Enriching Your Life to the Extraordinary: Inspire to Invest (Part 5 of 5)

Sunday, August 29, 2010

“Transformation in the world happens when people are healed and start investing in other people.” -Michael W. Smith

What’s the first thing you think of when I say the word invest? Most likely thoughts of bonds, IRAs, 401ks, and the stock market flood into your thoughts. What if I said that what you invest money in isn’t the most important thing you could invest in? In fact, in the whole scheme of things, it’s quite low on the list of investments that we should seek after. In regards to time, we all have the exact same amount to invest in: 24 hours each day, every day. As long as you have a pulse, you share the same amount of this investment as everyone else here on earth. We don’t often see it in these terms, but one of our greatest gifts is the gift of time. God gives us life to be lived and it’s our choice to choose how we want to spend His gift of time to us. What’s more, we should come to realize that when we invest our time with people and for people, everything has more meaning and significance. We can’t afford to waste this investment as Ralph Waldo Emerson stated: “Guard well your spare moments. They are like uncut diamonds. Discard them and their value will never be known. Improve them and they will become the brightest gems in a useful life.” So you ask how to I make the most of my time and spend it wisely? Read on…

For some of you, the past 6 months have seemed like the longest 6 months of your life because your energy, passion, and purpose for life have disappeared. For others, the past 6 months have flown by because you savored every moment living with a fire and zeal for life. What makes the difference? Why do some days bring meaning, hope, passion, and purpose; while others leave us in a state of comatose? Why does some days fly by, while others drag on and on? To answer these questions  there are a few barriers we must look that hinder how our time is spent.  

Prioritizing is a concept used often in our society but solemnly put in practice. Instead we procrastinate, ignore, or just plain stop trying to do the things that are most important in life. We place value on insignificant things on a daily basis such as watching television, playing video games, shooting 18 holes, texting, and surfing the internet. Is there any wrong if any of these things? No, but it’s wrong when we place these things on pedestals above things that we were meant to do and pursue in life. We need to continually ask ourselves this: Do these things bring purpose, significance, and value to my life? When it’s all said and done will I truly not regret wasting time on trivial pursuits? It’s not the length of a life that matters, it’s the width as Diane Ackerman reiterates, “I don’t want to get to the end of my life and find that I have just lived the length of it. I want to have lived the width of it was well.”   If you live to be 110 years old but spend it on meaningless pursuits, what good is it?

Busyness is one of the greatest enemies of our society today. Everyone and everything is calling for our attention. They tell us that we’ve got buy this,  join this club, listen to this, try this…it leaves us breathless, tired, and defeated until we’ve got nothing left to give. Any interruptions or distractions to your to-do list and you’re day is ruined. One thing about time that holds true is this: time once spend can never be reclaimed. Once a minute, hour, or moment is over, it’s gone forever. In writing to the church of Corinth, Paul wrote this in regards to spending time: “Companions as we are in this work with you, we beg you, please don’t squander one bit of this marvelous life God has given us.” 2 Corinthians 6:1 (MSG) Time wasted is life wasted.  So if you’re going to leave a legacy on earth and truly live on purpose we must pass the effectiveness test of time. Being busy doesn’t equal being effective! Sometimes doing less is more!

The final major reason we struggle with our use of time is the paradox of productivity.  Our society places a large emphasis on having something to show for our time. Whether it be a report, project, system, product created–we have to produce something in order for our time spent to mean something. It’s crept into our culture so much that there are many people who can’t even enjoy vacation or free time because they don’t have anything to show for it. We’re created for so much more than just work. Our value lies in so much more than what we do. God doesn’t equate time with productivity. Instead He looks the deeper issue of how you spent that time.  So with all these barriers in our way, how do we get out of this rut of wasting time and going through the motions of life?

One of the biggest things you’ve taught in Economics 101 is this: the greater the risk, the greater the reward. So it is with relationships too. The more of the time, money, energy, passion, and commitment we put in people the greater the reward. Sure there’s a big risk: rejection, being let down, broken promises, betrayal, and so on; but given time we discover our greatest reward is found in people no matter the risk involved.  You need to embrace this concept when it comes to relationships: The people you make time for will find time for you. This is best illustrated in the parable that Jesus gave in the gospel of Luke:

Jesus told his disciples: “There was a rich man whose manager was accused of wasting his possessions. So he called him in and asked him, ‘What is this I hear about you? Give an account of your management, because you cannot be manager any longer.’ “The manager said to himself, ‘What shall I do now? My master is taking away my job. I’m not strong enough to dig, and I’m ashamed to beg—I know what I’ll do so that, when I lose my job here, people will welcome me into their houses.’ “So he called in each one of his master’s debtors. He asked the first, ‘How much do you owe my master?’” ‘Eight hundred gallons of olive oil,’ he replied.”The manager told him, ‘Take your bill, sit down quickly, and make it four hundred.’ “Then he asked the second, ‘And how much do you owe?’ ” ‘A thousand bushels of wheat,’ he replied. “He told him, ‘Take your bill and make it eight hundred.’ “The master commended the dishonest manager because he had acted shrewdly. For the people of this world are more shrewd in dealing with their own kind than are the people of the light. I tell you, use worldly wealth to gain friends for yourselves, so that when it is gone, you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings.” Luke 16:1-9

As first glance, you would say there’s nothing of worth from about this parable. A bad manager gets fired, he starts forgiving the debt of his master’s debtors so that down the line someone will like him enough to help him out. Then we read that the master commended the dishonest manager because he acted shrewdly and Jesus says” For the people of this world are more shrewd in dealing with their own kind than are the people of the light.” Luke 16:8 This is very encouraging, right? Then the key verse comes: “ I tell you, use worldly wealth to gain friends for yourselves, so that when it is gone, you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings.” Luke 16:9. This passage is much more about investing in people than it is money. Sure, money plays a role but a minor role. Here’s what we can learn from this passage:

The point of this parable isn’t that you should misdirect other people’s money; instead the message is that you need to carefully invest your life. Everything you gain and accumulate in life needs to be invested in people. If you don’t invest in others, your life will have no lasting, eternal value. None. The manager’s actions are dishonorable no doubt, but he did stumble upon a very important principle: the greatest invest in life is people and time spend with people. You cannot live the life you were meant to live without people–it simply can’t happen.

