what is in your heart to do?

I see our world and our country in a state of fear.  Here in America we try to keep creating laws that will keep bad things from happening to anyone.  That is a good intension, but it ends up paralyzing everyone.  That philosophy of life binds everyone because we have to make sure we are not breaking a law when we want to do good for people.  It is crazy, many people want to do good, but are afraid to do something because they may break a law or get sued by the person they are trying to help.

The only law that works is God’s moral law.  God not only wrote them in His Word, but He writes them on our hearts.  It is called a God given conscience. 

The old saying, “follow your heart” is a good philosophy of life if your heart is set on God.  When your heart is set on God and His ways you can trust Him to lead you in the path of right things and not be filled with worry and fear of doing the wrong things.

Let me ask you, “What is in your heart that you feel you want to do, but fear has kept you from doing it?”  I would strongly encourage you to do a heart check by asking God if what is in your heart will please Him and not violate His Word.

If what is in your heart is in line with God’s Word and brings attention to God, I say go for it in spite of your fear.  By the way, that is called courage; when you act in spite of your fear.  Listen to what God told Joshua.

Joshua 1:7-9 (NIV)   Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go. Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful. Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”

It’s not in vain

There is a verse in the Bible that I memorized a long time ago.

1 Corinthians 15:58 (TEV)   So then, my dear friends, stand firm and steady. Keep busy always in your work for the Lord, since you know that nothing you do in the Lord’s service is ever useless.

The last part of that verse has helped me keep going as a Christian for many years, “know that nothing you do in the Lord’s service is ever useless.”  As a young follower of Christ I embraced that and believed that with all my heart.  Little did I know that God’s plan for my life was much bigger than I could ever imagine.  Sometimes it feels like the things that you do seem useless as a Christian. 

I have spent hours, weeks, and sometimes even years with people sharing with them God’s love and only to watch them, just out of the blue, turn and walk away.  It just makes me say, “What are you thinking?”  I mean, these people’s lives were better than they had ever been once they made the decision to follow God.  Yet, as they turned back to their old ways their life got twice as bad as it was before following Christ.

It is that uselessness that drives me nuts because I took it personal every time.  But, I realized that most of those people just had a relationship with me and not God.  Nevertheless, God’s promise is that the good that I did to help those people is not useless or in vain.

That is what keeps me serving, is to know that I am to do what I do for God and him only.  I can’t control what other people do with what I offer.  It is just my responsibility to keep offering hope and help to anyone who will receive it through God’s word.

I think getting past those discouragements has helped me learn that God is God and I am not.  I am his servant and I know that he has a greater plan than what I can see. So, I will serve him passionately and be willing to be taken advantage of, talked about, and misunderstood because I know that my work for him is not in vain. 

How about you?

God Focused Dreams

Wow, I can’t believe it is 7:08 a.m. I have been up since 4:30 a.m. working on the sermon for Sunday.  This has been one of those that I have studied for hours and can’t seem to get it.  I don’t know if you have ever started to write a letter or a paper for school and after writing for a while you read it and say, “That’s no good,” and then wad up the paper and throw it in the trash.  Well, I have been through that process over and over.  I have hit the delete key on my computer more than I would like to admit.

 

I believe that God has come through again and given me something to say that will encourage us to follow his dream for us.  As I was preparing to talk about broken dreams this Sunday, I found myself thinking, “what good is a dream if it only benefits me or mine?”  This may sound nuts to you and maybe it is my lack of sleep, but it just hit me today that it is impossible to have a dream that God can bless if it doesn’t involve giving hope and help to other people.  If you take that equation out of your dream it’s all self promotion.

 

The worst part about that is I have asked God to bless a lot of things in my life that were good things, but if the truth was known my heart’s motive was so I would look good.  God forgive me.  I don’t know about you, but I really want all of my dreams to be God focused dreams.  When God blesses them, other people’s lives are blessed with hope and help.  That’s what I believe the Bible means when it talks about living for the glory of God.

 

Romans 6:13 (NLT)   Do not let any part of your body become a tool of wickedness, to be used for sinning. Instead, give yourselves completely to God since you have been given new life. And use your whole body as a tool to do what is right for the glory of God.

 

Enjoy the Journey

Yesterday my staff took me to lunch after our staff meeting.  You know what I love about my life is that I have get to share it with people that I love, my staff and my Church.  We have moments when we have to be honest with each other but at the end of the day we love each other.  We all believe that God has given us a commission to change the world one person at a time.

 

Life is not about a destination, it is all about the journey.  Last February I was driving back from our winter vacation when I realized this more than ever.  My son who is now 17, sat up front with me while every one else went to sleep.  We had a lot of small talk as he changed the channels on the radio, he loves all types of music.  I thought after I returned home, “what was the most significant moment of the whole week for me?” It was the ride to Orlando and back.  It was the journey.

 

T hat is the greatest joy I get by being married to the same woman for almost 22 years and being the pastor of the same church for 14 years and having the people that work with me everyday be with me many of those years.  It is the journey how we have grown together.  I guess one thing I have learned through the years and through many struggles is don’t spend so much focusing on where you want to go and miss the good people God has placed around to enjoy the journey together with.

 

I would like to say thank you to some people who have been on that journey with me a long time.

 

To my wife Rhonda – Thank you for believing in me and my dream.

To Angie Benton – Thank for all your years of faithful service to me.
To Chesnee Dorsey – Thank you for all your big picture thinking.
To Ricky Mosel – Thank you for be willing to do whatever it takes.
To Angie Martin – Thank you for making sure I have time for myself.
To Tammy House – Thank you for your passion for others.
To Stacy Steen – Thank you for helping us put legs on our vision.

 

To all the people at SCC that have believed in me and the vision more than I have believed in me.  I say thank you for being on this journey with me and holding my hands up when I wanted to give up.  You have always been there to lift me up.  I would not be the pastor I am today without you wonderful people encouraging me and supporting me the way you have.

 

I love that I have gotten to share years with all of you on this journey to be all that God want us to be.  I hope I get to have many more with you.

 

Don’t Do it Alone

Yesterday I got the privilege to do ministry with a friend.  I spoke at Margaret Lively’s funeral and drove 225 miles round trip to do her committal.  You know what the greatest thing about the whole day was… I didn’t do it alone.  Robert Frisone was with me all day. As we drove those few hundred miles he comforted me by just being there.  He was like a silent, but most important partner in the service to God and Margaret’s family.  I spoke at the funeral and I spoke at the graveside, but Robert stood as a support for me.  As people were drawing support from me, I was drawing support from him.  Usually after a long day like yesterday I find myself tired and drained emotionally and physically, but because he was there I was not drained at all. It may sound crazy but I enjoyed my day of service. God gave me someone to minister to me as I ministered to others. 

 

I guess I am saying don’t do anything for God by yourself if you can help it.  Always ask someone to join you.  As you are thinking about how you can serve in our community once a month or in ministry to our church, always think about who you can get to minister with you. 

 

Ecclesiastes. 4:9-10 (NIV)   

         Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their work: If one falls down, his friend can help him up. But pity the man who falls and has no one to help him up!