Unwrapping the Gift

Every year I am amazed at how quickly the wrapping paper comes off, the boxes open up and the gifts are put into use. Now that our boys are getting a little older, each year brings a little more anticipation - "When can we open the gifts?!?" There is so much excitement this time of year because there is anticipation about what is inside of the box.

Last week in our student ministry I shared a message entitled "Unwrapping the Gift". It can become easy to allow that anticipation and excitement to wear off when it relates to our walk with Christ. Yet we have received the greatest gift one could ever know.

Have you ever found yourself "holding" the gift of salvation, but feeling like its full reality and potential has not been "unwrapped" in your life? What good is a gift to us, if it hasn't been fully unwrapped and utilized in our lives? There have been times where I have been given a gift of clothes, and I never use the gift. I wonder if the person who gave me those gifts wonders why they never see me in them? I know when I give someone something, I want them to take it out of the box and use what they have been given!

What about the gifts that God has given to each of us. Romans 12:6-8 talks about the different gifts we have been given. Do you allow your God given abilities just to remain "wrapped" up, or have you started to break them out of the box? Are you using them to make a difference?

Even though Christmas is now over, I still think it is a great time to determine to "unwrap" the gifts God has given us.

Things I will NOT do in 2010

Many people are taking time right now to think about what this next year will have in store. Goals, accomplishments, dreams...they are thinking about resolutions and how this next year will be different than the last. I have come up with a different idea today - things I am NOT resolving to do: a New Years Un-Resolution List?

Something like that.

So here it goes...things I will not do in 2010:

1. I will not back down in my faith

2. I will not miss the opportunity to bless and be a blessing to my wife and family

3. I will not allow passivity to be in my faith, leadership and life

4. I will not allow opinions of others to be a stronger voice than the voice of Jesus

5. I will not miss opportunities to laugh and enjoy life

6. I will not undervalue the opportunities to tell and show people they are loved

7. I will not live without physical exercise

8. I will not live by only wishing great things would happen and not taking action

9. I will not neglect the habits that lead to greatness

10. I will not underestimate the difference my life can make

What are the things you are aiming at for 2010? What are the things that you are determined to do, or NOT to do. The truth be told...either way you are resolving to do something! So dream, plan, make goals, and develop vision. Then get after it! Make this year the greatest year you have ever lived!

Approval Addiction

I will be the first to admit it...I hate to let people down. For me, one of the worst things is knowing that I fell short of what someone was wanting, expecting or desiring me to deliver. There are people in life who could care less. There are others who love the conflict. Not me. Yet even though these emotions are very real, I have been learning some important truths over the years. Here is one that has helped me:

If we make it our aim to please everyone, we will please no one. (including the most important one we should be seeking approval from: Jesus)

If we make it our aim to live a life that is fully pleasing to Him, that is what matters most! Now I am not saying that we should be hard hearted and not be teachable. Problems arise when we want to make every person happy...which if we are honest with our selves, will never happen.

Think about what Jesus told us was the Greatest Command: Love God and Love People. If we get these things mixed up, we can get ourselves into a cycle where getting peoples approval becomes more important to us than hearing Jesus say, "Well done, good and faithful servant."

The idea should not be, "Well, I don't really care about people...I just listen to Jesus." Listen to God, honor Him, love people - but don't make your ONLY AIM in life to win the applause of everyone.

God is for you!

This morning I have been thinking about Romans 8:31

"What shall we say about such wonderful things as these? If God is for us, who can ever be against us?"

God is for you. Today, no matter what you are facing, what is going on, or if you feel like you are losing a battle that you are in the middle of - know this: God is for you! It is often easy to see how many things are stacked against us and miss the most important truth: all we need is one important element standing on our behalf. That is what Jesus is doing today.

Romans 8:34 continues:
"Who then will condemn us? No one—for Christ Jesus died for us and was raised to life for us, and he is sitting in the place of honor at God’s right hand, pleading for us."

We all need to be reminded that Jesus is praying - interceding for you and I. Remember today that God is for you!

Leaving room to be a blessing

This fall I started an endeavor to read through the bible chronologically. It has been a fun journey. I came across something a few weeks back that made me see personal stewardship and finances in a whole new light. It is found in Leviticus 19:9-10 (NLT):

“When you harvest the crops of your land, do not harvest the grain along the edges of your fields, and do not pick up what the harvesters drop. It is the same with your grape crop—do not strip every last bunch of grapes from the vines, and do not pick up the grapes that fall to the ground. Leave them for the poor and the foreigners living among you. I am the Lord your God."

As I came across this Old Testament command, I really felt that it had some great present day application for us. I believe generosity should be in the heart of every follower of Jesus. It should be second nature, a part of our DNA. Yet the issue for most people is not that they don't want to be generous (I guess there are some who don't want to...), but they lack the ability to be generous because they have consumed everything they have.

God commanded the people to basically "leave room" for generosity. But most of Americans don't just consume everything they take in, they consume more than that (which is known as debt). God commanded his people to leave the edges open so the poor could receive from what they had. And He also said not to pick up that which the harvesters had dropped.

How often do we get something and consume all of it? Then when we get an opportunity to be generous, the ability is not there. I am challenged by this to "leave more room" for others, and not just consume all that we have.

Life a life of generosity.