mondayschoolblog

(click on the pic to listen to it) A little boy went up to a missionary Sunday School leader in a pagan country. The boy said, “I like what you say about the God of the Bible but I can’t see him. But if I go to the temple I can see my God.”

The missionary said to the little boy, “Listen, does your God bleed?”

The boy said, “I don’t know.”

The missionary gave him a pin and said, “Next time you go to the temple, when no one else is watching, prick him and see what happens.”

The following week the boy returned to his Sunday School class. He said to the missionary, “I did it, I did it, I pricked the idol.”

The missionary said, “And what happened?”

The boy replied, “Nothing, my god doesn’t bleed.”

Straight away the missionary said, “But my God did! He bled for me and he bled for you!”

Jesus is real

The Philistines found out he was real in I Samuel 5

After the Philistines captured the Ark of God, they took it from the battleground at Ebenezer to the town of Ashdod. 2 They carried the Ark of God into the temple of Dagon and placed it beside an idol of Dagon. 3 But when the citizens of Ashdod went to see it the next morning, Dagon had fallen with his face to the ground in front of the Ark of the LORD! So they took Dagon and put him in his place again. 4 But the next morning the same thing happened—Dagon had fallen face down before the Ark of the LORD again. This time his head and hands had broken off and were lying in the doorway.Only the trunk of his body was left intact.

Dagon was an ancient God and was regarded as the chief among the pantheon of pagan gods. He was the head over some 200 hundred deities. He held the title “lord of the gods.” He was the god who allowed the grains to flourish and rain to fall. He was , in a way, the god who gave increase. Dagon is also referred to as “a powerful and warlike protector.” He guaranteed a win when war broke out. In short – he was a god of guaranteed success. But he didn’t bleed. The temple of Dagon is most likely for the Philistines a house of idols. It was the dream team of idols. All of their idols guaranteed success in something.

Once they defeated the Israelites  they got to add to their collection of god’s by adding the ark of the covenant , they symbol of Israel’s invisible, all-powerful, redeeming God. They had to think that with Israel’s God, they had an unstoppable force that would lead to world domination – crushing anyone who got in the way. They had a dream team of god’s.

But look what happens in vs. 2-3, They carried the Ark of God into the temple of Dagon and placed it beside an idol of Dagon. But when the citizens of Ashdod went to see it the next morning, Dagon had fallen with his face to the ground in front of the Ark of the LORD! So they took Dagon and put him in his place again.

Can you imagine the looks on their faces! It was a PR nightmare for the priests of Dagon. “Who saw this happen?” “No one can know that our great god of Dagon was fallen prostrate before the God of Israel!”
“How do we do explain this to the people?”

They only thing they could do was put it back in place again. Take a look at what happens in vs. 4, But the next morning the same thing happened—Dagon had fallen face down before the Ark of the LORD again. This time his head and hands had broken off and were lying in the doorway. Only the trunk of his body was left intact.

And he didn’t bleed.

Did you see what the Philistines tried to do? The tried to include the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (the one true God we worship) in their family of gods. The wanted to make him another god.  He was just one of many gods to them. He was just another god who could help them be successful. He was just another god who could help them increase their wealth. He was just another god who could guarantee them victory.

If we are not careful we could easily do the same thing today. We could make Him another small “g” God who has ZERO power in our life. We could put Jesus on the same level with all the other gods of the world. We can make Jesus an idol and make and shape him into our own image.

The thing that makes Jesus real is that He bled.

Hebrews 4:15 reminds us that he understands our weakness and has faced everything that we face.
15 This High Priest of ours understands our weaknesses, for he faced all of the same testings we do, yet he did not sin.
Hebrews 2:18 reminds us he suffered and was tested and is able to help us.
18 Since he himself has gone through suffering and testing, he is able to help us when we are being tested.

This is what makes him worthy of our worship. This is what makes him different from all the other gods.
This is what makes him real.

Did I mention that He bled?

If we are not careful Jesus could just become another powerless idol. Our church culture is trying to turn him into a useless idol. We tend to be more interested in worshiping what He can do than who He is. Politics uses him to win the conservative vote. Businesses use him to sell their Christian product. Christians use Him and His word to prove their point.

Many Christians treat him like an idol. An idol is a  powerless and heartless object that makes no difference in your life. We want to be our divine rabbit’s foot instead of our resurrected Lord. We want Him to be our diving good luck charm instead of our redeemer. We want him to be our divine trump card instead of savior We want him to be our divine magician instead of the Master of our life.

He is not just another idol. He is not a powerless and heartless object that makes no difference in our life. We may want Him to make us successful. We may want Him to give us victory. We may want him to make us wealthy. We may want him to give us the perfect person in our life. We may want him to heal the person we love. We may want him to make our kids perfect. These are not things he desires for us. You will not anything of these things listed in scripture.

He desires and requires that we that we do what is right. Love mercy. And to walk humbly with Him.

Micah 6:8
No, O people, the LORD has told you what is good,
and this is what he requires of you:
to do what is right, to love mercy,
and to walk humbly with your God.

Why does He desire and require this of us? Because those things make us real. These three things separate the sheep from the goats These three things separate the hot from the cold.
These three things separate the light of world from the dark of the world. These three things separate the salt of the earth from the bland. These three things separate the fans of Jesus from the followers of Jesus. These three things are things that the Holy Spirit can use to shape and mold us into His image.

This is how you can tell the difference between treating Jesus like an idol in our life vs. Him being real. If he is like an idol then you are molding and shaping him into your image. And that image looks just like you. That god has the same desires as you. That god isn’t willing nor can it bleed.

If He is real in your life then He is shaping you into his image.

• He is changing the way you think
• He is changing your attitude towards others
• He is changing what motivates you.
• He is changing what causes you to get up in the morning.
• He is defining your goals, dreams, and aspirations.
• He is changing your outward behaviors.

Jesus is real.  Did I mention He bled for you?

Is He real or just another idol in our life?

A few years ago, when I was a student pastor in Sidney, OH. A young man came and sat down in the memory garden that was on the church property. Our church secretary was a little scared and asked me if I would take care of it.
I sat down with the young man. We had some casual conversation. I wanted to get to know him and what he was doing. He said he was just wondering. I asked if him had a church home and some more personal spiritual questions. I asked him what he knew about Jesus. He didn’t know much.
I explained to him that Jesus loved Him. He died for our sins. He came to set us free. I talked about the love God has for Him. To shorten this story, he responded, “I have never heard of THIS Jesus you are talking about.”  I shared my shortened part of my story of why I follow Jesus. I invited him to know him. He said he would think about it.