We all have limitations and short-comings. Your potential is limited to you who are. When you learn to serve others and place significance on making a difference in people’s lives, your potential is unlimited. Without people, where would your encouragement come from? Where does your comfort come from? When a crisis comes along, who do you have to lift your sprits? With people firmly invested in your life, when you succeed others count it their success. Failure no longer defines you. Instead people will refuse to let you quit and give up; pushing you until your reach your goal. They’ll give you a shoulder to cry on, a hug to let you know it’s going to be alright, or a kind word to keep you moving forward.  Or when the waves of change come, they’ll give you a helping hand(illustrated by this humorous picture of 2 starfish). Life was never meant to be walked alone and our limitations remind us of this important reality.

We must stop viewing people as just another commodity; just something to be used for your benefit, to achieve success, and to accomplish our goals. Instead we must change our mindset of viewing people as a gift that needs to be stewarded. God has placed the people in our lives for a reason and we cannot waste our time here on earth neglecting our most valuable gift given to us. Nothing in our lives is truly ours, not even ourselves. The act of stewardship needs to carry over in not just our money, possession, and talents; but also in our relationships with people. People will invest in you if you invest in them. Everyone benefits, everyone wins when love is made into a daily investment.

One more thing to keep in mind from this parable is you shouldn’t have to resolve to buy people’s love and affection. When Jesus says to “use worldly wealthy to gain friends for yourselves”, He doesn’t mean to persuade and manipulate people to like you by throwing money at them.  He’s instead commanding us to use everything at our disposal in order to create, form, and maintain relationships. Don’t waste your resources on yourself; instead give it away. Live your life giving it away!  

The greatest test of our lives isn’t how much money we make, what we own, the successes we enjoy, or how popular we are. Instead it’s measured by how we spend our greatest resource–time. We have a choice to make: we can either choose to throw away the time given to you, or treasure it. The choice is yours and yours alone to make. The only thing that we take with us when we leave this earth is our character and what we did for other people with the time God granted us. Because what we do for people, we do for Christ: “The King will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.’” Matthew 25:40. Your time should be an investment in the action of love. Whether it be for God, your family, neighbors, friends, or even your enemies–every tick of the clock should be an investment towards love.

When you’re entering the last chapter of your life and you look back do you think you’ll treasure the time you spent watching your favorite sitcom or a goal you reached at work that brought you success in your career? I highly doubt it. Instead you’ll recall all the lives you’ve touched and the people who have touched yours. If you want to have no regrets about how you spend your time, remember the key to investment: a life spent on others is a life well spent. Yes, every moment of every day should be treasured, but when you live life for God and for others it gives even the most mundane, routine tasks more meaning. If you only live to please yourself, achieve your own goals, and gain worldly success; nothing will outlive you. Your life will be wasted. The popular Christian band MercyMe wrote this concerning how we spend our time in the song, Goodbye Ordinary,:” We were never meant to compromise, settle for mediocrity, this life was never made to be a waste of time, well all that is within me, says no more just existing… live like there’s no tomorrow, love extravagantly, lead a life to be followed, goodbye ordinary” Every moment of every day is a chance to invest in love so that when your life is through Jesus will exclaim: “‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’” Matthew 25:23. Invest in others and you will have lived a rich life! The test is still in session, are you passing?

**Next week we’ll begin a short new series on your future called: Entering Your Future with Eagerness. The first part will address difficult issues such as waiting for God’s promises to be fulfilled, releasing your fears about your future, and trusting that God’s will be accomplished in your life despite difficult circumstances you’re facing. Have a wonderful day and God Bless.**

Sources:  

Kerry and Chris Shook, One Month to Live. Waterbrook Press: Colorado Springs, Colorado, 2008.

Erwin Raphael McManus, Wide Awake. Thomas Nelson: Nashville, Tennessee, 2008.

Enriching Your Life to the Extraordinary: Exceed to Excellence (Part 4 of 5)

Sunday, August 22, 2010

“Passion is the fuel of life. It is the great source of energy and drive. It’s what makes us explore new vistas, develop new relationships, and seek solutions to perplexing problems.” -Bob Buford

At Pixar Animation Studios passion isn’t a way of life; it is the only way to pursue life.  After 15 years making animation classic after classic, you can’t help but me amazed at their improbable run of success. From Toy Story, to Finding Nemo, to The Incredibles, to Up–they keep raising the bar that leaves the rest of the industry in the dust. How do they do it? Pete Doctor producer of the movie, Up, provides us with this piece of information inside their philosophy: “Everybody is very selfless about wanting to make the movies as best they can, even if they’re not immediately involved with them.” Pixar has refined a way of working and living that seems obvious, but few are able to follow: Work hard. Surround yourself with bright people who all share one vision, and put your faith in their opinions. Above everything else, always strive to make something better; never settle for mediocrity and just reaching the status quo. Never stop challenging yourself and each other. They encourage innovation , creativity, experimenting, and teamwork. Is it any wonder then that Pixar is highly regarded and respected among their peers and the public alike?

