When Tami and I returned from our trip to South Bend a little over a week ago we were greeted by two days of rain here in the Dallas area. It’s such a rare thing to find it raining in Texas during the summer months. I was thankful for the rain, but the problem I faced was a lawn that hadn’t been cut in over a week. It rained Sunday, Monday, and even on and off on Tuesday. My schedule didn’t allow me the opportunity to get out on Wednesday or Thursday to mow, so when Friday came I knew I had no choice. The good news is the lawn looks great—because of the heat and rain it is in the best shape I’ve seen this far into summer. The bad news is the lawn looks great—because of perfect growing conditions it is exploding with healthy growth. A project that normally would take less than an hour turned into a three-hour project because the grass had grown so much.
Have you ever realized the importance of the daily maintenance of your spiritual life? While it may not seem like a lot because you’re only spending a few minutes in the Bible, or just a short time in prayer, those moments are required to keep your spiritual life vibrant and alive. What I’ve discovered is the world is constantly telling me to live a life that doesn’t line up with the values I desire for my life. I hear every possible reason why I should be able to do whatever I want as long as I’m not hurting anyone else, but that just doesn’t work if I’m going to be complete in Christ. My life, left unattended, will see out of control growth that requires a lot of hard work to get back in balance. I’m thankful today because my yard is back in balance and looking good. I’m also thankful that because of the time I spent in prayer and Bible study my spiritual life is in balance with God’s plan for me. That doesn’t mean an unwanted weed will never pop up or some other issue will never appear, but they are easily removed or corrected because the rest of my life is in order.
We are all in this together and I encourage you to take the time to allow your life to be cultivated daily by the Holy Spirit. Not only will you be blessed but so will everyone who comes across your path.
Wednesday, July 24, 2013
Tuesday, July 9, 2013
Steps to Spiritual Growth...Baby Style
One of the biggest things I’ve discovered is that people can get discouraged and even want to give up in growing spiritually because they feel like all they do is fail. I was thrilled by the testimony of a young woman who shared with me this last week. She shared how over the past few weeks she has felt more spiritually alive in Christ than ever before. She was glowing with the presence of God in her life and expressing how she had such a hunger to learn so much more. She told me that for the first time she truly felt a relationship with God, which she had never experienced, and she wished everyone could experience the same thing. I was amazed as I sat listening to her share and wondered why so many in the family of God never experience this or the other things that God has planned for their lives. Then I was reminded of what is happening in our family right now.
As you know, we have a beautiful 8-month-old granddaughter who brings joy to our lives every day. Brynley is at the stage of her life where she is ready to crawl. She wants to move forward, but just as any child struggles in figuring it out, she will rock back and forth over and over again. If she’d only realize that picking up one of her hands and moving it forward could be followed up by her other arm and legs. The interesting thing is that soon she will be crawling, and then she’ll be banging her head into something and it will hurt. Or maybe she’ll crawl on a rough surface and scratch up her knees, or here in Texas the surface may be too hot and it’ll burn. As wonderful and painful as some of these experiences may be, they are all part of the development of a baby into a child. Not long after the crawling will be the walking, and is there anything more fearful than watching a child that’s learning to walk? They’re all over the place and so unbalanced, but with time, just as learning to crawl will come, so will walking without looking so unbalanced.
Learning to “Walk in the Spirit” on a daily basis can be so much like the experiences happening in Brynley’s life right now. I have those days when I know what I want to be in God and what I desire to have Him do in my life, but I’m just rocking back and forth because it’s so hard to pick up my hand in faith and move it forward. At times my hand doesn’t come up because I don’t get it yet, but then there are the times when I’m just afraid to release my stability and trust God.
One last thing that I’ve learned: just because I strive to walk daily under the anointing of God doesn’t mean that I don’t make mistakes. I often mess things up and have to regroup and get back to where God wants me to be. God’s not looking for perfection from your life but rather a person hungry and obedient who desires to be everything God has created him or her to be.
