The Measure of a Man

What is the true measure of a man?

Respect.

And that doesn't come cheap.  You have to earn it.

I know a very small group of men who are true friends who stick closer than a brother. They have earned my respect, and I theirs.  They are men who possess true battle-proven character and integrity. They are trustworthy, mature men. They would take a bullet for me, and I for them.

How many guys do you know who you could say that about?  How many men would you literally trust with your life? And with the lives of those dearest to you?

Not very many.

Examining my own life and character first, I ask, are you living a life, day-to-day, in the moment as man who walks worthy of respect?

Respect among men is an honor code.

Are you an honorable man?

Every day, but especially on this day—Mother's Day—examine yourself before God and ask, "am I a man who is worthy of respect?"

Do you treat your wife, your mom, or your daughter with love and respect?  How about how you treat women in general?

How do you measure up as a man?


—God is Love and Love Never Fails.

An Inconvenient Love

"Greater love has no one than this—than to lay down one's life for his friends." (John 15:13)

I heard a message the other day that stated:  

"Loving people the way that Jesus loved people will cause you some inconvenience."

What a sobering and inconvenient reminder.

But it's a reminder I need daily.

Truth be told, like most everyone else, I want some major peace, happiness and comfort in this life.  "Dying to self?"  "Take up my cross daily?"  That certainly doesn't come naturally.  Not for me anyway.  But hey, keep those "blessings" coming.

Over the last decade I've grown increasingly sickened and weary of the whole materialistic christian sub-culture. Some call it "Churchianity."  So many churches have become like cliquey country clubs with polished marketing campaigns, catering to specific demographics. It's such a consumer mindset. Christians have their Christian bumper stickers. We have our fancy leather bible covers with all kinds of religious slogans on them.  You can even get camouflage bible covers.  There are hundreds of cool religious bumper stickers letting the world know that we don't agree with their pagan views. Thousands of religious hats and t-shirts galore. Pastors and church youth groups everywhere are doing their darndest to make church and Jesus "cool." We have thousands of Christian songs we can download to our i-Pods. Church goers complain if the music and bands on Sunday morning are not just to their liking.  People fill out comment cards telling the pastor they don't like how he taught something.  People don't like the coffee the church serves. Not enough doughnuts. They don't play enough contemporary songs.  They don't play enough old hymns. I have to walk a block from where I parked to get to the church building. The parking lot attendant was rude to me. It's too warm in here today. It's too cold...

Aren't you sick of it?

How many of us who call ourselves "Christians" ever allow ourselves to be bothered to actually help someone in need?  

In Matthew chapter 25, Jesus said:

“When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory. All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats. And He will set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left. Then the King will say to those on His right hand, ‘Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.’

“Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink? When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You? Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’ And the King will answer and say to them, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.’"

I think that says it all.

Today I needed the reminder that Jesus demonstrating His love for a lost world was inconvenient. It cost Him something.  It cost Him everything. He laid down His life for you and for me.

"Greater love has no one than this—than to lay down one's life for his friends."

     —An inconvenient love.

—God is Love, and Love Never Fails.

You Are Not Alone

"There is a God-shaped vacuum in the heart of every man which cannot be filled by any created thing, but only by God the Creator, made known through Jesus Christ."

Philosopher Blaise Pascal, penned this statement of truth over 400 years ago, and yet, it still rings profoundly true today.

Loneliness, without a doubt, is the most painful emotion we experience in this life. It has been said that babies can die from lack of touching. Marriages wither and die from a lack of emotional and physical intimacy. Lonely people all over the world desperately try to numb their pain and fill up the empty spaces in their aching hearts with hedonistic pleasures, wealth, entertainment, narcotics, food, alcohol, material things, and often times, with very bad relationships.

As the song says, "Looking for love in all the wrong places."

We often go to great lengths to escape our loneliness.  

Anything to dull the pain.

As I think back over the course of my life, the road is filled with monuments of the countless times I tried to fill up the lonely spaces in my own heart with other things and other people, only to discover in the aftermath, that my choices made in desperation left me feeling empty and even more lonely. Sadly, I also left a wake of emotional destruction in other people's lives.

I'm convinced that God, in His mercy, allowed me to go through my decades of loneliness and disappointment because that was the only way that I would see that the temporary things of this life can never truly satisfy me. I had to experience the truth that I have this God-shaped vacuum in my heart that can only be filled by Christ.

What about you?

Do you ache with loneliness and you are trying to fill up the empty spaces in your heart, but no matter what you try, you only feel more empty and alone?

