter of 2 Corinthians with me:

16 So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer. 17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! 18 All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: 19 that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men's sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. 20 We are therefore Christ's ambassadors,as though God were making his appeal through us.ver 18 We implore you on Christ's behalf: Be reconciled to God. 21 God made him who had no sin to be sin so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

God was reconciling the world to Himself in Christ, not counting men's sins against them. YOu do the math, think about the sins you have committed this week, this month, maybe just the sins of 2008 and tell me there isn't enough evidence to keep you out of God's plan. I know I wouldn't be there, and I struggled with that a lot until I truly got this group of verses. Until I fully understood it and realized that Paul, a former persecutor of Christians is the man writing these words. If anyone understood what it was to fall short of God's plan for man, it would be Paul.
So remember God doesn't keep score, He doesn't see us for our sins and our weaknesses. He sees us for His creation, the recipients of His grace and mercy. The very ones He loves, lumps and all.
Don't ever let anyone or anything lead you to believe that you are undeserving of God's love. If His love was passed down by merit, we would all be alone in this world!

coming down

Last night Louie Gigglio shared a story of climbing one of the tallest Alps. He said he climbed it and at the top he felt the conquest was finally his. The top was about 50 feet long and about 2 feet wide in a wedge shape. He shared that the toughest part of the whole deal was actually going down. He had trained for months and months to climb the mountain and upon his quest he was estatic about his accomplishments, then he began the journey down. He said it was right then that he realized he had trained for the easy part. The climb up was nothing compared to the climb down.
He made a very good point. We think about our going to heaven, Jesus' dying on the cross and raising again but seldom do we think about the fact that Jesus left heaven and became flesh. He left a place where everything was perfect and he was seated on a throne to come to earth and become a common man. A common man who was not even excepted by those He came to save.
THink about a time when you had to do something. Like maybe go to the dentist for a filling or root canal. You dread it for a long time, then you go through the procedure and when you're at home later that day you're relieved that its' over. Or being on vacation and thinking about going to work, you're enjoying your vacation and someone uses that 4 letter word -WORK- and you start thinking about it and immmediately you are robbed of your last day or so of vacation.
Remember that, Jesus left a perfect life with His Father to be turned down and rejected, beaten and Crucified for you!

Laminin Protein

So as I mentioned last weekend we are in full swing of camp. Student Life at the Beach in Daytona. Louie Gigglio is the speaker and last night he was speaking about a few things one that I cut and pasted a link to for you to watch when you have about 9 minutes which is the actual running time. It's very interesting if you take the time to listen and put it all together.
Camp is going well and I hope to post pits and pieces of the bible studies here.

http://www.godtube.com/view_video.php?viewkey=152b5103d741aca61093

For Thine is the Kingdom, Power and Glory Forever

Here's how to end a prayer the right way. You say you want to pray right, do it correctly well we have just broken it down. It's quite simple actually and as long as you have all of the components in it that Jesus lists you'll know you've covered them all.
Now we close it out with acceptance, not His acceptance but ours. We close with letting God know that the World and everything in it is His. We are acknowledging that He owns all things and has created all things.
Power, we're then letting Him know that we understand the strength and power that He has. He is all powerful, there is nothing in all of creation that He does not have the power over.
Glory, here's one that I feel we all struggle with. So you're really good at something, where did that skill come from? Did it come from your hard work or from God? The answer is God. We tend to think that we earn things through hard work, dedication and so on. When the reality is God gave us all that we have, and empowered us to do all that we do each day.
Jesus told us, "I am the Vine and you are the branches." If we truly live by this principle life will be so much simpler for us. THink about a vine, and the branches. The branches cannot even sustain life without the vine. The vine is the source of nutrition, nourishment and life for all of its branches. While the branch is where the fruit is produced it cannot be produced without the relationship with the vine. Just the same we cannot be fruitful in any aspect of life outside of our relationship to the Vine which is Jesus Christ. Also, note that the branches do not hoard the fruit, eat the fruit or take the credit the know their place and stay in it.
We as believers have got to give God the glory and the credit for all things. Every time something good happens in your life you can best show humility through giving God all of the credit for all that He has allowed you to accomplish through Him.
So remember whose world it is, whose power you call on and where to give the credit and your life will be much better and far more full of humility.
Have a great 4th of July weekend and we'll see you some time soon!