We can learn something from the philosophy and work ethics at Pixar. Life wasn’t meant to be approached with a casual approach in just trying to get by. This is counter-cultural to the way our society runs. We are told how to get rich fast, take shortcuts, and fit in with the crowd. Striving to survive and make it through another day is our motto. But God doesn’t want us just to live; He wants to give us life to the fullest. As Jesus told His disciples: “I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” John 10:10b. Why is it then that the pursuit of a passionate, satisfying life is so hard? We’re caught in a constant battle of wanting to feel safe and secure versus the desire for something more. The song, Motions by Matthew West captures our struggle with mediocrity well: “This might hurt, it’s not safe, But I know that I’ve gotta make a change, I don’t care if I break, At least I’ll be feeling something, Cause just okay is not enough, Help me fight through the nothingness of life.” Before we look at how live a life of passion for God, let’s examine a few reasons why we’re in this predicament.

There are countless reasons why life makes us feel drained and depressed day after day, but one of the main reasons is our attitude. We approach life with the someday syndrome. Often we’re tempted to play it safe and settle for mediocrity. Countless people today at every stage in life say things like “Someday I’m going to go for all life as to offer.” “Someday when my schedule slows down, I’ll get involved at church.”Someday when there’s more time, I’ll focus on relationship with God.” Someday. If. One day. When are we going to wake up and come to the realization that this is life–right here, right now. When things do settle down ,we get more money, we find the right job; we realize it doesn’t fulfill us, and then we move on looking for the next big thing. It’s a mindset that is crippling to our lives and if we’re not careful it may come to define us.

Another reason why life leaves us disappointed is because we pursue the wrong things. Not necessarily bad things, just not the right things. Larry Crabb sums this up perfectly: “The core problem is not that we are too passionate about bad things, but that we are not passionate enough about good things.” We’re all unique and to each of us our personalities, dreams, desires are different. We’re so caught up in trying to please everyone else, do what they want, and accept the position we’re in. God has given each of us a unique emotional heartbeat. We instinctively care about certain things and not about other things. The question we need to ask ourselves is simple: “What drives me? or What do I care about?” For each of us we may answer this question differently. There are five main areas we need to look at to fully answer this question.

What drives you? When you get up in the morning, what is it that excites you the most? At surface level this may seem hard for some of us. For some people their overriding factor of getting up is to go to work, take care of their kids, getting the to-do list done, and so on. Often to discover the deep cravings of our heart we have to look deeper into our spirit. Instead of focusing on your selfish pursuits and goals, we must look towards God and others in answering this question. How can I use my gifts and abilities to serve others? What dreams can I pursue to help other people? It’s only natural for us to ask “How does this purpose benefit me?” Our approach needs to change from seeing things from our eyes, to His eyes. God has placed in each of us passions that He wants us to bring into the world for His purpose. The first step is to discover what those passions are.

Next ask yourself: Who do I care about? What group of people are you most connected with? To who to who feel the most passionate about? This could be your own peer group, a certain demographic, the business world, orphans, the homeless, hungry, or the elderly. God has put certain people in our life for a reason and perhaps our best bet is to look to the people around us first. Whether it be our co-workers, our community, our church family, our friends, or our family–the answer to this question usually is right in front of us. Every moment of our lives as better equipped us to serve and minister others, we just have to be willing to look for the answer of who that may be.

Once we establish what we’re passionate about and who we’re passionate about, the next question that comes into play is this: What needs will you meet? First, keep in mind that you can’t possibly meet every need within your target group that you’re most passionate about. A good starting point is to focus on the needs that God and other people have met in your own life. As 2 Corinthians 1:4(NLT) states: “He comforts us in all out troubles so that we can comfort others. When others are troubled, we will be able to give them the same comfort God has given us.” Perhaps you’ve experienced something painful in your past like divorce of your parents, physically abuse, or self-esteem issues. All our weaknesses, suffering, and failures all part of the masterpiece He is creating in our lives. When we discover how God has used our these painful experiences in our lives; it’s often that we want to share and help others see how they can experience the same transformation that we did. There are many different kinds of needs ranging from spiritual, physical, relational, emotional, and educational. We must narrow our focus down to what specific type of need we want to meet and then ask ourselves if it aligns with our God-given passions and spiritual gifts. The world then becomes a whole lot smaller.

Next, ask yourself: What cause will I help conquer? How will I make a lasting contribution and impact on people’s lives? The list of causes that need to be conquered are endless: poverty, alcoholism, AIDS, divorce, sanctity of life, drug abuse, spiritual apathy–the key is to find a cause your most passionate about and pursue it. Often times we look at the world’s problems and feel helpless because there’s so much hurt, pain, and suffering among us. Then we resolve to going right back to our comfortable self-centered lives because it seems too hard to overcome. The problem is simply that we have the wrong approach. Instead of looking at the world as a whole, we need to see what God has put in front of us and go from there. What cause am I most passionate about that is using my abilities and gifts? Never compare your cause to someone else either. Every cause is vitally important and valuable in God’s eyes. God has put a passion in your heart for a reason; it’s your responsibility to activate it!

Finally, ask what dream will I fulfill? In the book Wild at Heart, John Eldredge says” Our goal here is to recover that adventure God wrote on your heart when He made you. Your deepest desires reveal your deepest calling, the adventure God has for you. You must decide whether or not you’ll exchange a life of control born out of fear for a life of risk born out of faith.” Start making a list of things you deeply desire to do with your life, great and small. Never ask the question of “How?” How is not in God’s vocabulary. Instead ask “What?” What makes you come alive? What has God written on your heart? If you could do want you’ve always wanted to do, what would it be? Just remember that not every dream and desire is from God. If a dream is about personal success, comfort, and glory then you should reconsider it. A worthy dream is one in which you’ve using everything you’ve been given for God’s glory and His Kingdom. Dream big because no dream is too small for God to fulfill!

