Seven Fresh Attitudes

The cost of following Christ

1. Instead of loving myself most, I am willing to love Christ best and others more than myself.

This isn't talking about soft, sentimental emotion. Laying down my LIFE for others. Selfless sacrifice

What if the whole church learned to love Christ most, and others above themselves?  It would be such a beautiful thing, and I doubt the world would be able to ignore it.  The world tells us to love ourselves before we can love anyone.  It practically screams it to us in magazines, commercials, even billboards.  Now, the church is starting to take the same stance.  How illogical is it to say you have to love yourself before you can love other people?  If I had only enough food for one, and I ate it instead of giving it to the person next to me that needed the food just as badly, how is that loving them?  The world lies.  It isn't their fault! They believe the lies themselves.  They are being deceived.  Still, we have no reason to listen to their logic.  Don't love yourself first.  Pour everything you have into loving others.  God will sustain you; God will fill your cup back up so you can keep pouring out.

2. Instead of being one of the crowd I am willing to be singled out, set apart from the gang.

Broad is the road to destruction, narrow is the path to life.  

We can't fit in when we are called to be HOLY, as He is holy.  Holy means set apart. The very DEFINITION means we are going to stand out from the world and the crowd.  We are called to stand out as an example for others to follow, and yet we are hiding behind our hoods with our earphones in, hoping no one will see us.  Hoping we look enough like the others that we won't call attention to ourselves and we can sneak on by.  The people used by God stood out from the crowd.  We cannot have both, we must choose one or the other.

3. Instead of insisting on my rights, I am willing to forego them in favor of others. 

We need to take a backseat.  This isn't easy, or natural.

It isn't about us.  It isn't about our rights or what we deserve.  A song I listen to has a line that says "If we fought for our rights, we'd be in Hell tonight." So instead of insisting on my rights (my own demise), I pray to give up what I "deserve" for other people.  Give when it's not fair.  Take the lower position, in everything. 

4. Instead of being "boss" I am willing to be at the bottom of the heap.

Give everything to the Master.  Be a servant. 

Goes right along with point number 3.  Take the lowest position.  We can't be the boss of our life and have a Lord.  It simply does not work that way. Voluntarily be the first sufferers.  Someone once told me "You will know you are a servant when they treat you like one, and it doesn't bother you." That has always stuck with me.  I'm not there, but I would like to be.

5. Instead of finding fault with life and always asking "Why?", I am willing to accept life with gratitude. 

This is all life. Everything. The good, the bad, and the ugly. Be slow to forget blessings, and quick to forget misfortune.

Wow, how different our lives and attitudes would be if we were to learn how to remember blessings far after we have forgotten misfortunes.  If we looked at all we had instead of all we don't.  To go further, what if we left our misfortunes alone and instead of asking why, we simply responded with "Thy will be done."  Be thankful in everything.

6. Instead of exercising and asserting my will, I learn to cooperate with His wishes and comply with His will.

When someone allows their will to be crossed out, then indeed the cross has been applied.

I am seeing a pattern here.  One point leading into the next. Like Jesus we should simply respond with "Thy will be done."  The cross is all about that.  Leaving your life and will behind, and taking up God's.  That is why we are to die DAILY and take up the cross.  The cross is not a nice or beautiful thing.  The cross bids all who take it to come and die.  That includes leaving our will behind. 

7. Instead of choosing my own way I am willing to coose to follow Christ's way: obey.

It means I just do what He asks me to do. Simple obedience.

There you have it.  Simply obey.  It may be challenging to execute, but the answer really is that simple.

This Is Our Time

So tonight, I was hanging with some friends. We ended up surfing through Netflix for a movie and stumbled upon a movie called "This Is Our Time". (Just to let you know I recommend this movie)

The movie really had me thinking and realizing things the whole way through.  I connected with this story in the sense that I am 23.  I am in a very similar place in life and I also feel like God isn't calling me into the game.  

Do any of you feel this way?  There is a character in the movie who works in a sandwich shop and he feels like his friends are changing the world and he is simply sitting on the bench, not in the game.  He is given some great advice.  God has us where He wants us.  Just because it doesn't feel important to us, doesn't mean it isn't important.  Anytime we are doing God's work, it is the most important thing we could be doing. Even if it is just making sandwiches.  We can be sharing God's light no matter what we do.  