We must never assume that people know who Jesus is. At the same token, we all have assumptions about who we THINK Jesus is without even reading and studying the gospels.  A lot of people picture Jesus as a religious conservative (Glenn Beck, Rush Limbuagh type). Many think he was Republican. Many think he chooses a side to be on. I really don’t think Jesus cares what side we are on politically or what side we are on when it comes to hot topic issues of our day like homosexuality, racism, and political correctness. He cares about our what? The condition of our HEART.

When Abraham Lincoln was asked during the civil war whose side he thought God was on – the confederates or the Union. His answer was profound, “I do not boast that God is on my side, I humbly pray that I am on God’s side.”

One of the assumptions that many Christians believe is that he was a peacemaker. According to scripture we are going to look at today, He didn’t come to be a peacemaker – he came to separate the sheep and the goats. Nor did he come to be a revolutionary. He came with one purpose in mind: to make brand – new creations.

There are many who say Jesus is the great Uniter of the world’s people and that Christianity is a wonderful ethical system that will produce a one world family where everyone lives in peace and harmony with each other. One of the more popular teachings that many Christians are caught in is Universalism. This philosophy basically says there are many legitimate ways to God. You can go through Jesus, or you can go through Buddha, or Mohammed, or you can just formulate your own do-it-yourself spirituality, but we will all end up happy and accepted by God, whoever God is to you.

That’s not what Jesus taught. He said there is only one way to God–and it was through Him. He said, “I am the way, the truth, the life, no man comes to the Father but by me.” (John 14:6).

Jesus is not a great utopian leader who came to establish an earthly utopia. He didn’t come to create a utopia here on earth.  Jesus is not a great moral leader who came to make the earth a better place to live. He didn’t come to make the earth a better place to live. Jesus is not the leader of the self-centered movement  to make us feel good about our self. Jesus didn’t come to make us feel better about ourselves.

Look at what Jesus says about himself in Luke 12:49-52:

49 “I have come to set the world on fire, and I wish it were already burning! 50 I have a terrible baptism of suffering ahead of me, and I am under a heavy burden until it is accomplished. 52 From now on families will be split apart, three in favor of me, and two against—or two in favor and three against.

The Message – “I’ve come to start a fire on this earth—how I wish it were blazing right now! I’ve come to change everything, turn everything right side up—how I long for it to be finished!

“He came to change everything and turn everything right side up!” Everything on this earth is upside down. Jesus says the first will be last and the last will be first. Jesus says the prostitutes, tax collectors, and the poor will be the first in line in heaven not the super-religious. Jesus says the meek will inherit the earth not the rich. Jesus says the humble will see heaven – those full of pride will see only themselves.

He came with one purpose in mind. He didn’t come to stamp out abortion, or make homosexuals – heterosexuals, he didn’t come to stamp out racism. He didn’t come to make guns legal or illegal. He didn’t come to make people rich and give people the good life. He didn’t come to heal every disease. Those are all things that we are concerned about. These are the things we spend talking about and praying over. These are the things are we think are important. He came with one purpose in mind – to make brand new creations.

He came not to bring to bring peace on earth. He came to set the world on fire.  The fire that Jesus came to cast on the earth is not a destructive fire. It is the fire of the Holy Spirit. The Scriptures sometimes associates the Holy Spirit with fire. In the book of Revelation, the Holy Spirit is pictured as “seven lampstands with burning flames” (Rev 4:5). John the Baptist prophesied concerning Jesus, “I baptize you with water, but he who is mightier than I is coming, the strap of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire” (Luke 3:16).

When the fire of the Spirit fell upon the apostles they were transformed; they were filled with boldness, they praised the mighty works of God in many languages, and they spoke the Word of God to the gathered people. The fire was kindled! 3000 were baptized and converted on that one day. And that kindled fire spread throughout Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and to the ends of the earth (Acts 1:8).

Jesus didn’t come so that you and I would become descent, moral people who live in peaceful harmony. I think this is what many Christians desire. Many people assume that Jesus was a nice man because he loved the world. I love my kids but I haven’t always been nice to them. I warn them about certain dangers. I disciplined them when they needed it. I make them pay for things that they want. Many think Jesus he is a nice man who was nice to everybody and he wanted to make this world a nice descent place to live. Jesus wants to live in our hearts to make us brand new creations.

You don’t need Jesus to become a descent, moral human being.

You don’t need Jesus to live in peaceful harmony with others.

You don’t need Jesus to make the world a peaceful and nice place.

Jesus didn’t come to be a nice man. He didn’t come to be a peacemaker. He came to separate

• the sheep from the goat
• the hot from the cold
• the light of world from the dark of the world
• the salt of the earth from the bland.
• the followers of Jesus from the fans of Jesus

and to make brand new creations.

When he asked the rich young ruler – who was just a fan of Jesus and who kept all the commandments – if he was willing to give up everything to follow Him – he walked away sad. The rich young ruler wanted his stuff and Jesus to. He wanted Jesus his way.

The scriptures make it pretty clear you can’t have Jesus your way. A Universalist would say it is possible. If you think it is possible to have it your way – then you are not following Christ. You have simply created a religion that fits your needs and strokes your ego. You need to confess and repent about wanting Jesus your way.  Paul didn’t believe he could have it his way. Peter didn’t believe he could have it his way. The other disciples didn’t believe they could  have  Jesus their way. Why do we think we could have Jesus our way?

Jesus is not an “ego – stroker.” He didn’t stroke Paul’s ego – he said that his grace was enough. He didn’t stroke Peter’s ego . He simply told Peter to go feed his sheep. The other disciples ego’s weren’t stroked – many of them died. In other words he didn’t come to build you and I’s self-esteem he came to change the way we think. Change our attitude. Change our way of life.

The ones who believed they could have it their way – stopped following Him.

• The rich young ruler
• Annanias and Saphira
• And countless others

Those who want it their way simply want peace on earth. Those who want it their way simply want everybody to follow their moral code. Those who want it their way simply want harmony with others. Those who want it their way simply want it to work the way they think it should. Even Jesus didn’t get his way. ….. he asked that the cup of suffering would pass by him.

Jesus is not a revolutionary nor was he a peacemaker. He wanted to set the world on fire. Not in a destructive way. Not in condemning way. But in an “I understand what I can do in your life kind of way.” That fire, that desire to be with him, is to burn within us. The word actually means boil. Jesus is to be constantly boiling within us.  Like water in a teapot.