It all begins with your perspective. The world tells us, “Don’t be outrageous. Don’t stand out. Take no risks and play it safe. Comfort and security are the primary goals in life.” The band, Nevertheless, states this perspective  in their song, Live Like We’re Alive, ” They say stay inside the lines, We’ve drawn and you’ll be just fine, Don’t take chances with your life, … We’re here only for a second and then We’re gone, when we least expect it, So do more than survive, Let’s live like we’re alive.” God instead calls us to live a life of faith and passion for Him every day, every moment of every day. He has promised us an abundant life, the greatest adventure the human heart will ever know. Every day should be a “masterpiece” as coach John Wooden so eloquently put it.  When you connect with your God-given passions it transforms your everyday life. Work seems like play. Every moment we’re living is savored. Your perspective should be that every day, everything you do matters and God deserves your very best!

A person of passion and perspective doesn’t need extra motivation to get up in the morning. In fact, they can’t wait for the alarm clock to go off. They have clearly defined goals they go after in any given day. Boredom isn’t part of their schedule; even when they aren’t working on something. There is a purpose behind everything they do whether it be to further develop a relationship, work on a project, enjoying being part of a special event, or simply resting. They’re never completely satisfied, always striving to make things better and to reach their full potential. Every dream they have is being pursued with no fear; instead choosing to trust in God. Risks aren’t avoided, they’re welcomed. Nothing is taken for granted and everything they possess given to them is being used for God’s kingdom. At the end of the day, they go to bed eagerly anticipating what’s in store tomorrow. If you’re life was examined under the microscope would these picture resemble your life? It’s never too late to discover your passions and heart for God. As the people of Pixar illustrate through their work–it’s not what you do, it’s how you do it. Let your heart beat for God and give Him everything you have! This is our calling and the time to answer the call is now!!

**Next week we will conclude this 5 week series on Enriching Your Life to the Extraordinary, with Inspiring To Invest. We’ll look at investing in our time, relationships, and talents. Starting in September we’ll start a short two week series on Entering Your Future. God Bless.**

Sources:

http://www.tradingmarkets.com/.site/news/Stock%20News/2350215/

Kerry and Chris Shook, One Month to Live. Waterbrook Press: Colorado Springs, Colorado, 2008.

Erik Rees, S.H.A.P.E. Zondervan Publishers: Grand Rapids, Michigan, 2006.

Enriching Your Life to the Extraordinary: Dream to Discover (Part 3 of 5)

Sunday, August 8, 2010

“The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes but in seeing with new eyes.” — Marcel Proust

In order to live the life of your dreams, you must have courage, take risks, be able to fail, to get back up, and never give up. This kind of life must be continuously fueled by our imaginations and this must start will an insatiable curiosity. God has designed each of us to learn, to discover, and to invent. What often gets lost along the way as we grow up as adults is the gift from our childhood—curiosity. You don’t have to teach a child how to be curious. Ever child is naturally curious; some more than others. A child doesn’t need to be told to explore, touch, to feel, to look, or to eat. It’s wired into their design as they going places they’re not supposed to go, trying things they’re not supposed to try, and getting themselves in all sorts of trouble.

The problem with our thinking is that we connect knowledge to maturity and curiosity is seen only as a childhood luxury. As we grow up our passion for discovery and exploration is thrown by the wayside. We so desperately want to grow up, become adults, and become mature that we lose our imagination, and thus our curiosity. We stop asking questions because the answers never seemed to satisfy our question for knowledge. Or maybe your dreams never seemed to come into fruition so you gave up trying new things. Perhaps your curiosity led you to places that were destructive. It left you physically or emotionally hurt and started being less and less curious about the world. If nothing else, one of the main reasons we give up our insatiable curiosity is because we strive for what’s comfortable, secure, and predictable.  Trying new things, being in new places, meeting new people puts us in a very hard, difficult position and we’d rather stay in our own comfort zones.

We must approach the world with a childlike wonder, awe, and imagination. Our mandate should be to learn everything and anything to turn your dreams into a reality. Once you stop learning, you will stop growing, and when you stop growing you never get anywhere beyond where you’re at. The longer we live, the less adaptive our minds are to learning. We convince ourselves that we already know what we need to know and that is good enough to get us where we want to be. We, as Christians, above all others should be driven to question, to examine, to learn. Our faith shouldn’t make us less curious but insatiably curious. When you live in a relationship to the God of all creation learning should be a given. The journey of discovery will never end; it’s one that will go on from now until eternity. This journey is as endless as God is infinite and eternal.

This approach to the world can be seen all the way back in the beginning with the first man, Adam and His encounter with God. “Now the LORD God had formed out of the ground all the beasts of the field and all the birds of the air. He brought them to the man to see what he would name them; and whatever the man called each living creature, that was its name. So the man gave names to all the livestock, the birds of the air and all the beasts of the field.  But for Adam no suitable helper was found.” Genesis 2:19-20. The overarching story here in this scripture passage is that God is preparing Adam to realize he needs a woman to make humanity but the process that God uses is our focus here. God brought all the animals before Adam and he named each and every one of them. He had nothing to draw upon, no former education to help him in naming the animals. Yet through the process of discovery he named and identified every single animal distinguishing between the birds, mammals, reptiles, fish, and insects. Not only could he name them but he could distinguish between them. All because he used his childlike wonder and curiosity to discover all the wondrous creatures God had made for him.  Curiosity is essential for life. It’s part of the way God made us; we were made to explore, discover, define, and pioneer.

