Go Telling From the Mountain Top

Fellow Believers in Jesus Christ, 

Isaiah 40:9 (NCV) Jerusalem, you have good news to tell. Go up on a high mountain. Jerusalem, you have good news to tell. Shout out loud the good news. Shout it out and don’t be afraid. Say to the towns of Judah, “Here is your God.”

This Christmas season my wife and I decided to share more of what the Bible has to say with our kids about the season.  One night we read Isaiah 40:9 them, because my daughter absolutely loves the song "Go Tell It On The Mountain Top."  As I read this passage to my kids four things jumped out at me that I wanted to explain to them about this passage: news of God is good, the mountain top mentioned here is not a physical one, our lives are to shout God's message, and we should never be afraid to share God with anyone.  

As we approach Christmas we are reminded of the angels who announced to the shepherds that Jesus had been born. Luke 2:10-11(NCV)says,"The angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I am bringing you good news that will be a great joy to all the people.Today your Savior was born in the town of David. He is Christ, the Lord." What greater news could we have than our Savior was born that we should want to shout it out from the mountain tops.  God brings good news. Do you believe that God brings good news?

Next, this verse tells us to go to a mountain top and shout the good news for those around us to hear. I believe where you are each and everyday is your mountain top. I go to school and I find my mountain top there. That is where God has called me to shout the good news he has provided me.  Where is your mountain top? 

Then, I focused on the word shout. I do not think God wants all of us to just scream as loud as we can so others can here the message of God.  While some have been called to stand in front of others and preach the good news, still many of us have been called to let how we live our lives shout out the good news of Jesus Christ. When others see your lives do they see Jesus in you?

Lastly, God wants us to boldly share this message of the good news of Jesus Christ with others, and to not be afraid when others harass or make fun of us for our faith. They made fun of Jesus for  sharing His faith and even killed him for it. You had better believe they will do the same to us. We must stand firm on the Word of God. Are we willing to suffer being an outcast to share the message of Jesus Christ to others?

Let us go and tell it on the mountain top (wherever our mountain tops may be) so the entire world may come to know him by our walk.

Your Brother in Christ, 

Mike      

Our Big Ego's Must Go

Amos 6:13 You celebrate the defeat of Lo-Debar and Karnaim, and you boast by saying,“We did it on our own.”

"We did it on our own." Wow! This is the phrase that defines our modern time. We think that we do not need anyone at all to help us, but when we act this way we are simply making ourselves out to be utter fools. This is why God lost it. We cannot do anything without Him. He spoke the earth into being and created every single resource we could ever use. There is absolutely no way possible if we are humble that we could ever say that we did it all on our own. Making an impact in the Kingdom of God cannot be done with just one person, and as a matter of fact God established the church as an entire body of believers to achieve his objective of reaching the entire world with the message of Him. The message in Amos 6 is when we get to big for our britches God will not hesitate to smack us around for failing to follow the process he has established.

Your Brother in Christ,
Mike 

Perspective on Balance

Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

Hebrews 12:1-3 (NIV 2011) Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us,fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.3 Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.

How difficult is it to create balance in your life amidst all of the clutter that fills it?

For those of you that do not know I am at an Army professional development school for field grade officers, middle management of the Army, and one phrase that I hear quite often is that is important to maintain balance in your life to allow us to be successful.  How do I create balance in my life?  Do I weight things equally and try to give them all equal amounts of time?  Or do I create a rank ordered list that sets my priorities for me and live my life in accordance with those priorities?  Well let me share with you a way to create balance in your lives.  This idea is not my own but one that I heard presented to me and not one I had thought of before, but it is rooted in scripture and we would all do well to apply it to our busy lives.  The thought is this: Achieving balance in our lives is unattainable and causes us overwhelming frustration in our lives when we try to pursue it.  

Well if achieving balance is worthless what is the point of this post.  The point of this post is this if all of our thoughts and energy is focused on God He will control the balance in our lives.  We do not need to focus our attention on multiple things as we so often try to do, but simply give God all of the love and attention he so justly deserves and let Him provide for us.  