Friend, I can truly tell you that God has filled those empty spaces in my own heart with His joy and peace. The emptiness and loneliness I experienced for the first 33 years of my life has been replaced with a hope and assurance that I have been set in an everlasting family whose Father is God. I have friends now who would literally take a bullet for me. My marriage has been healed and made new by the power of the love and forgiveness of God.

And that love and forgiveness of God is freely available to every person on this planet. You too can freely receive it through a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.

For me, I had to come to the end of my rope to see that nothing this world has to offer can ever satisfy.

Before I came to know God through Jesus Christ the Savior in 1993, I left my wife and traveled halfway around the world trying to 'find myself.'  The problem was, once I found myself, I didn't like what I found.

For my entire testimony please read "Our Story." 

http://marriage-miracles.blogspot.com/2011/10/our-story.html

All I can do is share what I have personally experienced. It is real, not just some words in an old black book. 

God the Heavenly Father loves you and He is alive and present, and He has openly revealed Himself to humanity through His Son Jesus Christ.

But to know Him, you have to invite Him into your heart.

Jesus said:

"Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come into Him and dine with him, and he with Me." - (Revelation 3:20)

God is knocking on the door of your heart, personally calling you by name.  But He will not kick the door down and force Himself on you.  You have to choose to open the door of your heart from the inside and invite Him to come in.

I can truly share with you that it is the most important decision that you will ever make.

And if you invited Christ to be your Savior once, but you haven't been talking with Him lately, He is also knocking on the door of your heart.  He wants to come in and dine with you.

Just call out to Jesus.  Talk to Him and share your heart with Him.

He loves you with an everlasting love.

     —Blessings to you.

—God is Love, and Love Never Fails.

Bloom Where You're Planted

Are you truly content with where God has you right now?

If you're like most people, you would probably have to answer "no" to that question.

Most people simply have not learned to be content, in whatever condition they are in. 

You are always dissatisfied with your position, or how you feel are being treated at work. Your car just isn't good enough any more. You'd feel you would be happier if you lived on the other side of town in a bigger house. Your church isn't living up to your expectations and now you're shopping for a better one. Your spouse or significant other just doesn't appreciate you enough and you feel that maybe another person might make you happier.

All the above examples have one root problem; self. 

And from self comes self-focus. 

The problem is, most of us are "me-monsters."

"It's all about me."

The photo of a rose flourishing in the midst of thorns is very telling. This is a symbol of someone who has learned to be content no matter what state they are in. They have surrendered their will to God, and have chosen to bloom where they have been planted—even though their life is surrounded by thorny circumstances. 

They are not constantly looking for a better situation. They are content with their station in life—thankful for what they do have—not disgruntled or dissatisfied over what they don't.

Which best describes you?

Are you truly content with where God has you right now?  Or are you constantly trying to 'fix the fix' that you feel you are in?

Did you ever stop to consider that God, who is sovereign, may have planted you where you are at for a reason? For His purpose? For your benefit? Or for the benefit of someone else?

One of my favorite passages in all of scripture is Psalm 1:1-3.

"Blessed is the man who does not walk in step with the wicked or stand in the way that sinners take, or sit in the company of mockers, but whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and who meditates on His law day and night. That man is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields fruit in its season, and whose leaf does not wither—whatever he does prospers."

This passage describes a spiritually mature person who has chosen to enter in to God's rest—whose life is deeply rooted in Christ, as described in Psalm 1:3.  He or she is not constantly looking for a better gig in life, never satisfied or thankful for what they do have, easily up-rooted by trials, ready to bail at the first sign of difficulty. 

If you're always looking for a way out of the fix you feel that you are in, constantly seeking the path of least resistance, striving to escape the suffering and trials with which this life is wrought—your life is not deeply rooted spiritually. Your life is shallow. Your roots are just under the surface, planted in shifting sand, ready to be up-rooted and blown away at the first sign of adversity.  

You're exhausted.

Jesus said:

"Come to Me all you who are weary and burdened and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls." (Matthew 11:28-29)

To take Jesus' yoke upon yourself, you must choose to submit your life and will to Him in all things—even to where He has you in life right now—as difficult as that may be.  

He said "Learn from Me." 

Jesus did not try to escape His suffering. He embraced it, because of His love for you and for me. 

He said He will give us rest for our souls if we learn from Him. Rest in Him and be content with where He has you right now. Only then will you find rest for your soul. 

There is no rest in constantly striving to make your life or situation better.

Like a rose flourishing in the midst thorns—bloom where you're planted.