This means we are to be constantly aware of His presence. Not in paranoia sense. But He is constantly on our heart and mind. We are constantly seeking after Him. So that He can transform the way we think. Transform our attitude towards others. Transform the way we live our life.

Who do you think Jesus is?

Our life reflects who we think Jesus is.

• If we think he is a good moral teacher – the desire for people to be morally good will then rule our thoughts and behavior.
• If we think he is a peacemaker – the desire for peace would then rule our thoughts and behavior.
• If we think He is an ego-stroker – the desire for having to feel good about ourselves will rule our thoughts and behavior.
• If we think he is a problem solver – the desire to make things perfect will rule our thoughts and behavior.
• If we think he is a political figure – the desire to make the world a better place through politics will rule our thoughts and behavior.

If we think He is the Messiah who came, lived, died, and rose again to make every man, woman, and child new creations – the desire to make Him known to others will rule our thoughts and behavior.

Again ….. Who do you think Jesus is?

First, how to NOT live the happily ever after:

1. Be Selfish
a. Everything needs to revolve around you. If you find something you like to do that ignores your spouse’s or your significant others feelings and interests, go ahead and to it. Too bad if they don’t like it! You only go around once in life, go grab all the gust you can get.

2. Pick at each other
a. If you know something that annoys your spouse, be sure and do it and do it with intentionality.
b. Be critical of everything they do.
c. Always get the last word in when arguing.

3. Show disrespect
a. Call them names in public and be sure and use the words like “stupid, fat, weak, and loser.”
b. Complain about them. Women be sure and straighten him out when he makes a mistake – especially in front of others. Lecture him and ridicule him.

4. Refuse to meet emotional needs
a. Wives totally ignore your husband need for sex and time alone with you.
b. Girlfriends totally ignore your boyfriends need for admiration and support.
c. Husbands never show you wife you love and appreciate her.
d. Husbands make her constantly worry about the finances.
e. Boyfriends, totally ignore your girlfriends need for you to be honest and supportive.

5. Treat others better than him/her
a. Whatever you do be sure and shower those around you with messages of encouragement, cards, and uninterrupted time alone. If you want to trash the relationship never do this for the special person in your life.

6. Men, be a pansy
a. Retreat into safety and passivity.
b. Refuse to take the initiative or responsibility in making plans or suggestions

7. Women, act like his mother
a. Make sure you do everything to make him feel like a three-year old.
b. Tell him how to live his live down to the smallest detail.
c. Be sure and say, “I told you so” whenever possible.

8. Whenever you are angry
a. Blow up. Hold a grudge. Hold it in. Bring up past mistakes. Lose verbal control and completely destroy him/her.

I don’t think any of us enter into a relationship with the goal of seeing how terrible we can make it for the other person. We are just naturals at:

• Focusing on the other persons negative traits
• Concentrating on their failures and flaws
• Assuming the worst in the other person.

We usually do these things to the people we love the most.

No matter how much you prepare for marriage, or how much you think you know about the other person, we still enter into a relationship with some unrealistic views of each other combined with some highly impractical expectations. All of us want our own “happily ever after”. For anyone who has been married for any length of time – you realize that is a lot of hard work.

My wife and I have been married for over two decades (almost three at the time of this writing),  I never intended to hurt her and she never intended to hurt me. We never intended to keep a record of wrongs. We never intended to disrespect one another – it just happened. It was the natural thing to do. At least for me, I realized I was thinking the wrong way.

We tend to forget that all of us fall short. There is no one on this earth who can meet your expectations. You can’t even meet your own expectations. There is no one on this earth who is going to behave exactly the way you want them to behave. So, how do you handle the chasm, the gulf between our expectations and the other person’s behavior?  How do you stay in love with someone when they don’t meet your expectations and they don’t behave the way you think they should behave?

Look at Philippians 4:8
And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.

The Message says it this way, 8-9 Summing it all up, friends, I’d say you’ll do best by filling your minds and meditating on things true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious—the best, not the worst; the beautiful, not the ugly; things to praise, not things to curse. Put into practice what you learned from me, what you heard and saw and realized. Do that, and God, who makes everything work together, will work you into his most excellent harmonies.

If you want to stay in love and you want a happily ever after:

• Focus on the best and not the worst
• Focus on the beautiful and not the ugly
• Focus on the things to praise not the things to curse.

In other words, start thinking in a different way. Instead of trying to change them, except their shortcomings. Love their flaws. Sort of like this wife did for her husband. (watch this 40 second video).

We have a tendency to focus on the worst, the ugly, and curse them when the other person is wrong. This is not only true in marriage relationships but its’ also true in our relationships at work, with our kids, and even with people in the church.

Every negative quality in the other person ……
Every failure that person has …….
Every flaw that person has …..

IS THE OPPORTUNITY TO LOVE THEM.

There is the story of a brilliant husband who attached this note to the insurance card in his wife’s car: “if you are reading this, you have been in an accident. I just wanted to let you know that you are far more valuable than this car.” His wife did get in an accident and found this note. How do you think it made her feel? Probably the same way you felt when you read the note. I am sure that evening was a “happily ever after” moment for both of them.

In Marcus Buckingham’s book, “One Thing to Know”, they discovered the one thing that makes a makes a relationship successful . They studied couples who has been happily married for 10+ years. They thought they would discover that each person had a deep understanding of the other person. They thought these couples would understand each other’s strengths and weaknesses. They thought they wouldn’t have high expectations of their spouse because they knew each other so well. They expected to find that they had realistic expectations of each other. What they discovered in these “happily – married – every – after” couples is that they had a very unrealistic view of each other. When they tested each spouse , each spouse rated the other spouse higher than themselves.  Their discovery: a spouse’s illusion created an upward spiral of love. To put it in common terms: – love is a bit blind.

Scripture teaches us, “love covers a multitude of sins.” (I Peter 4:8) The scriptures continue to teach us in Philippians 4:8 that these “happily ever after” couples fixed their thoughts on the right, true, noble, honorable, lovely, admirable, and  pure qualities of the other person.

Paul is teaching us,  if we focus on the true, honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable it creates a positive illusion about the person we are in love with. Every failure, every flaw, every negative quality you think the other person has is an opportunity to put Philippians 4:8 in to action. 

A couple of blog entries ago, I shared the story of the wife who wanted to divorce her husband. She went to her pastor and her pastor told her that the best way to get him back is to go back and serve and make him think he is special then lower the boom.  She did as the pastor suggested. The pastor didn’t hear from her in a while so he called her. He asked if she had asked for a divorce. She promptly responded, “no way, I found out I was still in love with him.”

