Noticing People

I am trying to spend more time in prayer, scripture reading, and scripture meditation.  I want God to ooze out of me because I have so much of Him in me.

At the same time, I am actively looking for ways to share God with others.  I am trying to actually see the people around me; I don’t want to just look at them anymore.  I am seeing people who are tired, scared, excited, and bored.  I am seeing people who are not used to being noticed – when I notice them at first they seem off-balance, but they quickly seem to enjoy the connection of being noticed.

As I notice people I try to talk to them about themselves, and this seems refreshing to them.  They seem to like that someone cared.  And I am looking for ways to tell people I care because Jesus cares.

As I fill myself with more of the refreshing water of God, I am looking for avenues to let it out.  I want to be a leaky sieve for Jesus.  As the water pours out of me, that makes room for more of God’s to come in.  He will never run out.

In Jesus’ Name

There is a lot of power in  Jesus’ Name.  Jesus has all authority in heaven and earth.  It is by Jesus’ Name that we are saved. 

There is a lot of fear, or at least reluctance to say Jesus’ Name, unless one is using it as a swear word.

We Christians should be much more willing to share Jesus’ Name in the world around us.  We need to decide just who it is we serve and just who it is we fear.  I think the people around me would be better off if they heard me use Jesus’ Name appropriately more often.

People need to see and hear the good news of Jesus Christ.  We need to quit expecting everyone else to be Jesus’ hands and voice.  We need to quit expecting the pastors and ‘Billy Grahams’ of the world to do it.  God has called all of us as Christians to be light in our world.  Love of God demands that we each answer that call.

Forgive us, Lord of our reluctance.

I want to start posting ideas, suggestions, and encouragement for sharing Jesus’ Name in this blog.  There is a new page, “Loving Enough to Share Jesus,” that will be a central site to post your ideas.  Send me an e-mail, or post a comment and I will put the appropriate postings up on that page.

Living for Jesus

I have been thinking about living as a mini Jesus.  Now, I know that I am not a mini god and I will never be a god.   However, I do think I am a Christian, and that by definition is to be an imitator of Jesus the Christ.  I know that I am called to imitate Jesus.  People should see Jesus when they look at me.  People should here Jesus when they listen to me.

I know those things are true.  The hard part is living it out.  Jesus was humble, and He only did what He saw the Father doing.  I want to do what I want.  I know Jesus wants us to be one with the rest of the body of believers.  I want my way.

I guess, what I know does not always translate into what I do.  I have read that what I do will reveal what I really believe.  If this is true, what I know and what I believe is not always the same.  Knowing is not necessarily believing.

I sure want to believe what Jesus has said.  I sure want to live my life as a Christian.  I really want people to see and hear Jesus in me.  I would love to love people the way Jesus does.  I would love to fearlessly share the truth of Jesus’ eternity, birth, live, death, and resurrection.  I would love to end each day knowing I have pleased my Father.  I would love to know that I shared the Gospel in word and deed with everyone that the Holy Spirit led me to, in the just the way He led me.

I will keep praying that Jesus will live through me.  I will keep reading and meditating on Scripture and asking God to make it a part of me.  I will keep worshiping Him to return my focus to Him and to the actual reality of Yahweh on the throne.  I will keep striving to obey immediately when I hear God speak.  I will keep falling on God’s mercy and grace to cover my mistakes.

Live in Unity

There are plenty of Bible passages that tell us that Christians should live in unity.  Jesus prayed that we would (John 17).  Colossians 3 tells us to.  Jesus tells us to serve each other (Mark 10).  We are called one body (Ephesians 4).  And there are many more.

Most Christians would never argue that we are one body.  Jesus has one bride.  But most of us don’t live like it.  Even without the denominational (and non-denominational) divides and arguments, we often can not live in much unity within one congregation.  The music battles are just an easy example.

What if we all tried to live like we really believe Christian unity is important?  What if we tried to show compassion to our brothers and sisters?

The Holy Spirit grows fruit in us: Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness, and Self-Control.  I think we should look for ways to live those out in our churches and among our churches.  I think we should love enough to rebuke sin in a compassionate way, and then offer to help the other break that cycle of sin.  I think we should share the joy of God’s love among us, even in bad times.  I think  we should look for the peace that allows us to love extravagantly and recklessly.  I think we should try to do good for those we know.

I think we should pray without ceasing for our sisters and brothers in Christ.  We should at least pick one or two and pray everyday.  I think we should pray especially for those with whom we tend to disagree – and we should not pray that they see their folly when they don’t agree with us – we should pray for God’s blessing on their life.

I think we should open ourselves to those who are different from us.  If someone makes us uncomfortable just by their presence and demeanor, I think we should thank God for the opportunity to grow, and we should embrace that person.  And I mean really embrace that person – give him or her a big hug.

Jesus would be pleased.

Worship God every day

To put my confidence in God means I do life His way, as a sacrifice to Him.  I challenged our congregation with this list of ways to honor God and live life His way:

When people are lying and cheating, I don’t.
When people are stealing time at work, I don’t.
When people are in need, I help if I can.
      A person’s greatest need is Jesus – share Him.
When people are complaining about others and spreading gossip, I refuse.
When I am tempted to belittle someone or complain about them, I pray for them instead.
      I help and encourage others to do the same.