I am working to change my way of thought so that it is not focused on having a balanced life, but a God centered life.  I hope you are as well.  

Your brother in Christ, 
Mike 

Fiery Furnace Challenge

Fellow Believers,

         One of my most favorite books in the Bible is found in the Old Testament.  The book of Daniel is full of stories with tremendous characters that display unyielding resolve as each story unfolds.   Chapter 3 tells us the story of Daniels friends Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego as they stood strong in the face of King Nebuchadnezzar.  Despite being ordered to bow down to a huge golden statue on command Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego decided to serve God alone knowing that their decision could cost them their lives.  Even when faced with death in a fiery furnace Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego said in Daniel 3:17b-18 (NCV), "The God we serve is able to save us from the furnace. He will save us from your power, O king. But even if God does not save us, we want you, O king, to know this: We will not serve your gods or worship the gold statue you have set up.”

         Everyday we are faced with the same challenge that Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego faced.  We are always confronted with the challenge of living up to the Christian values in a world that so often seems devoid of values.  The challenge could spring up when you least expect it or you could confront it in your work place.  What will be your answer?   Will you stand strong in the face of adversity as Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego did or will you bend your beliefs in favor of being liked by people of the world?  I challenge each of you to stand strong in the face of adversity and those of the world and tell them that I will only serve the one true God, and even if I am wrong I will not compromise what I believe. 

         Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego believed and were victorious as they danced in an extremely hot furnace with an angel of God that did not even let the fire touch them.  We too can share in this same victory if we practice the same faith and belief of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.  This week and the rest of my life I am going to live my life under the "Fiery Furnace Challenge" and I ask you to join me and watch it change your life.

Your Brother in Christ, 
Mike 

Staying Connected to God

Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

It has been some time since I have wrote a new post and that is not because God has not been working in my life because He has. I have been very busy with work and life in general. Things in my life recently have reminded me of a very important aspect of Christian life that I want to share with each of you. That important truth is this: We have to remain connected to Jesus Christ and allow Him to feed our lives. It is very easy for me to lose sight of this fact and think that I am running the show and calling the shots in my life. The trouble of this is when you live your life this way you better be ready for a fall that will really humble you in ways you could not have ever imagined.

The Apostle John wrote about staying connected to God in the gospel of John 15:5 (NCV) "I am the vine, and you are the branches. If any remain in me and I remain in them, they produce much fruit. But without me they can do nothing."
Here are just a few short ways that you and I both can remain connected to God and allow Him to guide our lives to allow us to be productive in His Kingdom:

1. Time Spent with God Daily - Establish a time each day to read His Word, the Bible, when you are able to focus on Him fully so that He can speak to you through what you read.

2. Pray early and often - Far to often we feel that our prayers need to be long and eloquent yet God simply wants us to reach out and communicate with Him. I think it is best to keep our prayers short and to the point this way we will not become long winded and not serve him.

3. Genuine fellowship with other believers - Life on Earth is not always easy and even at times we struggle to follow the path we should be following. This is why it is important to be tied in with other believers so that they can encourage us when we need encouragement as well as pull us away from things we do not need to be involved in.

4. Memorize Scripture - The memorization of scripture is important to keeping you on the path that we are to follow. When we are tempted as Jesus was we can refer to scripture and keep us on the path we are to follow. This is something that I have to a lot work on in my personal life.

5. Earnestly Evaluate Your Life - All of us have things that we do that have no place in a Christian lifestyle and need to be cut or as John would say pruned from our lives. The process of pruning is one that takes skill and time so that it is done right, yet once it is done your growth will be greater than had you never gone through the painful process in the first place. Here is a general rule on what needs to be pruned from your life and mine. If it does not add value to your relationship with God get rid of it.

I hope that you are staying connected with the Lord today and always.

Your brother in Christ,
Mike