Paul goes on to say, if you want to stay in love, if  you want the happily ever after – think.

“Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.”

• Think about what you want to be remembered for.
• Think about what you want the relationship to look like.
• Think about how you want to be loved and love the other person like that.
• Think about why you got into a relationship with them in the first place.

Luke also gives us a glimpse of what it takes to stay in love. It is so simple it is brilliant. It is so profound it is one of the most difficult for many to do.

Luke 6:31
31 Do to others as you would like them to do to you.

If you want to have the “happily ever after” you need to ask the question – How do you want to be loved in the relationship? Then go and love the other person just like that. If the other person hurts you, love them the way you would want to be loved after you have hurt them. If they disappoint you , love them the way you would want to be loved after you have disappointed them.

It only takes 4 minutes to fall in love. If you really want the happily after – it begins by getting our loves in order. (Revelation 2) The first relationship everyone needs to work on is their relationship with Christ because that affects how you love others.

Christ changes the way we think.
Christ changes our attitude towards others.

When you understand how much He loves you. When you examine the disappointment He went through. When you examine the hurt and pain He went through. When you look at the sacrifice He gave,  it will change the way you love other people.

He willingly humbled himself.
He sacrificed himself.
He made himself a slave.
Why? To show us what love looked like.

We can only love others as much as we understand how much God loves us. Because God is love.

1 John 4:19
We love each other because he loved us first.

He wants to be our first love. He tells us to seek first the kingdom of God. He tells us to love him with all our heart, mind, and soul. He tells us in Revelation 2 that everything hinges on God being our first love. When we work on that relationship we learn how to love another person.

So … how is your relationship with him?

(click on the pic to listen to it)

Back in 1982 Tony Toto, of Allentown, PA. survived at least 5 attempts on his life, all arranged for or carried out by his dear wife, Frances, & his wife’s lover.

Twice she arranged for assailants to beat him over the head with baseball bats. On one occasion she put a tripwire across the basement stairs in their house, hoping that he would trip over it & plummet to his death.

Twice she arranged for him to be shot. The first time she drugged his chicken soup so he would sleep soundly, & he was shot in the head, but miraculously survived. The 2nd time he was shot in the chest, but only sustained minor injuries. Now this is a picture of a real happy couple, isn’t it?

Even more miraculous than Tony’s survival was his attitude toward his wife once he found out she was responsible for all of this. Tony, a self – confessed lady’s man himself, said that he held his wife blameless.

When she was found guilty & sent to prison for arranging for his murder, he took their 4 children & visited her every week – every single week. Then when she was released from prison, she went back to their red brick home to resume her married life with Tony.

With his arm around her, Tony said, “We’re more in love now than ever before. I don’t understand why people break up over silly little things.”

This is a “do not try this in your relationship ” story. I wouldn’t recommend this method to keep a relationship together but it  worked for them.

There are a number of ways you can destroy a relationship. These next 8 ways of destroying a relationship come from real  marriage counseling sessions I have had over the years. These eight and any combination of these 8 can destroy a relationship quickly:

Make the relationship all about you

Never spend any time together or set time aside to spend together

Hold a grudge

If you are married, never have planned or spontaneous sex

If you are married with kids, build your life around your children instead of your spouse

Never allow the other person to be right

Always point out the other person’s faults

I mentioned in the last blog entry that it only takes 4 minutes to fall in love. It only takes seconds to destroy a relationship.

In Philippians 2:3-8, Jesus gives us a beautiful picture of what it takes to stay in love:

Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too.
You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had.
Though he was God,
he did not think of equality with God
as something to cling to.
Instead, he gave up his divine privileges;
he took the humble position of a slave
and was born as a human being.
When he appeared in human form,
he humbled himself in obedience to God
and died a criminal’s death on a cross.

A number of years ago I counseled a couple. I met with each of them separately for a number of weeks. I would listen to each of their stories. Their stories were about what the other should do to change and told me to tell them …. .that never works. As I listened to their stories, they both were right and they both were wrong. Their focus was always on the other person’s faults and failures. Each one thought they were right. They both wanted it their way. She wasn’t coming back to him unless HE did this. And he was coming back to HER unless she did that. Needless to say,  they didn’t stay in love. I brought them together for one last-ditch effort. If I would have let her, she would have killed him in my office. They both were right and they both were wrong. But neither wanted to stop playing the blame game.  Both of them refused to give up their childish behavior. Neither one of them wanted to give up their selfishness. When that happens, the outcome is always relational failure.

When you are always pointing out the other persons faults and you are always using their failures against them both parties lose. Both of them were keeping score. It was like a competition of who could find the most failures in another person. Both them were self-centered thinking they weren’t. Both of them were trying to impress about how right they were and wrong the other person was. The bottom line (from my observation)  is they both refused to grow up.

If you want to stay in love don’t keep score.

In this passage (Phil. 2:3-8) Paul teaches us how to stay in love.

He says, “be humble, thinking of others better than yourselves.”

If you want to stay in love act like your spouse, the “important other”

is more important than you.

But what if they take advantage of me?  It didn’t seem to bother us in the dating and engagement stages. These are the stages where we are trying to win their heart. These are the stages where we not only want them to love us, we want them to like us. We go out of our way to make the other person special and feel special. To put it biblically, we think of them and pleasing them more than we think of pleasing ourselves. They could take advantage of you, but that’s not your problem. If God is speaking to you then you are the one who humbles themselves. They might not (humble themselves). As we learned last week love is verb not a feeling and it is a decision. Your spouse or your special someone is going to disappoint you some day. I tell a lot of young couples that is the greatest thing you can do for one another. I have never intentionally disappointed my wife. I don’t think anyone does it intentionally. It does happen. When you disappoint them you discover the depth of their love.

When you are valuing the other person more than yourself, you make decisions based on the understanding that they are more important than you. That’s hard …. especially when you think and you know you are right. The goal in any relationship (marriage, bf/gf, fiancé) is not to have to win the argument or be right but it’s about the willingness to lose an argument and do the right thing.
When you value the other person more than yourself you always chose to do the right thing.

If you want to stay in love, value the other person more than yourself even when they disappoint you.