As you know, we have a beautiful 8-month-old granddaughter who brings joy to our lives every day. Brynley is at the stage of her life where she is ready to crawl. She wants to move forward, but just as any child struggles in figuring it out, she will rock back and forth over and over again. If she’d only realize that picking up one of her hands and moving it forward could be followed up by her other arm and legs. The interesting thing is that soon she will be crawling, and then she’ll be banging her head into something and it will hurt. Or maybe she’ll crawl on a rough surface and scratch up her knees, or here in Texas the surface may be too hot and it’ll burn. As wonderful and painful as some of these experiences may be, they are all part of the development of a baby into a child. Not long after the crawling will be the walking, and is there anything more fearful than watching a child that’s learning to walk? They’re all over the place and so unbalanced, but with time, just as learning to crawl will come, so will walking without looking so unbalanced.
Learning to “Walk in the Spirit” on a daily basis can be so much like the experiences happening in Brynley’s life right now. I have those days when I know what I want to be in God and what I desire to have Him do in my life, but I’m just rocking back and forth because it’s so hard to pick up my hand in faith and move it forward. At times my hand doesn’t come up because I don’t get it yet, but then there are the times when I’m just afraid to release my stability and trust God.
One last thing that I’ve learned: just because I strive to walk daily under the anointing of God doesn’t mean that I don’t make mistakes. I often mess things up and have to regroup and get back to where God wants me to be. God’s not looking for perfection from your life but rather a person hungry and obedient who desires to be everything God has created him or her to be.
Tuesday, July 2, 2013
Independence Day
Tomorrow, we will be celebrating the birthday of our wonderful nation, and every year it is a celebration of the freedom that our founding fathers imagined for an upstart country. As I reflect upon their wisdom and knowledge that led to the writing of the Declaration of Independence, I can’t help but be drawn to what is declared in the last paragraph. It says: “We, therefore, the Representatives of the United States of America, in General Congress, Assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions, do, in the Name, and by Authority of the good People of these Colonies, solemnly publish and declare, That these United Colonies are, and of Right ought to be Free and Independent States.... And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the Protection of Divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor.” Those who founded this country understood that there was a Supreme Judge of the world who would judge them for their actions. Everything they did was with the understanding that God was watching and they would someday give an account for what they were doing.
I love this great country and feel blessed to have been born an American citizen. I also understand that I will give an account for how I have lived my life. That is why I need to weigh every choice and decision I make knowing that I will be held accountable for those actions. When I was a young boy, I had in my life supreme authority. Yes, my mom and dad were that supreme authority, and I knew that my actions would be weighed and I would either be blessed for the choices I’d made or reap the punishment of those choices. I really liked the blessings but also came to understand that the punishment was not to harm me but to get my attention. It would point me back to the direction our family was going and I’d better stay in line with that direction. Thank goodness the punishments didn’t come along very often, but I am the man that was formed during those years of having parents who judged my actions.
As much as I love this great country, my heart grieves when I see those who have gotten away from what our founders intended for us to be. God is now a nuisance and people feel that as long as they are not hurting anyone else they should be permitted to do whatever pleases them. This is the kind of thinking that has led to the breakdown of the family, the killing of innocent children, and the idea that I shouldn’t have to work hard or be held accountable for what I am doing. What we need is a good dosage of God…through prayer, getting into the Bible, and worship we will see our hearts and attitudes change. Take a few moments and pray for our country today!
I love this great country and feel blessed to have been born an American citizen. I also understand that I will give an account for how I have lived my life. That is why I need to weigh every choice and decision I make knowing that I will be held accountable for those actions. When I was a young boy, I had in my life supreme authority. Yes, my mom and dad were that supreme authority, and I knew that my actions would be weighed and I would either be blessed for the choices I’d made or reap the punishment of those choices. I really liked the blessings but also came to understand that the punishment was not to harm me but to get my attention. It would point me back to the direction our family was going and I’d better stay in line with that direction. Thank goodness the punishments didn’t come along very often, but I am the man that was formed during those years of having parents who judged my actions.
As much as I love this great country, my heart grieves when I see those who have gotten away from what our founders intended for us to be. God is now a nuisance and people feel that as long as they are not hurting anyone else they should be permitted to do whatever pleases them. This is the kind of thinking that has led to the breakdown of the family, the killing of innocent children, and the idea that I shouldn’t have to work hard or be held accountable for what I am doing. What we need is a good dosage of God…through prayer, getting into the Bible, and worship we will see our hearts and attitudes change. Take a few moments and pray for our country today!
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