Defining Moment!

Micah 6:8
"He has shown you, O mortal, what is good.
And what does the LORD require of you?
To act justly and to love mercy
and to walk humbly with your God."

Our good deeds define us in who we are as believers. Benevolence, missions, evangelism, worship, and study of God's word are the means a Christ-follower's strength in the name of the God is demonstrated to those around them. How you handle yourselves in those arenas define how precious Jesus is to you. You have no choice but to humbly give of yourself so that others might see the good deed and glorify God.

School Teachers – must think of their students firsts
Students – think of your teacher first.
Business People – must think of their clients first.
Clients – must think of their cohorts first.
And so on......

Every person on this planet is on display. A Christ-follower's display is held to a higher standard. This standard is not set by the world watching, but by the submission we owe to God and His Son for saving us and giving us a hope and a future. Thus, neighbors, enemies, family and friends – all must see your good deeds as a Christ-follower. The task at hand is accomplished in being engaged for God's Kingdom. He doesn't leave us alone but gives us Himself in the Holy Spirit that dwells within us. So, we can act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with God by being engaged.

You know I love ya...be engaged! Don

Are you engaged?

"Then Peter stood up with the Eleven, raised his voice and addressed the crowd: 'Fellow Jews and all of you who live in Jerusalem, let me explain this to you; listen carefully to what I say'." - Acts 2:14

Peter = a fisherman, a follower of Jesus, at the transfiguration, witness of many miracles, Jesus changed his name from Simon to Peter – where Jesus used the name to describe the future stability of the church as a rock. Peter denied Jesus three times, saw his crucifixion from a distance, and ran to the tomb to see if his body had risen from the grave. Peter was questioned by Jesus three times and Jesus told Peter “to feed my sheep.” Peter presented the first sermon in the new kingdom on Pentecost and presented the Gospel to the first gentiles. Peter the evangelist and preacher, the fisher of men.

Peter was a man touched by God and engaged for God's purpose of preach and proclaiming Jesus Christ! How can we be in engage? The answer is in the living of life. We can know God and know abundance in living by trusting in Jesus, study and application of His word, and with total submission to His guidance in life. Just like Peter, we too can be engaged in God's kingdom through the actions of trusting, study, and submitting.

Are you engaged? That question can mean many things...such as marriage, or driving a car or involved in the perfectness of God's purpose and presentation of life. I am engaged. I was engaged to Karen...now she is my wife. I engaged driving on my 16th birthday...now I regularly following the laws of driving a vehicle. I am engaged in loving God, loving others, and loving life...one day will come when I will see Jesus. Much like Peter, I follow through and be a follower of Jesus.

You know I love ya...be engaged! Don

Touching Lives

I believe that one of the greatest opportunities we have as Christians is to make a profound difference in the lives of others. Over the years of ministry, I have had great opportunities to enter the lives of many people who need Jesus. There have been many people that touched me in return. In fact, every time someone read this blog, I am touched.

I don' believe this is a special opportunity reserved just for me. Every one of us has the ability to influence someone. When you take the time to reach out to others and invest in someone's spiritual life, you are impacting the world...yours and theirs.

Galatians 6:10 states, "Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers."

I believe one of the reasons we NOT are transported to heaven at our baptism is to be a blessing and God influence in this world. We are called to bring encouragement and build up others in the faith. We are not called to be afraid to say the tough stuff and speak the truth in love.

I don't believe God wants us to just be spectators in life. He wants us to be people who really love others and care enough to be willing to pour into their lives. We need to be building up others in Jesus' name so they can grow and reach even more people.

You know I love ya and I am grateful for your touch on my life - Don

Change, Challenges, Stretching, and Hope!

This morning I learned that a ministry friend of ours is moving to a new congregation after 14 years. God is leading him to a new work and he is leaving with a strong reputation along with that is a large congregation that will have a hole, but also a fantastic legacy of worship and declaration of how much God is worth in their lives. Well done!

This got me to consider God's work and the Kingdom we all minister in. I am continually amazed at how God does not see a plurality of churches, but one church in the singular. There are times when God paints a new picture for a congregation and the minister is not in the picture. Praise the Lord, He also is painting a new picture for another group of believers with that minister in the picture with a totally new (and often renewing) abundance of life. Jesus told Peter, "I will build my church and the gates of Hades will not prevail against her." (Don's Paraphrase) The unity we share is also proportional to the abundance we grow and stretch.

Change is the hard part of the equation. It is hard to process the abilities and education that comes with change. I have discovered that as we change, we are challenged and with challenge comes growth. I think this is much of what Paul was talking about in Romans chapter 5. Paul's words of challenge and growth guides us to a production of "Hope."

The key to this equation is to not compromise on doctrine. The only way to know if you are not compromising is to know what the Bible teaches. Thus, a believer needs to be in the word daily and sometimes more than once a day. There is also a deep need to listen to God in prayer. I have found some of the best counsel in this world is to wait and listen to God's direction. There are also times that waiting for God is the hardest challenge. God's timing is so perfect, that I often get anxious and jump ahead or not move at all.

What I like most is that Jesus truly grants his words of Matthew 11:30, "For My yoke is easy and My burden is light." (NKJV) It is not about us AND we are not alone in the process. WOW! That will preach.

Have a great Monday and you know we love ya,