How do you treat someone who has more value than you?  When I am talking about having more value than you I am not talking about them being better than you.  Look at the wedding. Who is the most valuable person of the wedding. Traditionally we stand when she walks in. A: The Bride. We show her respect because she is the center of attention. It is not about you. No one stands up when the pastor walks into the sanctuary. No one stands up when the bridesmaids or groomsmen walks in. No one even stands for the groom. On that day,  in the context of the wedding day,  the bride is the most valuable person in the room. She is not better than any one else.

So how do you treat someone who has more value than you?  You defer to them. You respect them. You let them be right.

Vs. 4 goes on to say – “don’t look out for your own interest but take an interest in their interest.”

If we are honest we are only interested in what we are interested in.

If you want to stay in love – you take an interest in what they are interested in. And do it with intentionality.

A lot of us might be thinking this is bit idealistic. “It can’t be done.” “They are nice words.” Paul understood that some would think this was unrealistic and impossible to live out.  The last blog entry we learned that we are to love one another as Jesus loved us.  In these next few verses Paul illustrates the way Jesus loved you and me. He says I want you to approach your relationship with the other person the same way Jesus approaches his relationship with you.

Vs. 6 says,  “Though he was God, he did not think equality with God as something to cling to.”

• He didn’t think he was more important than anybody else
• Never once did he pull rank with anyone.
• Never once did he use his godship.
• Never did he consider himself holier than anybody else.

If we apply to this our relationships, you are not more important than the person you are with. You might think you have more value because you bring the money into the house. You might think you have more value because you gave birth to children. You might think you have more value simply because, well, you think you are. But neither of you is more than the other. When we think we are more important we begin to play God in the relationship. But even Jesus didn’t play the role of God and he was God. 

But if you want to stay in love, one must THINK, not just of themselves and how important they are to the relationship. But THINK how important the other person is to the relationship.

To stay in love, we must THINK how important

the other person is to the relationship.

Paul continues to say this, “instead, he gave up his divine privileges; he took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being.” (some translations say he emptied himself).

First of all we must understand what it means to be full of yourself. In our culture when we say, “someone is full of themselves” What does that mean?  Usually it refers to a person whose only concern is how things turn out for themselves.

Jesus emptied himself. He willingly gave up his Godness. He made himself a servant.

If you want to stay in love, you must

willingly empty yourself.

Stop trying to be their God and take yourself off the pedestal and start becoming that person’ s servant. When you serve them you elevate them instead of yourself.

Paul continues in verse 8, “he willingly humbled himself.” Nobody did it for him. He made the decision to humble himself. He decided to put himself under everybody. He decided to submit himself. He decided to subordinate himself. Not only to God but to who else? He decided to do this for you and me.

If you want to stay in love

make a willful decision to humble yourself.

Jesus demonstrated this by, “humbling himself in obedience to God and died a criminal’s death on a cross.”  Jesus willingly gave his life so that we might stay in love with his Father.

Jesus challenges us to die to ourselves. Are you willing to:

• Die to your childish behavior?
• Die to your desire to be right?
• Die to your selfish behaviors?

If you want to say in love …. it’s really not an option.

(click on the pic to listen to it) I am going to give you some insights to the male psyche. If you (ladies) get these 12 things you will help your man out immensely.  If you don’t have a man you love or even like,  it still will be helpful in dealing with the male gender.

1. For men, shopping is not a sport.

2. Anything you wear is fine. Really. If a man is in a relationship with you, he will like whatever you wear.

3. Anything a man said six-eight months ago is inadmissible in an argument. All comments become null and void after 7 days.

4. If something a man said can be interpreted two ways, and one of the ways makes you sad and angry, the man meant the other one.

5. Whenever possible, please say whatever you have to say during the commercials. Otherwise, a man will not be fully listening.

6.  Subtle hints don’t work. Sometimes men really just don’t get it.

7. Crying is blackmail. Use it if you must …. It’s just blackmail.

8.  Most guys own two or three pairs of shoes. What makes you think he would be any good at choosing which pair out of 30,would look great with what you are wearing?

9. You can either ask a man to do something OR tell him how you want it done. It’s impossible for a man to do both.

10.  If  a man likes you, he doesn’t want to mess it up but he will more than likely mess it up. Not on purpose but sometimes he just does.

11.  ALL men see in only 16 colors, like Windows default settings. Peach, for example, is a fruit, not a color . Pumpkin is also a fruit. Many men have no idea what mauve is.

12.  If a man asks what is wrong and you say “nothing,” He will act like nothing’s wrong. A man knows you are lying, but it is just not worth the hassle, besides he knows you will bring it up again later.

When I first met my wife – I fell in love. I had our wedding planned after 7 months of knowing her and we had only been out on a couple of dates. Falling in love is easy to do. If you are living and breathing and you have a pulse you can fall in love.

As I was browsing through the internet I learned that it only takes 4 minutes to fall in love. Before my wife, I fell in love with my 3rd grade teacher. I was in love with her until a couple of weeks into the school year when I found out she was married. I fell in love a couple more times before my wife entered the picture. A girl broke my heart and I broke another’s girls heart.

It is easy to fall in love. It only takes 4 minutes.

Then Tina Turner teaches us love has nothing to do with it. Listen the lyrics of this song (sing it if you would like :))

You must understand through the touch of your hand

Makes my pulse react

That it’s only the thrill of boy meetin’ girl

Opposites attract

It’s physical

Only logical

You must try to ignore that it means more than that

What’s love got to do, got to do with it?

What’s love but a second-hand emotion?

What’s love got to do with it, got to do with it?

Who needs a heart when a heart can be broken?

Come on Tina ….. Love has everything to do with it. It is not a second-hand emotion …. that is ….. if you want to stay in love.

Falling in love is easy but if you want to stay in love it becomes a decision. In the culture and time that we live  making a covenant is becoming not the norm. People are choosing to live together rather than make a covenant together. Refusing to make a covenant is refusing to make the decision to stay in love.  It only takes 4 minutes to fall in love but it takes a life changing decision to stay in love.

2000 years ago Jesus gave us the foundation for what it takes to stay in love. It’s so simple it’s brilliant. It so obvious that we miss it. When you see it you say …. Really? That’s it. There has to be more to it!

In John 13:34 Jesus says, “So now I am giving you a new commandment; Love each other”

Jesus is taking what we normally use as a noun and turns  it into a verb.

• We fall in love.
• We make love.
• In the month of February we celebrate love.

Jesus is giving us an imperative. He is giving us a commandment: Love each other.