Doing God's work is not only important, it is also usually not easy.  We are called to suffer for His name's sake.  Sacrifice isn't really a sacrifice unless it hurts.  All of God's most faithful men suffered.  Some were stoned, some were beheaded, thrown in lions' dens, or burned at the stake.  The movie pointed this out and challenges me to remember that through my trials.  I honestly don't even deserve to go through character building trials.  I deserve hell and nothing better, as a sinner.  In Christ, I get to live.  

We know that this time in our lives (18-30) is our time.  Our prime.  Our time to do great things!  Do we ever stop to consider that this is not our time though?  That our whole life is God's time.  Our free time, work time, sleep time, family time, home time.  It all belongs to Him.  Use His time wisely. :)

Subtle Selfishness

We have all seen it before, "What's on your mind?" is Facebook's invitation to update your status about anything and everything.  The world is constantly asking us about our opinions.  YouTube wants to know what you want or like to watch.  The box office wants to know what kind of movies you are interested in.  Stores in the mall are interested in what you want to buy.  It's everywhere. As Christians, we are called to a much bigger question.  What does GOD want?  What does God want you to wear; what does God want you to watch?  What is on GOD'S mind?  If we don't keep watch, we fall into the subtle selfishness or self-centeredness of this world.  Not everything is obvious and right there for us to see.  Satan is crafty and he likes to find little ways to trip us up.  Ways in which we are not aware.  We can not be preoccupied with our thoughts, feelings, desires, or pleasure. It is ALL about God.  We are supposed to be GOD centered!  Our whole life is to be revolved around Him.  HIS thoughts, feelings, desires, pleasure, or way.  Don't let this world coax you into being self centered.  Don't put yourself on the throne and remove the Lord from His rightful place.  We need to recognize these selfish temptings and destroy them.  Don't let selfishness creep into your life.  For the next week or so, when you find yourself thinking anything that has "I, me, my" in it, tell yourself it is not about you, everything is about God.


Lord, we need help.  This is not easy for anyone.  In fact, we CAN'T do it.  We need you to come into our lives and kill the self-centered mindset.  Give us the strength to continually submit to you every morning.  Remind us throughout the day that we are to do everything for your glory and that life is not about us. Our life was bought with a price and it is no longer our own.  Help us through this challenge.  I am your clay, please destroy anything that is of me and build me up in the way in which you wish for me to be.  Destroy anything that hinders your work in my life.  I surrender my everything to you, the one who loves me perfectly.

Sincerely,                                                                      

Someone Who Wants to be Christ-centered

Good intentions?

Sometimes we just have the best intentions, but still seem to mess things up.  We try to help or fix things and we just end up ruining everything.  Have you ever done that?  I know I have.  Christians seem to do this often.  Try to witness to people, and the other person just ends up leaving feeling judged and condemned.  The outcome is exactly the opposite of what you wanted.  Man, I hate that! It seems to happen too frequently.

Today a friend I have wrote a letter to some person who used to be in her life, but this person ended up deceiving my friend and hurting her in so many ways.  My friend has been angry about this whole situation.  In the letter, she came off as angry, and wanting this girl to get judgement because that is what she deserved. I must admit that my friend was careful to admit that she too deserved judgement, but it was just too bitter sounding.  She did also share the gospel with her in a nice way.  Unfortunately, the overall feeling of the letter was one of judgement and harsh, bitter feelings.  I was so disappointed while I was reading the letter.  It would have been great if this girl could have received a letter full of love and acceptance.  That is what we are supposed to show people!  On the bright side, my friend really did write this letter with good intentions.  She tried to be kind, as she says, and show her that she had forgiven her.

The great thing about this story, and the reminder I got today, was that God still blesses us when we TRY to do good work for Him.  He looks at our heart, and our intentions.  If God only looked at our actions, like people do, we would be in big trouble.  Thankfully He is merciful and loving and he looks at our intentions!  The other great thing, the sovereign God can take the mistakes we made, and turn them around for good.  We most certainly don't have to do things perfectly or right for God to use them for His purpose.  We are just rusty, battered, messed up tools and He still uses us.



