Beginning

Every morning for a long time I read from the daily devotional "Still God's Man: A Daily Devotional Guide to Christlike Character" by Don M. Aycock & Mark Sutton.

This is today's entry:

January 1
A New Beginning
Genesis I:I

"In the beginning...."

Those words have the refreshing sound of a mountain waterfall. Who doesn't long for a new beginning? One of the things I like to do at the end of each year is to think back over the previous twelve months and consider what want well and what did not go so well. I ask myself some hard questions like these: Am I into any habits that prevent my being what I want to be? Do I need to change any specific actions? Do any attitudes need work? Am I being dishonest with myself in any area of my life?

If you ask yourself enough questions like these, you will get either depressed or motivated! For me, and maybe for you, these questions are motivating. That is why I find Genesis 1:1 so refreshing. Imagine it. You can draw a line in the chronology of your life and say, "I'm starting over. From this day forward, I can change the course of my life by making some corrections."

One of the ways we can change is by spending some time each day in conversation with God. Reading this devotional book will be helpful, but prayer and Bible reading are essential. I know; you have tried that in the past but had trouble following through. You are in good company. But think of it this way. Developing a consistent devotional life is like investing small amounts of money over a long stretch of time and watching the magic of compound interest. Small investments can pay big dividends.

Make up your mind that you will get up fifteen minutes earlier, or keep the TV or radio off for a while, or stay up a bit later to get in your devotion time. You might not notice any difference at first, but stay with it. Let those powerful words in the beginning work for you.

Lord, thank You for the power of a new beginning.
Help me to remember that You were there when the world and all that is in it began.
You are here now, too, through Your Spirit.
Help me develop the strength and resolve to spend time with You each day.
Give me guidance as I grow in relationship with You and others.
Through the name of Jesus, Amen.

When I ask myself these questions there is one answer that comes up that needs to be addressed. In the past I was very diligent with my morning devotional time, up until about 6 months ago. I let it slip. I made excuses; I'm busy with work, busy with homework, busy with this and that. My thing was "I will do it later", but most days it never happened. Up until this time I made sure that I got up a little earlier so I could have the time I needed, but complacency sets in. The enemy distracted me.

What would happen today if we asked ourselves these questions and took the time to honestly answer them? What would happen today if we stopped listening to the excuses the enemy distracts us with? What would happen today if we closed the door to our room and got down on our knees and gave God our undivided attention for 15 minutes everyday? What would happen today if we asked for courage, strength, hope, wisdom, understanding and His love?

What would happen today...?

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Advertising

I've been reading the book "The Forgotten Ways" by Alan Hirsch and I found something that fits into the the holiday season.

Hirsch writes:

I was trained as a marketer and advertiser before I came to Christ, and when I look at the power of consumerism and of the market in our lives, I have little doubt that in consumerism we are now dealing with a very significant religious phenomenon. If the role of religion is to offer a sense of identity, purpose, meaning, and community, then it can be said that consumerism fulfills all these criteria...

Much of that which goes by the name of advertising is an explicit offer of a sense of identity, meaning, purpose, and community. Most ads now appeal to one or more of these religious dimensions of life. Take, for instance, a recent car ad in my country (Australia) in which we are introduced to a fantastic community of very cool people singing along in a car and generally having a great time. Throughout the ad, nothing is mentioned about the qualities of a car, its technical ingenuity, its availability, its price; rather the advertisement is an explicit appeal to the need for people to be accepted as cool people. The selling point of the ad is an offer of community, status, and acceptance by groovy people: if the consumer would purchase this vehicle they will achieve this. Analyzed in a religious way, we could see just about all advertising in this light. Buy this and you will be changed. The astute cultural commentator Douglas Rushkoff in his PBS documentary on consumerism, The Persuaders, has noted that advertisers and marketers are now learning from religion in order to sell products. Marketers have now co-opted the language and symbolism of all the major religions in order to sell the product because they know that religion offers the ultimate object of desire and that people will do just about anything to get it. If through advertising marketers can just link their products to this great unfilled void, they will sell.

As I read this I couldn't help but think about the great lies of the enemy; the false promises, the distractions, the false happiness. There is only One who can deliver everything these false claims guarantee, Jesus Christ the Lord of lords.

What would happen today if we resisted the false claims of the world? What would happen today if we as men of God followed Him instead of being lead by the promises of false happiness? What would happen today if we turned the tables on the world and shared the Love and Power of God with everyone we come in contact with everyday? What would happen today if we drew a line in the sand and chose Jesus over the world?