Newspaper columnist and minister George Crane tells of a wife who came into his office full of hatred toward her husband. “I do not only want to get rid of him, I want to get even. Before I divorce him, I want to hurt him as much as he has me.” Dr. Crane suggested an ingenious plan “Go home and act as if you really love your husband. Tell him how much he means to you. Praise him for every decent trait. Go out of your way to be as kind, considerate, and generous as possible. Spare no efforts to please him, to enjoy him. Make him believe you love him. After you’ve convinced him of your undying love and that you cannot live without him, then drop the bomb. Tell him that you’re getting a divorce. That will really hurt him.” With revenge in her eyes, she smiled and exclaimed, “Beautiful, beautiful. Will he ever be surprised!” And she did it with enthusiasm. Acting “as if.” For two months she showed love, kindness, listening, giving, reinforcing, sharing. When she didn’t return, Crane called. “Are you ready now to go through with the divorce?”

“Divorce?” she exclaimed. “Never! I discovered I really do love him.”

Her actions had changed her feelings. Motion resulted in emotion. The ability to love is established not so much by fervent promise as often repeated deeds.

A big reason why a lot of people fall out of love is because they turned love into an object, a noun. The feeling of love has withered away and now the reality hits, to stay in love you realize  it is going to cost you something.

It’s going to cost you a change in attitude.

It’s going to cost you a change in your routine.

You gotta think of someone other than yourself.

I Corinthians 13 tells what LOVE has to do with it.
• Love is patient
• Love is kind
• Love does not demand its one way
• Love doesn’t keep a record of wrongs
• Love figures out how to serve the other person in a meaningful way.
• Love is not jealous, not envious,
• Love is gentle.

These are all the things we are to do to stay in love and make love happen.

A couple I counseled last year were within days of getting a divorce. I met with both the husband and the wife. I met with them separately for a number of weeks. They decided to turn their love into a verb. They decided to love each other.

We need to make love happen. It just doesn’t happen. Just because we can fall in love in 4 minutes and just because we can say the words “I love you” with extreme ease doesn’t mean we love the other person. Jesus is telling us to do something to make love happen. We can’t just sit around and say we love each other. We need to demonstrate it even when we don’t like the other person.

Jesus continues to teach us, “just as I have loved you, you should love one another.” Let’s think about this for a minute. Did Jesus just say ‘I love you” or did He demonstrate it? What if Jesus would have just said the words and not followed it up with action? Would people have taken him seriously? He says just as I have loved you,  love each other the same way.

• Jesus loved others knowing he would not be loved back.
• Jesus loved others knowing they would fail and disappoint him.
• Jesus loved others knowing they would nail him to cross.

If you want to stay in love – love the other the way I (Jesus)  have loved you!

If you want to stay in love, Jesus says in Ephesians 5,  submit to another.

No, no, you must be reading the Bible wrong!  It says wives submit to your husbands. You need to read the whole chapter and not just the first verse you like. In  that same chapter vs. 21 it says, “and further, submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.”

When you are submitting to another out of your reverence for Christ,

• It doesn’t make a difference who is right or wrong in an argument.
• It doesn’t make a difference who says I’m sorry first. Someone needs to say it.
• It doesn’t make a difference who wins the argument.

The quicker you can submit to another – the quicker you can kiss and make up.

Once I figured that out, I was able to make love a verb. I was able to humble myself and clean the toilet. I was able to humble myself and say I was sorry. I was able to serve without expecting anything in return.

We are good at falling in love. We are not that good at staying in love.  We gotta work at it.

www.marionfchog.org

Watch this video and answer the following questions in  your head:

What made this woman so generous?

• Was it the amount she gave?
• Was it the fact she was a poor widow?
• Was it the fact she gave everything she had?

My answer to the above questions is NO!  It was because she already had a generous heart. Jesus was telling this disciples, “that woman is the richest person on earth. Why? Because she has a generous heart.”

We have such a warped view of what it means to be rich. Just because you have a lot of stuff or can afford a lot of stuff doesn’t make you rich. We equate richness with money and owning stuff.

If you live in America, from a money point of view, there is no doubt that each of are rich.

• If you make $37,000 a year you are in the top 4% of wage earners
• If you make $42,000 a year you are in the top 1% of wage earners.
• If you are on fixed income you are in the top 40% of wage earners.
• If you  make at least $50 a week you are in the top 50% of wage earners.

Our problem is, according to Andy Stanley in his book BE RICH, we don’t feel rich. We have an appetite for status and security. To make us feel rich we become stuff-aholics, status-a-holics, and security-acholics. Because we are not satisfied with the stuff we own, the status we have, or the lack of security we feel – we FEEL poor. Warren Buffet, who is a billionaire a few times over, always lets others pick up the check. Why? Because he always thinks he’s poor. He always feels poor. 

As we learned in the last blog entry, we are to be rich in our relationship with God. But…..  if you are a stuff – aholic, a status-alolic or a security – aholic, well, it is impossible to have a rich relationship with God. As Christ followers, when you have a rich relationship with him – He gives you a generous heart. You invest in others. You trust that he will provide everything you need. 

A generous heart was the hallmark of the 1st century church. This is why they were so effective. They weren’t rich in resources but they were generous with what they had. They would care for the sick when a plague came. In pagan (unbelieving) nations, the pagan priests would leave their sick behind when a plague would strike. Mean while the Christians would come in and  take care of them. And as the pagan’s (unbelievers) health returned, many of them abandoned their idolatrous ways to Christianity. To put it simply they (the other religious leaders) didn’t help their own sick. Many Christ followers came into the plague invested country and risk their own health. Many would die. The news of their generosity (the Christians) spread like wild fire. They gave time, money, and resources all for the sake of making more and better disciples. They invested in people’s lives being transformed. The generosity of the Christians in the 1st century changed the world. It was not their stuff that changed the world. It is what they did with their stuff that changed the world.

The church in 2015 (especially evangelicals) have earned the reputation of being anti – this and anti – that. To those on the outside looking in were a bunch of “antis”. It is easy being anti. You can close your heart off and not care. Wouldn’t it be great for the church in 2015 to be remembered for their generosity towards those who don’t believe the same way? In the first century, they changed the world because of their generous heart.

How does one become generous?

• It begins by having a rich relationship with God.

This all that matters to God. Our stuff, our money, and our schedules don’t really matter to God. What matters to Him most is the condition of your heart.

• You become generous from understanding everything you own has been giving to you by God.

Your car(s), your house, and your money has been given to you by God. It is God who open doors, shuts doors, create doors of opportunity. He controls it all.

• You become generous by understanding that there is  no way you can pay god back for the job you have, the car you own, the money you make, and the stuff  you own.