Think about this for a moment: if children were not curious then how would they develop the skills to survive? If you didn’t discover that you shouldn’t touch a stove when it’s on, then you would seriously be in risk of getting a severe burn on your hand. If you never questioned the laws of gravity, how would you know that it’s not safe to be leaning on the edge of a cliff.  Why do we ask questions in the first place? It’s because God has given us the capacity to learn, to grow, and to understand. Life is an incredible journey, a great adventure that God has placed before us. If we were incapable of learning then growing up and changing would be impossible. In a way, learning is an expression of humility. It shows that we don’t have infinite knowledge and wisdom; we must have an attitude of humility in order to continue to learn and discover the world that God has placed before us. And the more we learn about the world, the more we should want to know about the One who created it.

Throughout history, people have been faced with challenges, obstacles, and problems that seemed insurmountable to everyone but someone has always found a way to overcome them. One person found a way to overcome that all the rest deemed insurmountable.  Once a problem is solved, everyone sees it. For those who have been able to sustain curiosity and wonder as adults there seems to be no limit on our capacity to explore and learn new things. The real dilemma is not identifying a problem but solving it. Once we see a problem it lets us know that where are limits are if we don’t solve it. Our problems, obstacles, and challenges can become the markers of our limitations or spring us into a new world of discovery–the choice is ours to make.

In Genesis 4, we get a glimpse of problem solving and making something of the world.“Adah gave birth to Jabal; he was the father of those who live in tents and raise livestock. His brother’s name was Jubal; he was the father of all who play the harp and flute. Zillah also had a son, Tubal-Cain, who forged all kinds of tools out of bronze and iron.” Genesis 4:20-22. Just from these few verses we can see the birth of the tent, musical instruments, tools out of bronze and iron. From each new invention came new methods of doing things which in turn birthed new ideas for doing things throughout each new generation.  God created us to find solutions to the problems before us. We were made to be adaptable and expandable.

A life called out by God is one full of risk, challenges, and uncertainty. Have we just settled because this happens to be where we are? It’s important to ask why are you doing what you’re doing? Are you living up to your calling? Are you making the most of your God-given opportunities? The fear is that sometimes we think that if we leave everything we know, it’s going to get worse from there. What we don’t realize is most of the time we’ll never experience greater contentment or joy until we’re willing to give up what we know and go and explore into what is the unknown.

Although you should learn, explore, and discovery everything, it certainly doesn’t mean that you should experience everything. What is it called when you convince yourself you must experience everything in life before you actually know better? Stupidity. This can be clearly seen in the warning God gives Adam in chapter 2 of Genesis: And the LORD God commanded the man, “You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die.” Genesis 2:16-17. God’s command is very simple: “You eat from this tree, you die.” Adam was free to experience and eat from any other tree he wanted just not this one. Not everything in our lives has to be learned from experience. Sometimes we are able to learn from others who have failed or having confidence in that what God tells us from scriptures.  

The truth is there are times when we decide we must learn the hard way for ourselves. Instead of choosing to learn from wisdom we insist on learning through pain or in many cases a nice way of saying–stupidity. Your Mom tells you not to put something in an electrical socket, but we do it anyways because we’re curious of why we aren’t allowed to do so. When you grow up, we’re told smoking is bad for our health but you wonder what all the fuss is about. Then you try it, are hooked, and the truth hits you smack upside the head. You were warned but you still didn’t listen. What begins as curiosity can fast become corruption. In the wonder and power of a childlike imagination is that children have no fear of being wrong. In order to grow and thrive in life, we must be willing to cope with failure. Some things were never meant for us to discover.

Your curiosity is the fuel from God to keep you searching and asking until you find Him. It is then that we can truly know Him.  Let’s take one more look at scripture this time at the account of Moses and the burning bush. “Now Moses was tending the flock of Jethro his father-in-law, the priest of Midian, and he led the flock to the far side of the desert and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. There the angel of the LORD appeared to him in flames of fire from within a bush. Moses saw that though the bush was on fire it did not burn up. So Moses thought, “I will go over and see this strange sight—why the bush does not burn up.” Exodus 3:1-3. What brought Moses into presence of God? His insatiable curiosity. He sees a bush, it’s on fire, and it’s not burning up. So he goes forward to get a closer look. The reason we all have this need to know, to learn, to discover, is that God created you to search for Him and to grow in Him.

A common flaw in our teaching is when we enter into eternity in Heaven we’ll suddenly know everything. This couldn’t be further from the truth. A more likely realization we’ll have is that all the questions we have will suddenly we overwhelmed with new ones. Only one second standing in the presence of the Creator of the universe and we’re going to get a vast new number of questions. Eternity isn’t where we get all the answers; instead it’s a place where we get all new questions and where we’ll always be learning. How long does it take to know everything about an infinite God? I’d have to say all of eternity! It’s a good thing, eternity is eternity right!?

Once we begin to know God intimately it is then that your dreams can become a reality. Each of us is an artist painting a picture of the world we will create. We are image-bearers of the creator making something of the world and creating a future better than what it was before us. Never stop learning, growing, exploring. Expand your horizons and see beyond your limitations! It is then that we can push what’s boring, comfortable, easy, and predictable aside and see the world through a whole new set of eyes. Eyes of wonder, awe, and excitement like a child opening a new gift on his or her birthday. Or a child trying something new that they’ve never tried before. Or a child seeing an amusement park for the very first time. Capture the insatiable curiosity inside of you and you’ll begin to experience the great adventure that God has laid out before you! You wouldn’t believe your eyes what you see!

