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

A Few Challenges Social Media Presents to Our Faith

Fellow Believers in Christ,

Today we are able to reach out and touch anyone regardless of where they are in the world thanks to modern technology. This is good when we reach out to that long last friend or family member or use it to keep up with loved ones spread across the country or perhaps in some other country. However wonderful this technology is it comes with flaws and challenges that test our faith as Christians. Paul reminds us in Romans 12:1-2 that the way we live our lives is the way we worship God. Therefore it is important to consider our actions in a technologically advanced society and the impact that they will have on those that receive them. Will they know that God lives in us by what we post, tweet, or share with others?

Jesus cautioned of two shortfalls He noticed in His society that are still ones that will trip us up in the modern technology age.

1. When giving to the needy we must not flaunt all the gifts of time or financial gifts that we give to the poor. Instead we are to give without seeking notice (Matthew 6:2-4) and praise from those around us. It is God that gets the glory and not us. Modern day social media makes it so very easy to say look at me and notice what I have done. This attitude leads us to start thinking of others not as good as ourselves, which is a very dangerous place to be when trying to live our lives in worship to God.
2. Proverbs reminds us that gossip can destroy confidence between someone you once trusted (Proverbs 11:13) and can destroy friendships (Proverbs 16:28). The technology we have today allows us to fire off our thoughts immediately as we press send which is not always the best course of action. I have done this before and then regretted what I wrote and how I said it. Using our words to gossip about others does not permit us to tell others God's story.

The question I was faced with this week as I Romans 12:1-2 was this: Am I living a life that daily honors God and does all that I do worship Him? If it does not I need to change my life so it does honor God daily.

I leave you with Paul's words found in Romans 12:1-2 (NIV 2010) to read and reflect on. I hope that they move you this week like they have me.

Romans 12:1-2 (NIV 2010)

¹ And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him. ² Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.

Your Brother in Christ,
Mike

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