We can’t pay God back but we can invest our resources in the life of others. When you tangibly invest in the life of others they begin to experience the love of God.

Being generous is not something you have to do to get into heaven. The scriptures do teach us it was the generosity of the 1st century church that began to turn the world upside down. The bottom line is we need a generous heart if we are at all bothered by the fact not everyone understands Jesus and why He came.

I’ve learned over the past 25 years of ministry that giving generously and tithing have become an option for Christ followers. In 2005 George Barna did a study on why people do not give more. He said this trend is influenced by the following factors:

•  “Some people lack the motivation to give away their hard-earned money because the church has failed to provide a compelling vision for how the money will make a difference in the world.”
• “[Some] see their giving as leverage on the future. They withhold money from the church because they do not see a sufficient return on their investment.”
• “[Some] people … do not realize the church needs their money to be effective. Their church has done an inadequate job of asking for money, so people remain oblivious to the church’s expectations and potential.”
•  “[Others] are ignorant of what the Bible teaches about our responsibility to apply God’s resources in ways that affect lives.”
• “The final category contains those who are just selfish. They figure they worked hard for their money and it’s theirs to use as they please. Their priorities revolve around their personal needs and desires.”

If you don’t give …. how would you have answered that survey?

There are also myths that many people believe which hinder their understanding of why giving matters:

Myth #1 – You are giving to the church

Malachi 3:10 reminds us that the church is just a storehouse. We receive an offering and we invest the offering in the life of the church and the community.

Myth #2 – You are giving to the pastor

Your pastor and  your staff are just facilitators of the offerings received. If you look back through the OT you would discover that the tribe of Levi was responsible for the temple. The taking care of it. The things that happened in it. The other tribes gave a tenth of their resources to them so that they could solely focus on the temple. Our giving helps us to focus solely on the mission which is to make more and better disciples and vision of seeing lives transformed.

Myth #3 – You are giving back to God.

God needs nothing from us. How can you give back the stuff you don’t own?  The church in the first century never looked at their stuff – as their stuff. They knew it didn’t belong to them. That is why they could be so generous to each other and to the pagans (unbelievers) around them. When you give you are giving to invest it back into the lives of others. When you give you are investing it in making more and better disciples. When you give you are investing it in  lives being transformed.

Why does giving matter?

Giving matters because we are part of a much bigger story.

Keeping the story of Jesus’ birth, death, resurrection, and ascension in to heaven was the priority of the early church. They were motivated to give generously because they believed in what Jesus said. Otherwise, why would they give? When you tithe or give generously , you are joining with the millions of people before you who believed in this message. They believed the message was important. They believe the message gave hope to a dark world.

Giving matters because it demonstrates in a tangible way that He is truly Lord of our stuff.

James 1:17 tells us, “Whatever is good and perfect comes down to us from God our Father, who created all the lights in the heavens. He never changes or casts a shifting shadow.”

Even our stuff belongs to God, God still knows we are attached to our stuff. He knows we find security in our money. To give it away is an outward sign of an inward commitment of making Jesus the Lord of your life.

How do you know who or what is the Lord of life? If y our money and stuff are the Lord of your life you believed you are entitled to more. If Jesus is the Lord of your life, well, giving 10% or giving generously to others is not a big deal. It’s the norm.

Giving matters because “it is more blessed to give than to receive.” (Acts 20:35)

Think about this more moment ….. when you give a gift to someone, who is more blessed? The one who receives it or the one who gives it? Unless you are a scrooge, the one who gives it is always the one who is blessed. Why is it that way? It is because you willingly made a sacrifice to bless someone. It’s more than just a feel good feeling. It’s a “satisfaction- of -the – soul – feeling.”  When you don’t give, you are the one who missed the opportunity to be blessed.

How many of us has never bought or given a present to someone else?  If you are a parent, grandparent, aunt, uncle , cousin ,or just a food friend you know when you buy a gift for your child, grandchild, niece, nephew or good friend at Xmas, easter, or a Special occasion it is only stuff. Why do we do it?  Because we are the one who receives the blessing. The excitement in their eye. The joy in their face makes our heart skip a beat because we are experiencing the blessing of giving.

When giving matters, you plan accordingly. You just don’t hope the money will be there. You make a plan to make sure the money is there. Paul gives us a plan, “On the first day of each week – set aside a portion of the money you have earned.” A portion, according to the other scriptures is 10%. And that is just the starting point.

Giving matters because when you freely give, you receive freely from God.

Luke 6:38 says, “Give, and you will receive. Your gift will return to you in full—pressed down, shaken together to make room for more, running over, and poured into your lap. The amount you give will determine the amount you get back.”

Proverbs 11:24 says, “Give freely and become more wealthy;
be stingy and lose everything.”

Give AND you will receive.

Give freely AND you become more wealthy.

AND is definitely better – watch this 30 second clip.

I think everybody would agree that AND is better.

The generosity of the 1st century church changed the world and our history. They took care of unbelievers who were abandoned and left to die AND gave freely of their resources to others.  AND means going the extra mile. AND means giving the extra dollar.  We go the extra mile and we give the extra dollar because of God’s generosity towards us.

God’s generosity towards us changed our life.

• God loved AND sent His son.
• God freely gave to us AND will not  let those who believe in Him perish.

In return He tells us

• to go the first AND the second mile.
• to love our neighbor AND our enemy.
• give up everything AND follow Him.

Giving matters because we need to do it.

All throughout scripture (OT to NT) you read about giving, sacrifice, generosity, sharing, kindness to others, looking to the interest of others, and sharing with one another.

Why were these first century believers (and others before us) so generous? They knew they were part of something much bigger. They believed Jesus mattered. Not only did they give up resources but some of them literally gave up their life because they believed Jesus mattered. They believed that Jesus could make a difference in the life of others.

Giving matters. It doesn’t just keep the church doors open, the lights on, or keep ministry going. It keeps the story of Jesus moving forward and changing lives. It keeps the Good News in the face of others. It matters because lives are continually being transformed.

Does it matter to you?

According to the American Almanac, even though the United States has only 5% of the world’s population, we consume 26% of the world’s energy. We  run our air conditioners, our washers and dryers, our TVs, our DVD players, our computers, our hot water heaters, our microwaves, our refrigerators and freezers, our electric lights, our stereos, our cell phone chargers, our answering machines, our electric razors, hair dryers, curling irons, treadmills, and soon our electric cars.

So, our economic status separates us from the rest of the world. Because we use 26% of the world’s energy, we are leaving only 74% of the world’s energy to the remaining 95% of the world’s population.