What would happen today...?

Matthew 24:23-25 (The Message)

"If anyone tries to flag you down, calling out, 'Here's the Messiah!' or points, 'There he is!' don't fall for it. Fake Messiahs and lying preachers are going to pop up everywhere. Their impressive credentials and dazzling performances will pull the wool over the eyes of even those who ought to know better. But I've given you fair warning.

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Gift

Video from CNN

"I take energy from them."

What would happen today if we followed what God has put on our hearts to do? What would happen today if we didn't care about what others think about our work for God? What would happen today if we shared the Love Of Christ with those who have no one to love them? What would happen today if a simple act of kindness changed someone's life?

What would happen today...?

Job 29:12-13 (New International Version, ©2010)

because I rescued the poor who cried for help,
and the fatherless who had none to assist them.
13 The one who was dying blessed me;
I made the widow’s heart sing.

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Idols

A few weeks ago I started a part time seasonal job at a nationwide retailer to help make ends meet. This past Friday was what is know as "Black Friday", the day after Thanksgiving, the official start to the Christmas season. To get a jump on the competition the store opened at 10pm on Thanksgiving night. People started lining up before 6pm to make sure that were able to get the items that were on sale. The weather was very cold and rainy, not the best conditions to be waiting in line, but most of them took it with a grain of salt. The night went very smoothly, no major problems, and I think for the most part everyone who stood in line got what they wanted.

When I analyze what happened that night I see idolatry all over this. Now don't get me wrong, I think there isn't anything wrong with saving money and getting a good deal when you can, but something doesn't seem right with this picture.

Money is obviously the principle factor. The store marketing department decided that they could make more money if they opened 2 hours before anyone else. The customers decided to stand in the cold and rain to save money on the products they wanted to give as Christmas gifts. This is just basic economics I understand that but, when does thriftiness become mania? The next culprit are the gifts themselves, the hottest items of the year. A few years ago it was Tickle Me Elmo. Everyone had to have this little guy for their child. There is a limited supply of these items, which adds to the stigma, and not everybody is going to get one, sometimes people actually fight over them. So when does a gift become a object of a skirmish? And lastly there is perceived happiness. The retailer makes projections based on past history and market trends and they set goals based on those predictions. If they meet or surpass these goals they are happy with the sale and business is good, but tomorrow has it's own set of goals and the happiness is short lived. For the consumer there are 2 sides to this, making the loved one happy with the perfect gift and the self gratification of getting the best deal in town on the gift. The problem is that the gift will lose it's novelty within a short period of time and the gratification only lasts for a day or two. When does" happiness" become mundane?

What would happen today if we looked at ourselves and found the idols in our lives? What would happen today if we set these idols aside and concentrated on the One loves us? What would happen today if we sought true happiness through our Savior? What would happen today if we gave the gift of love to those around us?

What would happen today...?

1 Samuel 12:20-22 (NIV, ©2010)

²⁰ “Do not be afraid,” Samuel replied. “You have done all this evil; yet do not turn away from the LORD, but serve the LORD with all your heart. ²¹ Do not turn away after useless idols. They can do you no good, nor can they rescue you, because they are useless. ²² For the sake of his great name the LORD will not reject his people, because the LORD was pleased to make you his own.

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Receive

A few months ago I was flipping through the channels and stopped to watch a TV evangelist for a couple of minutes. She was talking about receiving blessings. We are really good about asking for blessings, but we are not very good at receiving them. We tend to believe that we don't deserve them. So when the blessings come we don't declare them, we don't accept them, we feel that we are not worthy.

There's a guy that I run into from time to time and when I ask him "How ya doin?" his answer is always the same, "Better than I deserve". Which sounds like he feels that God is blessing him, which is true. But every time he says it I cringe. Without realizing it he is saying that God is blessing him but he doesn't deserve those blessings. He does deserve them. He has gone through some pretty tough times in his life, but he made the decision to follow Christ and change his life around. He prays, he volunteers, he's a good father, he's a good man. He does deserve God's blessings (victories), but his words say that he isn't worthy of them.

When God blesses us we need to joyfully receive those blessing. If we don't it's like getting a great birthday present from a loved one, but telling them we don't want it because we don't deserve it. We are denying them their joy.

What would happen today if we believed that we do deserve God's blessings (victories)? What would happen today if we joyfully received those blessings? What would happen today if we got down on our knees every night and thanked God for His love and declared the victories of the day? What would happen today if we stopped denying God His joy?