Lord, thank you for using me with all my imperfections.  Thank you that you don't call the qualified, but you qualify the called!  Please help me to heed your instructions and listen to your words so I don't make as many mistakes, and when I do use them for your purpose.  Thank you for never getting irritated at me and my tendency to do things wrong. Amen.

Sincerely,                       

Your Imperfect Tool

Apart from God, there is no good in me

If any of you like me as a person, realize that it is not me that you like, but my God that graciously lives in me. There is nothing of me that is worth liking. My thoughts are wrong. In the past, and present, I have thought of stealing, lying to cover my own skin, deceiving, doing something for my own benefit that doesn't benefit others or may even hurt others, how things are unfair to me, complaining, how I was better than someone else, how I was worse than someone else, keeping things for myself so I can have more, and many others. Those thoughts were intensified when I wasn't walking with God. I saw who I was without God, and there was nothing to like. The best thing I did was choose to give up myself. Don't misunderstand me, that process isn't finished. I have to give up myself daily and sometimes minute by minute.

Many people, including myself at times, say or believe "Well you only thought about it, you didn't actually do it, that makes you a good person." No, it doesn't. Jesus said that if we thought about it, it was just as bad as doing it. It's hard to admit it, but I am wicked. The things that you like about me are not me at all, the things that you like about me are God living in me. He humbled himself to live in a wicked person like me, for my benefit. I just want to point you to what you actually like, and who you are actually attracted to, and that is my Father.

Sincerely, 

God's Tool

Early Church

You are in Jerusalem for the Feast of Weeks.  In the distance you hear a commotion and see a crowd gathering, so naturally you get closer to get a better look.  There are Galileans speaking in every language.  But how would they know these languages?  There was no Rosetta Stone or college classes for other languages.  These men were proclaiming the wonders and power of God in your native language, and every one else's too.  This is incredible.  The one named Peter stands up and raises his voice above all the others.

"Fellow Jews and all of you who live in Jerusalem, let me explain this to you; listen carefully to what I say.  These men are not drunk, as you suppose.  It's only nine in the morning! No, this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel."  Then he quoted Joel and spoke about how in the last days, the Lord's spirit would be poured out onto people.  He talked about Jesus of Nazareth.  Wasn't that the man who did miraculous things? It was!  Peter went on to talk about how God had accredited Jesus with signs, miracles, and wonders.  Then, he talked about how Jesus was the messiah and how we put Him to death.  Could it really be?  Was He the messiah we had been waiting all these years for?  And we murdered Him?  "What should we do?"  How could we fix this?  This is a catastrophe.  Punishment should be fierce. "Repent, and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins.  And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit." said Peter.  That's it?  Is God really that merciful that all we have to do is repent?


They did.  They repented and 3,000 were saved that day.  Can you believe that?!  What an amazing day!  God was really working there.  These believers knew that they needed each other's help to go through life now.  They knew life would be hard but they were on fire for God! They were so in love with Him and they loved each other as well.  They were wholly devoted to teaching, fellowship, breaking of bread, and prayer.  That doesn't mean that they just liked to do this, or that they sometimes did these things.  It means without fail, because they wanted to and because they knew they had to.  Amazing things happened in those days.  The church was filled with miracles.  Did you know that they would sell all their possessions and give the money to other members of the church who needed it, or even poor strangers?  This is fantastic.  I wish I was that passionate and on fire for God.  I can't imagine giving up EVERYTHING for a stranger.  They also met daily.  In the church today, we seem to think we are doing great if we go to church one day a week, and these members met daily.  Imagine how much of a family sense a church with members who met daily would have.  These people knew where it was at.  I want to get back to that.  I want the church today to be like that.  On fire for God.  Do you?

Lord help me to become more like those first disciples.  Break me and mold me into the person you want me to be.  Give me that FIRE and passion for You and Your children.  I know I am far from one of those early church members but change me a little each day, a little more like them.  Thank you for everything that you do for me, and thank you for molding me.  

Sincerely,            
The Lord's Vessel