—God is Love and Love Never Fails.

Amazing Love

Whenever I find myself struggling—depressed, and disillusioned with my life, eventually, I am reminded that it was because I took my eyes off of Christ and instead, am focused on some crappy circumstances that I am temporarily suffering through.

What I keep forgetting, is that the crappy circumstances of this life are just that—temporary.

This always happens when I forget to be thankful for what I do have and for what God has done for me. 

The secret to experiencing true joy is all about remembering what Jesus did for me on the Cross and then constantly have an attitude of gratitude—thanking Him for what He did—despite my current circumstances.

I'm glad that we take communion on a regular basis at our church because I need to be reminded of what Jesus did by sacrificing Himself for me, because of God's amazing love for this lost world.

As I've said many times before, the root cause of most of our depression is due to an inordinate self-focus. So, take your eyes off yourself and your problems and set your heart on the risen Lord, Who loved you and gave Himself for you.

Last night I started reading a book on worship.  And unfortunately, like so many books on the topic, it's more of a "how to" book about methods or a prescription, than it is about the Person of Christ.

Worship is not about "how"—it's about Who.

It's all about Jesus.

The words from the following song always put worship in the right perspective:

"I'm forgiven, because You were forsaken.
I'm accepted, You were condemned.
And I'm alive and well, Your Spirit lives within me,
Because You died and rose again.

Amazing love, how can it be,
That You, my King would die for me?
Amazing love, I know it's true,
And it's my joy to honor You,
In all I do, I honor You.

Jesus You... are my King."

Listen to this amazing song here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EwoCbcSXlSM 

How can that be?

Jesus said:

"For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved." - (John 3:16-17)

Remember Jesus today—what He did on the Cross for you—and then love Him enough to thank Him for it.

And then in all that you do, seek to honor Christ because you love Him.

     —Blessings to you.

—God is Love, and Love Never Fails.

A Double-Minded Man

"A double-minded man is unstable in all of his ways."

I read an article about double-mindedness this morning that basically stated: "being double-minded means you can't make a decision." 

And while that may at times be true, the inability—or more accurately—the refusal to make a decision, is only a symptom of being double-minded.

But what is the root of the problem?

Look at the photo of the snake above. It's a two-headed monster. One head wants to go south, while the other wants to go north, or, just stay where it's at. 

Two minds opposed to one another, always competing against each other.

That's being double-minded.

The apostle James writes:

"Consider it all as joy my brothers, when you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you. But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord, for he is a double-minded man—unstable in all of his ways." (James 1:2-8)

That's a very exposing and painful diagnosis of a double-minded man.  "Unstable in all of his ways."

I once heard an old pastor say: 

"Being double-minded is like being stuck straddling a barbed wire fence—one foot in the kingdom and one foot in the world."

That says it all.

When we surrender our lives to Christ, we have to be all-in.  We're either all-in the kingdom of God, or we're all-in the kingdom of this fallen world.

A double-minded man (or woman) is easily known by the fruit of their life. They are never happy or content with the situations in their life. Rarely, if ever, are they thankful for what they do have. Always murmuring and complaining, saying things like: "My job sucks!"  "I hate the teaching at this church!"  "Why don't they play the songs that I like!"  Etc, etc.

Never content with anything.

Further evidence of a double-minded person is they have little to no discipline or self-control. They don't take care of themselves. They secretly succumb to every lust or fleshly appetite. They claim to be a Christian but still live a totally worldly lifestyle. They can't manage their money. They are always late to work, school or church.  They wait until the last minute to do anything, and then do only the minimum required to get by. They talk a good game, but never follow through and actually take any action to do what they say.

Does any of this sound familiar?

Picture a big gold-plated throne. Now picture a person sitting on it.  And all around the foot of the throne, they have neatly arranged all the aspects of their life. Their job, their relationships or marriage, their money, their hobbies, their TV/entertainment time, their spiritual/church life, their responsibilities, and, oh yeah, God is placed around there somewhere—when (or if) they have time for Him.

This is the reality of the lives of many people who call themselves "christian."  

I am personally convicted by the still small voice of the Holy Spirit this morning, who is reminding me of God's Word which says:

"Do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own?  For you were bought with a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God's." (1 Corinthians 6:19-20)

It's 2:15 AM, and in my self-examination this morning, before God, I have to ask myself:  "Have I truly come down off the throne of my life, and surrendered all of my heart, mind and will to God?"

"Search me O' God and know my heart; try me and know my anxieties; and see if there is any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting." (Psalm 139:23-24)

So I ask you today what I ask myself:  are you all-in?