 **Next week we’ll continue this 5 week series with part 4: Exceed to Excellence which addresses living a life full of passion, going beyond the ordinary, and giving God your all. Our rallying cry should be in the words of John Wooden to make “every day a masterpiece”. Have a great day and God Bless. **

Sources:

Erwin Raphael McManus, Wide Awake. Thomas Nelson: Nashville, Tennessee, 2008.

Enriching Your Life to the Extraordinary: Believe to Become (Part 2 of 5)

Sunday, August 1, 2010

“Mankind wants glory. We want health. We want wealth. We want happiness. We want all our needs met, all our little itches scratched. We want a painless life. We want the crown without the cross. We want the gain without the pain. We want the words of Christ’s salvation to be easy.” -John MacArthur

Michael is living the American Dream. By the world’s standards he has it all. He is married to a beautiful wife with two healthy, talented, and thriving children. Michael is the CEO of a business corporation and highly respected by his peers. He makes a three figure income and has all the latest gadgets, a fancy car, and a nice, lush suburban home. Michael and his family attend a large church in the area and he makes sure to attend every week while giving ten percent of his income in tithes. He loves his family and they go on a few vacations a year spending adequate time with each other. Finally, Michael has a close knit group of friends who he makes sure to spend time with on select weekends. So what could possibly be the problem? He’s living the American Dream, is successful with his job, has more than enough money to provide for his family, and makes sure to spend time with the people he cares for. A life without problems, without pain. A life of comfort, happiness, material wealth–that’s what it’s all about, right?

On the surface, if we’ve honest we would not fault Michael for his lifestyle. In fact, it’s what we all want in some way or another out of life. We want what’s easy, painless, and what makes us happy. This is what our entitlement is, the right of every American.  The problem lies much deeper than money or the pursuit of success. It’s spiritual apathy. A life devoid of faith. We’re too comfortable. Risk is avoided at all costs. We want a life on control; a life where faith isn’t necessary.  Here is a definition of the “American Dream” found on www. yourdictionary.com: “A life of personal happiness and material comfort as traditionally sought by individuals in the U.S.” This cultural aspiration is so ingrained in our minds that most of us don’t think twice about whether is consistent with our faith values or whether it might be harmful in any way.  The band Switchfoot captures the American Dream mindset with their song titled, American Dream: “When success is equated with excess, When we’re fighting for the beamer, the Lexus, As the heart and soul breathing the company goals, Where success is equated with excess, … I want out of this machine, It doesn’t feel like freedom”  

Certainly there is nothing wrong with the idea of equal opportunity and pursuing your dreams without limits due to race, economic class, gender, or religion.  But aspiring for material comfort and success are not necessarily core Christian values. Nor is wanting to become famous and get ahead of other people. Our line of thinking is usually: I worked hard, I earned it, and it’s mine to do with as I please. The Bible speaks of our resources and wealth much differently. God has entrusted us what we have. There is a huge difference between the concept of being entitled to the concept of being entrusted. Prosperity comes from His hand, not our own. If we’re gifted, attractive, creative, clever, bright, disciplined we only God to thank for them. He provided you with those skills and personality traits–He deserves all the credit.

Imagine the impact the American church would have if we began using our riches as if they belonged to God. It certainly isn’t easy to hand over are assets over to God, as evidence by our culture obsessed with material possessions, wealth, and success. Before we look at ways to change our mindset from a life of comfort to one of reckless abandon towards the call of Christ, let’s look at some facts what how blessed we are as a nation:

Today there are 6.7 billion people living on earth. To take this further the population of earth is 22 times as great as the United States; we comprise of only 4.5 percent of the world. The average income in America is $38,611 per person or about $105 per day. Compare this to the rest of the world. There are 2.6 billion people or 40 percent of the world’s population that make less than $2 dollars a day and 1 billion people who make less than a dollar a day or 15 percent!  This is just facts on income. There are also disturbing facts on food and water: 350 to 400 million children worldwide are hungry; 1 out of every 7 people or 854 million people do not have enough food to sustain them. Nine million people per year die due to hunger or related causes. Five million people die every year of water-related illnesses.

We are a relatively healthy nation and most of us are blessed to be able to afford health care, medicine, and a yearly checkup to the doctor. In most of the world, this is not the case. Malaria, one of the world’s deadliest diseases, claims 1.5 to 2.7 million deaths a year. In fact it’s believed by some scientists that one out of every two people who have ever lived have died of malaria. Think about that! What’s more, one third of the world’s population is estimated to be infected with Tuberculosis. In other words, two billion people! Tuberculosis is treatable and only 5 to 10 percent of the diagnosed develop full-blown TB during their lifetimes. Despite this, it’s still a worldwide health problem. Finally, the facts behind the HIV virus are astounding. HIV now infects 33 million people, 70 percent of them living in Africa. It has claimed 25 million lives since 1981. Every day more than 6,800 new people are infected and more than 5,700 die from the disease every day. Now that I’ve opened your eyes to the big picture and how good we have it here in the United States, here are a few things to keep in mind:

These facts are disturbing, but just because they make us uncomfortable doesn’t mean we should ignore them. Also these facts aren’t presented to make you feel guilty and miserable because you’ve been so blessed in life. The truth is the truth no matter how ugly it is! Lastly, we shouldn’t just throw up our hands in defeat; going back to our comfortable lives because the problems in our world are overwhelming difficult and we feel like we can’t do anything. We may not be able to save the world by ourselves, but together we can all do something.