 Now, let’s plan to live as God calls us…

Pick one area from this list that you struggle with, or one that God uses this list to bring to mind.  Now, plan to do better.  And I mean PLAN.  Make a plan – what will it take to remind you and encourage you?  Maybe you need a list or a note on the refrigerator.  Maybe you need an accountability partner.  Maybe you need a reminder on your calendar.  Set it up and honor God by living His way.

My life as worship

I have been enjoying “Lifesong” by Casting Crowns.  My life should be all worship of God.  My life should be a song, written by the Holy Spirit and sung by me as an offering to our Lord Jesus.

A wonderful young person told me the other day that they believed they were called to spend their life in its entirety in service to Christ.  They thought they would enter heaven fully spent, battered and bruised, having done all they could in His service.  Isn’t that what the apostles did?  When Paul describes being beaten and imprisoned for the sake of Christ, isn’t that what he is doing?

I don’t know what you are specifically called to do, but Jesus has a task for you.  You have a specific mission to fill.  You have people to share Jesus with.  You have people to love and  care for.  You have the joy set before you of a service and sacrifice to our King.  Let us not be afraid, but let us run with perseverance and confidence the race each of us has to run.

Why don’t we let each of our lives be a song sung out to Jesus Christ?

If my life is so spent that I can’t even crawl into heaven, I am confident Jesus will carry me there.  What better way to arrive?

Worshiping God

Almost everything in our lives pulls at us to focus on ourselves and on relatively minor things. So many things seem important today, but what will they mean a week or year from now? We have schedules to meet, things to be done, and pleasure to seek.

So much of our life is just like the children on Christmas morning who are completely focused on opening the gifts, only to be bored with them before noon.

How much do we focus on the truly important? What about the people in our lives? What about our families? What about the needy and forgotten? What about God?

Our priorities are a mess. What would happen to my family if I spent just a little time every day loving them instead of trying to fix and grow them? What if I just stopped, sat down, and played with my children and enjoyed them? Both their lives and mine would never be the same.

What if I stopped railing at God about all the things I want and all the problems I want fixed, and instead just enjoyed Him for a few minutes? What if I stopped for just a couple minutes every day and worshiped God – proclaimed Him as Lord, honored Him as Master, and professed my devotion to Him? I would never be the same. The world would probably never be the same.

God is good. Jesus Christ is the only name by which we will be saved. God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit alone is worthy to be honored and praised.

Jesus is coming

It has been nearly 2000 years since Christ promised He would return. Often, it feels like things will always stay the way they are – the world groans under the weight of sin and death and we keep struggling to live. But Christ WILL return, just as He promised. He WILL set things right and evil WILL be destroyed.

We should live like He is coming soon (He may be coming very soon). We should live like He is coming back tomorrow. Our priorities should reflect that He may come tomorrow. We need to be ready today.

To be ready:

Are we really right with God? Do we really recognize Jesus as Lord and Master? Or are we fooling ourselves?  Do we willingly obey God?

Do we share our knowledge and love of Jesus?  Are we witnesses to those around us?  Do we lovingly try to fulfill the Great Commission?  If I truly lived as if Christ were coming, I would warn all those who were not ready.

 Do we help the helpless and the disenfranchised?  Do we stand up for those whom no one would love?  Are we His hands and feet in this world?

Generosity

We often think about  being generous only with money, but what about being generous with so much more?  What about:

Our thoughts: assuming the good, thinking on what is good and right; seeing people as Jesus sees them.

Our smiles: share smiles with people; everyone’s day is better.

Our words: encouraging people with what we say; catching people doing something good and telling them about it, or thanking people for little things, or complimenting people on what is good about them.

Our love: loving recklessly; risking forgiveness, honesty, and openness.

What if we really spoke the truth in love, and tried to help people even when they fall?  (Galatians 6:1)  What if our goal was restoration of those who sin?  What if we let Jesus work through us to turn a sinner from his/her way and cover over a multitude of sin (James 5:19-20)

What would the world be like?

Jesus tells us to be concerned for others

I am sorry for not posting for so long.  This have just gotten away from me.

I have been reading Luke 6:17-49 for a sermon series.  Much of it can be summarized as “Be concerned for others.  It is so easy to just live for myself and my own needs, wants, and concerns.  But that is not a fulfilling life at all, and it is not a Christian life.

We need to quit worrying about our own discomfort in helping people.  It can be hard to sit with someone who is losing a loved one, or who just has.  It can be hard to be with people who are going through really tough times.  We don’t know what to say or do.  We need to learn to be okay with not knowing what to say or do.    Genesis 41:16 can remind us that we don’t have the answers, but we know the One who does.

It is hard to give away our things.  It is hard to give away our time.  It would be easier if we thought less of it as ‘ours’.  This stuff is not ours, and the time is not ours.  We are caretakers of the belongings, health, and time that God has given us.  It is all His.  Maybe if we remember that it is His, we will be better able to give it away the way He wants us to.

If we call Jesus LORD, are we willing to do what He says?