Faced with a Mountain in Your Way

Fellow Friends of Christ,

Today, I was talking with a friend and who felt they were up against a huge mountain in their life path, and they asked what do you do to move past it. I responded that someone that desires to climb a mountain with any level of success and reach the mountain peek seeks out someone familiar with climbing that particular mountain.

God sometimes places mountains in our path to to allow us to grow and become the person that He has created us to be. It is difficult to see the rewards of climbing the mountains of life and growing as you go take each step. Paul wrote to the church in Philippi that with God all things are possible (Philippians 4:13), so no matter how bad you think things are God is with you and has never left your side.

Remember in this life and the next you are never alone and always have the support of the creator of the world, because with Him everything is possible. God is our guide and has climbed every mountain that we will ever face, so we need to let Him guide us.

Your brother in Christ,
Mike

A Friend of God

Fellow Believers in Christ,

In John 15:14 (NCV) Jesus said, "You are my friends if you do what I command you". While just two verses before this He gave us the command to love one another the way that he loves us.

Recently at work I ran across an individual that is not so easy to love. No matter how I have tried to reach this person and stear them in the right direction they seem to choose the wrong way. I wanted to give up on this person and clean my hands of them completely, and my wife looked at me and let me know I was not acting much like a Christian. Following a brief chat with my chaplain this morning I read these words that John pinned thousands of years ago.

It is far to easy for us to love those that are easy to love, but God has called us to love even our enemies. God has seen to it that this certain individual is going to be around me for some time to come. He sees that this is an area that I need to work on so that I can earn the right to be called a friend of God.

Your brother in Christ,
Mike

God's Timing is Not My Own

Fellow Believers in Christ,

Recently, I have seen God working in my life, but in order to see Him prodding me along the path that He has designated that I follow it has taken over a year and He had to close one door and open another to allow me to see all of the little things that He used to get me to this point.

Our culture is in such a rush to get things done now, however when we are in a rush it is easy to miss the small subtle clues that God has left for us along our path. That is why it is important to take time to get away and get into God's Word and listen for His still and quiet voice. Reflecting on the past during this time is a good way to seek those clues that God placed in your life and mine.

However, God does not leave us here, yet we are left with a decision to be made. We can choose to correct our path and follow God's direction for our life or we can decide to do our own thing. The choice is a personal one for each of us, but as Joshua said as for me and my family we will serve the Lord.

Your Brother in Christ,
Mike

The Power of One

Fellow Believers in Christ,

I was reading in John 4 a few days ago and the story of the woman at the well and her interaction with Jesus has stuck with me since then. What I find most compeling about this story is that Jesus did not look past her when others in that day and age did because it was the thing to do. He knew that she had value. By taking time out of His very busy schedule to spend with this one woman many people came to know and accept Christ as their Lord and Savior. I love that old song "It Only Takes a Spark" the lyrics that I remember go like this. It only takes a spark to get the fire going. That's how it is with God's love once you experience you want to pass it on. Today, reach out to a person in your life that you would not normally approach and show them that they have value and meaning. Who knows what impact that person will have on the world or the Kingdom of God because you made them feel special.

Your brother in Christ,
Mike

Watch Out for Information Overload

Fellow Believers,

I noticed a few months ago that as I got excited about Christ and learning more about him that I was trying to read as much Christian literature that I could get my hands on, but I found myself getting my knowledge of God's word from many other books instead of the Bible. I did not think much about it until I ran across this passage:

Ecclesiastes 12:12-13 (Message)

But regarding anything beyond this, dear friend, go easy. There's no end to the publishing of books, and constant study wears you out so you're no good for anything else. The last and final word is this:
Fear God.
Do what he tells you.

Then I really had to take a look at what I was doing in my own studies and realize that I needed to get back to the basics of simply reading and studying God's word for all it was worth.

I challenge you even in today's information age to read less and focus on what is important and will what have value for you not in this lifetime but the next as well. When you do this you will realize that things get clearer for you just as they did for me.

Keep up the good fight in the Faith as we fight an ever present and very dangerous enemy!

Your brother in Christ,
Mike

Jesus and Eternity

A few days ago as I was preparing to leave my family on a 12 month deployment was I finally able to understand the difficulty that Jesus faced as he talked to his disciples about his final days on Earth, and that he was going somewhere that they could not go.

John 13:36-37 (New American Standard Bible)

36 Simon Peter said to Him, "Lord, where are You going?" Jesus answered, "Where I go, you cannot follow Me now; but you will follow later." 37 Peter said to Him, "Lord, why can I not follow You right now? I will lay down my life for You."

As I tried to tell my almost 3 year old daughter that her father was going somewhere she could not follow it was very clear that she did not understand what I was saying. Like Simon Peter, she said Daddy I can come with you to Afghanistan, and I loving told her again where I was going that she could not come.

Leaving those you love behind is never easy, but because of Jesus' sacrifice for those who chose to believe in him we can spend eternity with our families.

Do you know Jesus as your Lord and Savior? He is coming again. Are you and your family ready?

Your brother in Christ,
Mike

Yes Man for God

Fellow Believers,

I recently watched Jim Carey's movie Yes Man about a man named Carl that lived his life by saying no to everything. This led him to have a life that lacked meaning and hurt his relationships with those in his life. His whole view on life changed when he went to a seminar where he learned the power to unlocking all life had to offer was by saying yes to everything he was asked. This simple change in Carl's life provided more opportunities that he had passed on before that allowed him to live a fuller life.

This lead me to ponder this question: How many of us have been sitting in church and listening to Gods word preached and still say no to his path for our lives?

Lets explore what Jesus has to say about "yes" when he is talking about the importance of keeping our vows in the Sermon on the Mount:

Matthew 5:37 (New Living Translation)

³⁷ Just say a simple, ‘Yes, I will,’ or ‘No, I won’t.’ Anything beyond this is from the evil one.

Jesus wants our yeses to have meaning not only to others but with him as well. I have decided to devote my life completely to God, and have started saying yes to whatever he wants me to do in my life. God's will for my life and my family is far greater than anything that I could ever put together on my own. He knows that my plans always fall short and are lacking in substance.

We serve an amazing an powerful God! Are you ready to become a Yes Man for God and allow him to move in your life?

Your brother in Christ,

Mike