God didn’t create us for happiness. Contrary to the American Dream there’s more to life than being successful, wealthy, respected, and comfortable living in the fruits of our labor. Look at what Jesus said when asked by a teacher of the law what the greatest commandment is: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself. All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” Matthew 22:37-39. If we truly love God, we will express it by loving our neighbors, and when we truly love our neighbors, it expresses our love for God. The evidence of truth faith are acts of love for God. This can be studied further by looking at chapter 58 of the book of Isaiah where God equates true fasting(authentic worship of Him) with feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, and bringing justice to the poor. I strongly recommend you read this chapter to further grasp what love in action is all about before reading further.

The third great commandment is also an act of love. It’s often called the Great Commission. Before Jesus ascended into heaven He gave His disciples one last command: “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” Matthew 28:18-20. This was a radically new command at the dawning of a new age, to take the whole gospel to the entire world. So in summary, we as believers in Christ are called to:

• Love God.
• Love our neighbors.
• Go and make disciples of others who will do the same.

We are called not to give up on the world, nor retreat from it but exactly the opposite. We are to reclaim and redeem the world for Christ’s kingdom. It all sounds simple, but how do we live a life on faith dependent of God to change the world?

“I tell you the truth, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.” Matthew 17:20. When we read this verse we think it was used as an exaggeration that Jesus was making in order to make a point about the power of faith. We can’t literally move mountains…can we? What if we looked at this verse from a different angle and shed a new light on it? What if Jesus meant for millions of His followers to each put their faith in action by grabbing a shovel? We can challenge the mountain with one shovelful at a time. Any mountain can then be moved such as poverty, hunger, or injustice–if we have enough people picking up their shoveling and digging!

It all starts with you. God calls you to be faithful with everything you have. You aren’t called to be a superstar just a faithful, obedient servant doing small things with great love for people. You don’t have to go halfway around the world or even out of your own hometown to change the world; you just have to open your eyes. There is someone crying out to God for help. A neighbor who is diagnosed with a terminal disease. A mother who has lost her son to a car accident. A father who has lost his job. A family who has lost their home. A child who has no parents to care for her. There are lonely people who are without comfort or hope, no one to turn to. Broken, abandoned, and bruised. It all starts with where you are, if what you’ve been given, with the message you hold in your heart. The band Leeland beautifully captures the call to reach the world with love in their haunting anthem, Tears of the Saints: “There are schools full of hatred, Even churches have forsaken, Love and mercy, May we see this generation, In its state of desperation, For Your glory.” The question now becomes, how do you see the world around you? Do you see people in need of God’s love? Do you see the opportunities or the obstacles? Do you have the faith of a mustard seed? He is calling you at this very moment to do what only you can do. With everything you have He wants to love, serve, and impact the world around you. Take the first step, answer His call, and watch as the mountain tumbles down!

**If you want more information on the issues I discussed in this blog, I strongly recommend reading the book, The Hole in Our Gospel, by the President of World Vision, Richard Stearns. In my opinion it is one of the best books every written on world missions and putting our faith into action. Next week we’ll look at the principle, Dream to Discover, Part 3 of 5 of Enriching Your Life to the Extraordinary.  It’s on the call to live without fear, engaging in adventure, and discovering the world God has laid out before us. God Bless.**

Sources:

Richard Stearns, The Hole in Our Gospel. World Vision, Inc. 2009, 2010.

Enriching Your Life to the Extraordinary: Awaken to Amaze (Part 1 of 5)

Sunday, July 25, 2010

“Faith today is treated as something that only should make us different, not that actually does or can make us different. In reality we vainly struggle against the evils of this world, waiting to die and go to heaven. Somehow we’ve gotten the idea that the essence of faith is entirely a mental and inward thing.” -Dallas Willard

One look at the twenty-first-century world and it’s no secret that it is in need of drastic change. Just pick up the headlines every day and you’ll hear about terrorism, widespread hunger and poverty, massive natural disasters, economic depression, senseless murders, and even child trafficking and slavery. They problems of the world seem overwhelming, so it’s much easier to leave them out of sight, out of mind. The burning question we all need to ask is this: “What Does God Expect of Me?” Our faith more and more is being reduced to a single transaction, getting people to make a decision for Christ, and then we can go right back to our comfortable, easy lifestyles. We’ve filled our heads with Biblical facts and knowledge, but when it comes to actually living out what we believe, we balk at the chance; afraid to move forward. The gospel was meant for so much more than just personal salvation of individuals. It also demands a social revolution.

We’re become obsessed with knowledge. We study all aspects of our faith down the last drop: theology, spiritual disciplines, Christian living, eschatology, apologetics. Knowing and understanding about our faith isn’t the problem; it’s when we fail to put the other side of the equation in–Action. “What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds?… Faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.” James 2:14, 17.  Without applying the truth in our lives, we’re hypocrites. Saying and teaching one thing, then failing to actually walk the walk. In order to have a social revolution in our society, we must first come to grips that change is need in our own life. Why are we in the mess that we’re in?    

It is so easy to settle for knowledge rather than experience. Interpretation without application can be illustrated in the life of the Pharisees back in Jesus’ day. They knew the Old Testament inside and out, but they never grasped the truth of the scriptures. Their righteousness was external based on facts; it never led to a personal response. Knowing the truth and not doing it is blatantly–sining. As James 4:17 says: “Anyone, then, who knows the good he ought to do and doesn’t do it, sins.” In God’s mind, knowledge without obedience is sin. It is so easy to look the other way when we’re got to step out and do what’s right despite what everyone else is doing in our society. Before we learn how to apply the truth; we need to briefly look at the flaws of our approach to application.

