Make the Best Decision For Your Life Today

Mark and I are driving home from Body Pump. It's a strength training class that we attend three times a week. Mark was reminding me that it seems that everyone wants to get in shape. However, not many want to show up. They just want to talk about it.

Same thing with growing in our relationship in Christ. We all desire it- as long as we don't have to show up each morning and spend time with the Lord. We just want to talk about it. To grow stronger in any area requires an action... a daily, purposeful action.

Begin everyday with prayer and reading God's word. I made that decision maybe 40 years ago and I am so thankful that God gave me the good sense to do this. This decision has impacted every other decision I have made. Start small, be consistent and you won't believe how it change your life years from now. If you keep putting this off for a better, more convenient time you will wake up one day 40 years from now and realize that this also impacted every decision you made.

“But then a black mood from God settled over Saul and took control of him. He was sitting at home, his spear in his hand, while David was playing music. Suddenly, Saul tried to skewer David with his spear, but David ducked. The spear stuck in the wall and David got away. It was night.”
1 Samuel 19:9-10 MSG

If you remember the story of Saul and David, you will know that God blessed David and he became greater and greater than King Saul. The people praised him. His daughter loved him. His son, Jonathan, was his best friend. Saul was eaten up with jealously to the point where he wanted him dead.

Before we think this story has no application in our life, ask yourself this question. Is there any one person that you are jealous of their marriage or their physical appearance or their financial situation or their successful ministry or their life in general? Before you quickly say no, ask God to reveal if there are any friends at all that you resent their success.

What I have observed in my 60 year old life, there are always people who you tend to compare yourself to. You want to put yourself above them or below them. The comparison game is such a wearisome game where there are no winners and you are the loser. Saul lost everything when he compared himself to the successes of David. He could have been his biggest fan and helped him, instead of try to harm him.

The best way I have found to cure the jealously problem, is to be that person's prayer warrior. Pray for their success to become greater than yours. Jonathan could have been jealous of David's life. Jonathan was a smart guy. He wanted David to succeed more than himself. 

Don't Feel Like Serving Today, Huh?

“When Jesus finished washing their feet, he put on his clothes and went back to the table. He asked, “Do you understand what I did for you?”
John 13:12 ERV

“Be willing to serve each other out of respect for Christ.”
Ephesians 5:21 ERV

i was thinking this morning about why I was struggling to be a servant. I just did not feel like serving anybody. It occurred to me that I was looking at the wrong person as an example of servant hood. I was watching other people and they were disappointing me. They were fragile and selfish just like me!

If if I really want to learn how to serve, the example is Christ. I am not sure how he felt when he put a towel around his waist and with a basin of water in his arms, he began washing feet...dirty, nasty feet. The disciples were unworthy. Jesus was the one who was worthy, not them.

It wasn't like his turn today, their turn tomorrow. He didn't keep a mental checklist like I do. It won't come easy. I don't think that there is a person who has "servant hood" for a spritual gift. But there are people who want to be more Christlike and that means washing feet whenever the opportunity presents itself. I'm pretty sure that I will get that opportunity today.

Finding Wisdom

"The first step to becoming wise is to look for wisdom, so use everything you have to get understanding.”
Proverbs 4:7 ERV

There is a decision to make in our lives...whether we want to become wise or stay foolish.

If you asked anyone which they want to be, all would choose wise. But there is a price to pay and most don't want pay the price. You have to use everything to find understanding...everything!

Take time to read God's word everyday. Read devotionals from godly men and women(notice reading God's word comes before reading the devotionals). Find friends to sharpen you like iron. Find a church that preaches from the Bible and be there every Sunday. Pray constantly for wisdom.

Search for wisdom as if it is the greatest treasure known to man, because it is. Slowly, but surely, you will begin to see that you are connected to the source of wisdom and you will want to stay there for eternity

The God of our Circumstances is in Control

“He told them, “Tell King Hezekiah of Judah these things: ‘Don’t be fooled by the god you trust when he says Jerusalem will not be defeated by the king of Assyria. You have heard what the kings of Assyria did to all the other countries. We completely destroyed them! Will you be saved? No!”
2 Kings 19:10-11 ERV

I love this particular story in 2 Kings. The King of Assyria has sent messengers to King Hezekiah and told him that he was about to soundly defeat them. He reminded Hezekiah that he defeated every other nation that he challenged. He even said that he destroyed all the gods of those countries that they had depended to save them. It looked bleak. If Hezekiah looked at the "seen" he would have felt that it was hopeless.

We have circumstances like this in our life when we are ready to throw in the towel. It seems hopeless. We see certain defeat. We cannot see how it will turn out. We look at the circumstances and not the God of our circumstances. Listen to what Hezekiah said,

"It is true, Lord. The kings of Assyria did destroy all those nations. They did throw the gods of those nations into the fire. But they were not real gods. They were only wood and stone—statues that people made. That is why the kings of Assyria could destroy them.”
2 Kings 19: 17-18 ERV

In times like this, we have to read truth, speak truth, memorize truth, post the truth, turn to truth, believe truth. Draw a line in the sand and quit listening to the lies of the enemy when he proclaims that there is no way out. Somehow when I think of the people that may read this today, I can picture the things that you are facing and the hopelessness that you are feeling about your battle. Look what happened to King Hezekiah and have confidence that you serve the same powerful God.

"That night the angel of the Lord went out and killed 185,000 people in the Assyrian camp. When the others got up in the morning, they saw all the dead bodies.”
2 Kings 19:35 ERV

Was the Bowl of Red Stew Worth It?

 “One day when Jacob was cooking some stew, Esau arrived home from the wilderness exhausted and hungry. Esau said to Jacob, “I’m starved! Give me some of that red stew!” (This is how Esau got his other name, Edom, which means “red.”) “All right,” Jacob replied, “but trade me your rights as the firstborn son.” “Look, I’m dying of starvation!” said Esau. “What good is my birthright to me now?””
Genesis 25:29-32 NLT

I love this story. It describes us perfectly with our food issues. Esau was willing to sell his rights as a first born for a bowl of red stew. We are shocked that he would make such a terrible trade. But we do this often

We all desire to eat in a way that brings God's glory. We have all made promises to ourselves to not put certain food before our health this year. But all it takes is a "bowl of that red stew." We make up reasons why it's okay to load our plate with chips or cookies or whatever. It seems insignificant at the time. It seemed insignificant to Esau. All he knew was that his hunger was satisfied. 

The point of this post is not that certain foods are bad. But I think we all realize that by sacrificing our health for a piece of cheesecake is a poor trade. Next time that bowl of red stew is tempting us, think about what we are trading and make sure that food is worth it.