My prayer is:

"Lord Jesus, I ask for Your forgiveness for all of the areas of my life that I have not surrendered to You, and I invite You once again to take the rightful place of Your Glory on the throne of my heart. May my life and body be a pleasing sacrifice to You.  I give it to You freely. I'm all-in.  Please give me the strength to do the things that I need to do and not just talk about them. In Your name I pray and give thanks."  

-Amen.

—God is Love, and Love Never Fails.

Don't Quit

"Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up."(Galatians 6:10)

Feel like throwing in the towel lately?

You're not alone.  

Life on this ball of dirt tends to have a way of beating you down, wearing you out.  It's so easy to want to just give up and say, "I'm not winning anyway, so why keep trying!"

But please, don't quit.

I love the Biblical analogy of a farmer who sows his seed, tends his field, and then he waits ever-so-patiently for the precious harvest that will come, later.

"See how the farmer waits for the land to yield its valuable crop, patiently waiting for the autumn and springs rains." (James 5:7)

But we're not usually like that farmer.  We, in our "self"-centered, instant gratification society, want everything right now.  

We simply don't wait well.

One of my favorite one-liners is from Tommy Tenney:

"We're into microwaving—but God's into marinating."

Our problem is if we have to wait long for something, our natural tendency is to quit.  "If the going gets tough, the weak jump ship."   Sound familiar?

Since I've been a follower of Christ, I've heard the following expression more times than I can count: "Don't try to do anything in your own strength."

What?  How else can you do anything?

The Bible says:  "God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble."

So how do you get God's grace?

Jesus said: "You receive not because you ask not."

You have to confess your absolute weakness before God, and then humble yourself and ask Him for His strength. 

Husbands, you can't be the leader, protector and provider God made you to be in your own strength.  Wives, you can't surrender your fears to Jesus and trust your husband to be the spiritual leader of the family without God's strength. Parents, you can't begin to raise a child properly (and remain sane) without God's strength.  Employee, you can't succeed at your job unless the Lord gives you His wisdom and strength to do so.

Trust me, I've repeatedly tried doing everything in my own strength, and have failed miserably, every time.

Jesus said:

"Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest." (Matthew 11:28)

It's odd, how so many non-Christians tend to over generalize and say that Christians are the most self-righteous people around.  And maybe some are.

But it's the atheist, agnostic and secular humanist who says "I don't need a God" who are actually "self"-righteous because they think they already are good, or they can make themselves 'good' apart from God.  That is truly being "self"-righteous. 

A true follower of Christ is a person who humbles themselves before God, surrendering their heart and hurts to Him, confessing they are not good, but rather, a sinner who desperately need God's mercy, forgiveness and salvation. 

A person who is truly humble before God confesses, "I can never climb my own way up to God."

On the opposite side of the coin is the "self"-righteous person tries to climb up a man made ladder of their own good works, trying to attain or earn "enlightenment" or what they perceive to be "heaven."

So what kind of person are you?

If you have surrendered your heart and life to Jesus Christ, you will be the person who daily confesses your utter weakness to Him and then ask Him to fill you afresh with His Spirit and give you His wisdom and strength to do and become all that He has foreordained that you do and become.

It truly is that simple.

But you have to ask, and then you have to take that step of faith to do what Christ actually directs you to do.  

Until you take that step of faith—trusting God to give you the strength and wisdom He has promised—you will remain powerless.  But once you take the first step of faith, God will give you His strength to take the next step, and the next, and then the next.  

It's a divine partnership if you will.  

God can do all things, and most certainly, He can do them without us. But He in His sovereignty, has chosen to do much of His will through His people.  And then, only through His people who ask Him for wisdom and strength, and then rely wholly on Him to complete whatever good work He has begun in their lives.

That's what the Biblical word "faith" means:  to trust wholly in God.

So if you're weary, burdened, and in the process of throwing in the towel, stop. And then surrender and respond to the voice of Jesus who beckons you to come to Him.

He will give you rest for your weary soul.

God's promise to those of us who fully place our trust in Him, is that we can be absolutely confident that, 

"He who began a good work in you will carry in on to completion until the Day of Christ Jesus." (Philippians 1:6)

And God always keeps His promises.

Place your trust in Him today, and then ask Him to fill you with His Spirit and strengthen you.

He won't turn you away.

You can strive and plow the ground and then toil over planting seed.  But only God can make it rain.

     —Call on Him today.

—God is Love, and Love Never Fails.