There are four common wrong approaches when we fail to apply the truth of the gospel. The first is to substitute superficial obedience for substantive life change. We apply biblical truth to areas where we’re already applying it, not to new areas where we’re not applying it. Thus, there is no noticeable change in our lives. An example would be reading a verse on being patient and thinking of all the areas where we’re already patient. We think to ourselves: I’m patient with my family, friends, co-workers, so I’m patient; patting ourselves on the back. We overlook all the other areas of our lives where we aren’t patient such as driving to work, waiting in line, or waiting for God’s answer to a prayer. By not applying a Biblical truth into every area of our lives, we puff ourselves up, ignoring all the areas that we need change in.

The second approach is to rationalize sin instead of repenting of it. The moment truth gets too close and we feel guilty; we start to defend ourselves. A little white lie. Cheating on our taxes. Not tithing your money to the church so we can spend on ourselves. If it doesn’t hurt anyone, then it’s okay we rationalize. The older we get, the more experienced we become at doing this. We have a huge drawer of responses so whenever the truth gets too convicting, we’ve got a full handful of reasons why it applies to everyone but ouselves.

Another approach is we substitute an emotional experience for decision of action. We hear a wonderful sermon, rave about it and then go back to our everyday lives as if nothing happened. We like the warm and fuzzy feelings that reading a passage of scripture gives us, but that’s as far as we let it take us. We fail to take what’s in our heart to our mind. Real change begins with the will; instead of just being convicted by the truth.

Finally, we prefer communication over transformation. We’re good at talking the talk. As long as we can speak very convincingly about a certain point of Scripture, we’re covered. We lead others to believe that we’ve got the bases covered and we’ve got not problems. But God is not fooled by this approach. He knows our hearts and our heart is truly what matters. “The LORD does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.” 1 Samuel 16:7. It is God’s Word that transforms us from the inside out but we must open our hearts into doing so.

The problem is not with Scripture. The problem is this: the human heart resists nothing as strongly as it resists change. We do anything we can to avoid it. Let’s overcome this negative connation and dive into the four critical steps of application. This study will go a long way into changing how you view applying the Bible. First, you need to know the text of what you’re reading. Pretty simple, right? If you don’t grasp the meaning of what you’re reading then what good is it? It is critical also that you pay attention to yourself. Then pay attention to how it applies to helping others. This seems like a contradiction but it isn’t. Why? Because if you don’t know yourself, it is very difficult in knowing how to help others to do the same. Ask yourself: What are my strengths? What are my weaknesses? What are my limitations? What is keeping me from growing? It comes down to this: the reason most of us don’t spiritually grow more is that we don’t know what we need.

The second step is to relate to the passage of what you’re reading. Take a spiritual inventory of all areas of your life: your personal life, family life, church life, work life, etc. and look into how it relates into each area. Spiritual growth is a long-term process and the goal of this process is to become more and more like Christ. Unless you heed the Word of God this process is simply impossible. Once we come to terms with this process it should give new insight to our relationships as well from our a new relationship to God, yourself, other people, and even to our enemies. There are countless examples for us to follow in the Bible of flawed people who dealt with the same issues where dealing with. All we have to do is be willing to look and then relating to their problems and predicaments is actually attainable.

After knowing and relating, we next then to meditate. As King David wrote in Psalm 1:1-2: Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked  or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers. But his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night.” We’ve got to weave Scripture into the fabric of our everyday living. The key is memorization. Yes, it’s a word that we look upon with dread and disgust today but it all comes down to our attitude about it. There’s a direct link between mediation and memory. Ask yourself this: what if I memorized two verses a week? Stop and think about it. That’s really not much. In one year you’ll have over one hundred verses of Scripture firmly fixed into your memory to draw upon at a moment’s notice. Can this really make a difference in your life? Yes! Give it a try and you’ll be amazed at how differently you view your life through situations that are difficult or challenging. Your entire outlook on life will completely change!

Last and most importantly the final step is to practice the truth! The importance of practice can be seen in a simple illustration: In life you need both food and exercise and so it is with Christian living. Too much food leads to obesity. Too little food leads to anemia. But food is transformed into energy, and energy enables you to do that which God wants you to do. Yet in that process you become exhausted and tired, so you’ve got to come back to the Word of God for refreshment. The more we apply the truth, the easier it becomes and more it becomes a habit. Practice, practice, practice!

So what are the implications of application? Once we awaken to the truth and apply it to our lives it leaves a profound mark on the world. The difference is simply astounding. We must become the difference to a world of indifference. This is echoed in the song by the band Hillsong United called Point of Difference:

“So Father open the skies
Flood the earth with Your light
This is love
To break the world indifferent
As we lift up our eyes
Fill our hearts with Your fire
In a world of sin
We’ll be different, the difference”

Before we can change the world, we must be willing to let God change us. If we refuse to budge one inch and stay the same as are today; then we’ll never experience the life God has meant for us. Jesus wants to give us live to the fullest. As He told His disciples: ” I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” John 10:10b. We equate this life to the American dream: having lots of money, acquiring the latest stuff, being successful, and being popular. But this is contrary to what God tells us.  It’s who you become that matters and what all beings with applying His truths from His Word. Why did the church thrive in its infancy? Because they acted out their convictions despite a surrounding culture that was in direct conflict with their belief system. They grew stronger and stronger against all odds of persecution, threats, being thrown in prison, and death. The church can regain this fire if we started actually living out what we believe. They’ll begin to notice and proclaim “There’s something different about you…I want what you have!”

**Next week we’ll look deeper into the issue of living out your faith and becoming Christ-like which I briefly alluded to in this blog. The principle is called: Believe to Become, part 2 of 5. Also stay tuned for a new Profile later this week on the life and legacy of John Wooden. God Bless. **

Sources:

Howard G. Hendricks, Living By the Book. Moody Publishers, Chicago, IL. 1991, 2007

Richard Stearns, The Hole in Our Gospel. World Vision, Inc. 2009, 2010.