What would happen today...?

Psalm 21:1-7

¹ The king rejoices in your strength, LORD.
How great is his joy in the victories you give!

² You have granted him his heart’s desire
and have not withheld the request of his lips.
³ You came to greet him with rich blessings
and placed a crown of pure gold on his head.
⁴ He asked you for life, and you gave it to him—
length of days, for ever and ever.
⁵ Through the victories you gave, his glory is great;
you have bestowed on him splendor and majesty.
⁶ Surely you have granted him unending blessings
and made him glad with the joy of your presence.
⁷ For the king trusts in the LORD;
through the unfailing love of the Most High
he will not be shaken.

Cleansed

Pictured above is the clean water discharge into the St. Joseph River at the Wastewater Treatment Plant in Mishawaka Indiana. This plant processes an average of 20 million gallons per day of wastewater (raw sewage) into water that is clean enough to comply with state and federal regulations for discharge into a delicate ecosystem such as the river. This 9 step process is carefully checked and monitored with backup systems to prevent pollution from getting into the river. Pre-grown bacteria and chemicals are added to the wastewater to convert volatile solids into simple organic compounds, and kill harmful bacteria. The bio-solids (sludge) are removed and sent to farmlands to be used as safe (green) fertilizer. Methane gas, a byproduct of the process, is captured and burned in the plants heating system. The water that comes into this plant is unusable, unsafe, and has to be cleansed by the process in order for it to be sent back into the environment where it can give life again.

Our lives are much like the wastewater. There are things in our lives that make us unusable, and unsafe, things that block us from being who God made us to be. Resentments, prejudice, adultery, fear, false idols, stealing, cheating, indifference, lies, pornography, the list goes on and on. But that can all be changed, that can all be forgiven, that can all be cleansed by the One who loves us. When we go to the Father and ask for His help, His Love, His forgiveness we are cleansed. He puts us through a process, He adds Love and understanding, to convert or shortcomings into attributes, He takes away our sins so we can help others in need through our experience, strength and hope. He cleanses us so we can go out into the world and spread the Word to those who need life again.

What would happen today if we went to the Father and asked for forgiveness? What would happen today if we let Him fill us with His love? What would happen today if we let Him cleanse us? What would happen today if we went into the world and told everyone how God had given us new life?

What would happen today...?

Isaiah 1:18

...Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool.

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If

Image from http://www.hermitagemuseum.org

My close friend Danny V. loaned me the book The Return of the Prodigal Son: A Story of Homecoming by Henri J.M. Nouwen. While reading this morning these couple of paragraphs jumped off the page, thought I should share them.

At issue here is the question: "To whom do I belong? God or to the world?" Many of my daily preoccupations suggest that I belong more to the world than to God. A little criticism makes me angry, and a little rejection makes me depressed. A little praise raises my spirits, and a little success excites me. It takes very little to raise me up or thrust me down. Often I am like a small boat on the ocean, completely at the mercy of its waves. All the time and energy I spend in keeping some kind of balance and preventing myself from being tipped over and drowning shows that my life is mostly a struggle for survival: not a holy struggle, but an anxious struggle resulting from the mistaken idea that it is the world that defines me.

As long as I keep running about asking: "Do you love me? Do you really love me?" I give all power to the voices of the world and put myself in bondage because the world is filled with "ifs." The world says: "Yes, I love you if you are good-looking, intelligent, and wealthy. I love you if you have a good education, a good job, and good connections. I love you if you produce much, sell much, and buy much." There are endless "ifs" hidden in the world's love. These "ifs" enslave me, since it is impossible to respond adequately to all of them. The world's love is and always will be conditional. As long as I keep looking for my true self in the world of conditional love, I will remain "hooked" to the world-trying, failing,and trying again. It is a world that fosters addictions because what it offers cannot satisfy the deepest craving of my heart.

What would happen today if we stopped turning to the world for validation? What would happen today if we listened to the small voice inside instead of letting the world drown it out? What would happen today if we opened ourselves up to God's love? What would happen today if we stood together as men of God and pushed back the darkness of the world?

What would happen today...?

1 Kings 19:11-12

The LORD said, "Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the LORD, for the LORD is about to pass by."
Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake. ¹² After the earthquake came a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper.