lead us not into temptation

So I am often asked, "Is temptation a sin." There is a clear cut answer to this, yes and no. Okay, so maybe it wasn't so clear cut but let's investigate this and see what we come up with. Temptation is not a sin, but what we do with it is, let me explain.
First, I say no simply because of the fact that we all know that Satan tempted Jesus. In a face to face altercation Satan tempted Jesus to try to catch Him at a weak moment. Knowing He hadn't eaten in over a month(which would be a major weak point for any human), he tempted Jesus with pride and power. Two things that everyone wants, and everyone posesses a certain amount of whether they hide it well or not. So if Jesus was tempted by Satan, and we know for a fact that He never sinned, is temptation a sin? No it isn't and can't be based on that angle.
But, and I do mean but! We have to investigate it a little further to fully understand the brevity of it all. If we look at James chapter 1 we see a totally different picture. If you weighed this question out based simply on this set of verses you may be tempted(yes I used the word here) to say that temptation is a sin. But look closely at what it says:
13 When tempted, no one should say, "God is tempting me." For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; 14 but each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed. 15 Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin;and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.
So first of all temptation has nothing to do with God at all. He can't tempt nor can He tempt anyone. We are tempted when we are dragged away and enticed.
So a man is walking down the street when he spots a beautiful woman walking by maybe dressed somewhat provokatively(I know I couldn't figure out how to spell it). He notices her and takes a closer look as she approaches, he scans her outfit and looks deeply into her eyes as she passes. He thinks to himself what a beautiful woman, I wish I could get to know her, spend time with her(I know some think much worse) or you fill in the blanks. When did that become sin? When did it truly get out of hand? When he took a closer look. If he had walked by noticed a beautiful woman and paid attention to where he was going and not taken another look, or put any more thought into it all there was, was temptation. (and no I'm not blaming our stupidity as men on women at all).
Verse 15 says that "after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin" and that is where our problems begin. We see something going on and it looks tempting, but we clear our mind and don't give it another thought, that is simply temptation.
So when we pray lead us not into temptation we are in reality asking God to help us control our thoughts. I like to start my morning off be praying in a way that I commit to God that I am going to attempt in every way to control my thoughts that upcoming day, so that I can better control my actions. Because we all know that it starts with a thought and then it goes on from there and all sin is based on our own pride. We want something that isn't meant for us and we go for it to meet our own selfish wants and desires pushing God to the back of our minds as we do it.
So let God help you control your thoughts, notice the tempting things, but don't give them any thought at all and you'll be just fine. No, temptation is not a sin, but what we do when we are tempted is where it can become one.

forgive us our trespasses

Here's where Jesus cuts to the heart. He wants us to ask God to forgive us our trespasses which I know for a fact we all need to do on a daily basis. Every morning, every evening I spend time in this portion of prayer replaying my shortcomings of the day and asking forgiveness. But, Jesus takes it one step further by saying, "as we forgive those that trespass against us."
Say what? So we are supposed to ask God to forgive us based on the way we forgive others? If that was the case we might as well not even put this part of the prayer in there. I know I have struggled with this area in life many times before. I have asked God to forgive me of something I've done and laid my head on the pillow knowing I still held a grudge against someone else. Who are we to ask God to forgive us if we can't do it ourselves?
The book I am reading, "So you don't want to go to church anymore" deals with a lot of this. A lot of the hurts that can come from being on a church staff. Many times we get hurt by the people we pour our lives into the most. They turn on us seemingly overnight and in doing so many times they turn a whole body of believers against us in the process. This is definitely something that I have dealt with and I came to the realization the best thing for me to do is pray for them and then let them know how hurt I was and that I forgive them. I thanked that person for the help through the years and all the good aspects of the relationship and let them know I forgave them and prayed for them on a regular basis. It's then that I started having an easier time forgiving myself for my shortcomings. It's then that I felt like I for once deserved 1% of the forgiveness the God gave us through His Son dying on the cross.
So, if you're having a hard time forgiving yourself for something. Maybe you should work harder on getting rid of those old grudges. On cleaning out the guilt box so that you can face your own mistakes. Then you will feel the refreshment of God forgiving you for your shortcomings.
This is much like the parable JEsus told in Matthew 18. In this parable a servant pleads with his master to forgive a debt he had, and the master grants him his wish. THen, in turn the servant goes to another servant who owed him money and demanded it choked him and had him thrown in jail.
Is that not the perfect picture of how we beg and plead with God to forgive us and carry grudges, sometimes those same grudges are running through our heads when we are praying for forgiveness.
So make sure you get rid of those old grudges before you try to get rid of your own faults. It's much better that way!