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Thanks

This morning while I was drinking coffee and mapping out my day I wanted to check the weather on a local television stations website. When the page loaded I looked at the forecast and checked out a couple of the news stories. Then I noticed a link - The trapped Chilean miners are being rescued now! Click here for LIVE streaming coverage. So I clicked on it and sure enough it was a live feed from Chile. I watched for a few minutes as a few guys were standing around the hole where the capsule was being raised by a cable and crane. When the capsule emerged from the ground the workers helped the miner out and cheered because he was safe. After removing the safety equipment he walked over to his wife and hugged her and held her for a long time. But what he did next was what got me, he fell to his knees and prayed.

What would happen today if we had the faith of these men? What would happen today if we had the persistence of the rescuers? What would happen today if we had the faith of the families? What would happen today if we fell to our knees and thanked God for our rescue?

What would happen today...?

Isaiah 12:3-5 (NIV)

³ With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation. ⁴ In that day you will say: "Give thanks to the LORD, call on his name; make known among the nations what he has done, and proclaim that his name is exalted. ⁵ Sing to the LORD, for he has done glorious things; let this be known to all the world.

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Hero

video from the CBS Early Show

"I thank God that He put me here to help out that little girl that's for sure."

What would happen today if we followed where God is leading us to help someone? What would happen today if we overcame fear and did the right thing? What would happen today if we defeated the indifference the enemy plants in our minds? What would happen today if we were humble in our victories and gave the glory to God?

What would happen today...?

1 Samuel 17:49

Reaching into his bag and taking out a stone, he slung it and struck the Philistine on the forehead. The stone sank into his forehead, and he fell facedown on the ground.

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Mentor

In the book The Mentor Leader author Tony Dungy, former head coach of the Super Bowl winning Indianapolis Colts, tells about an opportunity he had to mentor a young man who had put himself into a situation that landed him in prison. That man is Micheal Vick. Vick was a raising star in the NFL playing quarterback for the Atlanta Falcons. He was known for his speed and athleticism which gave him the reputation as a game breaker. At the top of his game in 2007 Vick was arrested and plead guilty to felony dog-fighting charges (animal cruelty) and served 21 months in federal prison.

Dungy writes:

To all appearances, Michael Vick was wildly successful-wealthy, at the top of his profession, and in the public eye. But as we all learned, there was more to the story. For all his worldly success, was he building a life of significances?-

- Before his time in prison, I'm sure there were times when Micheal thought about the great opportunity God had given him. I know he thought about his family, his teammates, and the fans all over the country who looked up to him. But I don't think he ever contemplated the responsibility that goes along with a leadership position, whether in leading his family or his team, or being a role model for so many other young men.

When Micheal's succssful career was brought to a halt and he had time to think about it, he came to the conclusion that he hadn't done his part as a leader. God had blessed him with uncommon talent, and Micheal had used it to rise to the top of his profession. Unfortunately, he realized he hadn't helped the people around him as much as he could have. And he wanted to do that-starting with his family, and then, he hoped, with another football team, if he were given the opportunity. But he also wanted to reach to all the young boys who looked up to him, who wore his jersey, and who wrote him letters while he was in prison asking why he wasn't playing anymore. Could he still do those things? Could he still have that impact for good?

That's why I chose to work with Micheal Vick. That's why I got involved in his life. I saw a young man in need, and I had an opportunity to do something. But more than that, I accepted the responsibility to perhaps provide a moment of significance in his life-a moment that would help him get his life back on track. I did what so many others had done for me- the things that have helped me become more the person I am and the person I want to be than I ever could have done on my own. You never know how these things will turn out, but you've got to be willing to try.

There are several elements of this story that I believe to be significant. First, I think the fact that Vick owned up to his mistake and plead guilty to the charges and served his time, shows integrity. Most men in that position would have plead innocent and had gone to trail hoping to be found not guilty or to lesson the punishment. Second, while in prison he repented of his sin and asked for forgiveness (even though it is not mentioned, it is implied). Third, because of the repentance God put Dungy in his life, to help him become the man that He had intended him to be from the beginning. Lastly, the fact the Dungy was willing to follow the prompting that God had led him. Dungy poured himself into the life of a man who needed the help that only by the grace of God he could provide.

What would happen today if we followed the prompting that God is leading us to? What would happen today if we took a stand against the enemy who has brought down so many good men? What would happen today if we mentored someone in trouble, poured ourselves into him and helped him with his walk like so many others have done for us? What would happen today if we banded together to mentor each other as brothers in Christ?

What would happen today...?

Proverbs 27:17

As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another.

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