This tells me we own a lot of stuff. Unbelievers and believers alike own a lot of stuff. Do you know that believers spend an average of $4.5 billion a year on “Jesus Junk”. Having stuff and buying Jesus Junk is not evil nor will having it keep you out of heaven. It just opens up a bottle neck of questions. How much stuff do we need? How much is enough? Why do I like to accumulate and hoard things? Why are we never content with what we have. Why do we get so emotionally attached to our stuff that we can’t give it up? Why do we get more stuff when we already have a bunch of stuff?

In light of the last blog entry, the ultimate question is ….. “How much stuff do I need to accomplish the dream God has given me?”

As you look through the scriptures one would learn that owning and having stuff is not the problem.

• Job was wealthy man. He owned a lot of stuff. But his devotion was to God
• Abraham was a wealthy man with flocks of sheep and herds of cattle. He is the father of faith. His devotion was to God.
• Jacob had a multitude of sheep and cattle and camels. He keeps the story going. His devotion was to God.
• David was a wealthy King. He was the apple of God’s eye. His devotion was to God.

They were focused on their mission on what God called them to do.

• Their mission was to keep the story about their being only one true God alive.
• Their mission was to convince the rest of the world that there is only one God.
• Their mission was to influence their culture and those around them.
• Their mission was to keep God in the face of mankind.

They put more trust in HIM than they did in their fortunes and possessions. They listened for God. They looked for God. They longed for God.

That’s the difference between owning stuff and your stuff owning you. You can’t serve your stuff and God. It is physically and spiritually impossible.

The parable we are about to look at points to the greatest obstacle to accomplishing the dream God gave us last week.

We need to remember from the last blog entry that ……

• God’s dreams have nothing to do with personal happiness.
• God’s dreams have nothing to do with personal success.
• God’s dream have nothing to do with personal fulfillment.

God’s dream for us is taking all the resources we have available to us an investing it in the life of others. Why do we invest it in the lives of others?  Because we want others to experience the love of God. The love of God is the only thing that can change the heart of man. One of the ways that people experience the love of God is through the love of another human being.

This parable tells us about the main culprit that keeps God from accomplishing His dream through us.

Luke 12:13-21  (NLT)
Parable of the Rich Fool
13 Then someone called from the crowd, “Teacher, please tell my brother to divide our father’s estate with me.”
14 Jesus replied, “Friend, who made me a judge over you to decide such things as that?” 15 Then he said, “Beware! Guard against every kind of greed. Life is not measured by how much you own.”
16 Then he told them a story: “A rich man had a fertile farm that produced fine crops. 17 He said to himself, ‘What should I do? I don’t have room for all my crops.’ 18 Then he said, ‘I know! I’ll tear down my barns and build bigger ones. Then I’ll have room enough to store all my wheat and other goods. 19 And I’ll sit back and say to myself, “My friend, you have enough stored away for years to come. Now take it easy! Eat, drink, and be merry!”’
20 “But God said to him, ‘You fool! You will die this very night. Then who will get everything you worked for?’
21 “Yes, a person is a fool to store up earthly wealth but not have a rich relationship with God.”

Greed is culprit!

The Roper Organization asked Americans who make $15,000-$30,000 how much they needed to fulfill all their dreams. The largest group said they’d need $50,000-$60,000. Yet when that same question was put to people earning over $50,000, the largest group in that segment said they’d need at least $125,000 a year, if not more.

We always seem to need more. We need more time. We need more money. We need more of this and we need more of that. A lot of Christ followers say, “if only I could win the lottery I would give 10% of it to the church.” My assessment:  If you are not giving 10% now you will not give 10% later.  If only I had more time then I would be able to invest in others. If only my schedule allowed me to participate I would show up and volunteer. The scriptures teach us that God doesn’t need our time, our money, or this or that or even our stuff. Many Christ followers think that. What he needs is …. Your heart! Not more of your heart. Just your heart. Because when he has your heart the rest of it follows. 

Listen to this story about Gladys Holm. She never married, lived alone, and worked as a secretary her whole life for a medical-supply company. For 41 years she worked as a secretary, never earning more than $15,000 a year, She lived in her 2 bedroom townhouse. She became known as the Teddy Bear Lady, because she sort of adopted the Children at Memorial Hospital in Chicago after they saved the life of a little girl named Adrian. Gladys knew Adrian’s parents for years and was a friend of the family. When Adrian was born, she was blue faced. Born with a blocked aorta enlarged heart with a hole in it. Most doctors thought she was too young for surgery but a physician at Children Memorial saved her life. So Gladys would send donations now and then, always adding “There will be more later.” Gladys would bring teddy bears for kids who were sick, sometimes bringing dozens of Teddy Bears. Her house always had some teddy bears lying around. She died recently at age 86, and only about 30 attended the funeral. Yet she left money for them to eat at a fancy restaurant across the street with one stipulation, “Talk about good times.” The most amazing thing was, however, when she died she left $18 million dollars to the hospital. Largest gift it ever received. How did this woman make so much money. She didn’t spend it all on herself. She threw a few luxurious parties and bought expensive jewelry, but she gave to help others. On $15,000 a year. Whenever her boss would buy some stock of the medical supplies company, she bought a few stocks for herself. Needless to say, the stock company went through the roof. She would often use the teddy bears as a way to get close to the families and when she would learn that the illness was putting a heavy strain on the families finances, she would quietly pay all their medical bills. Most of the time, the people didn’t know the source of the gift.
She lived on less so others could benefit. She didn’t ask that her name be put on the new hospital wing so everyone would see how generous she was. She didn’t show everyone how much money she had so that people would be impressed with her possessions. She gave out of her life to help others.
God had her heart.

The only thing that matters to God is not how much we make or how much we give . But he does say you are a fool if you store up earthly wealth. What matters to him is the condition of your heart. What he needs is our heart! (PERIOD) The rest will follow. 

The more stuff you have the harder it is to build that rich relationship with God because your stuff demands your attention as well. What puts your stuff in perspective is a rich relationship with God. God was always meant to be our first love. If He is our first love our other loves will fall into place.Think about it is this way. If my wife  just had 80% of my heart and Sally had 10% and Harriett had the other 10%. Just how rich would our relationship be? NOT VERY. 

What matters to God – and this God’s dream for each one of us – is to have a rich relationship with Him. When you have a rich relationship with him he will give you a new heart and he will put a new spirit in you. He will turn your stony, stubborn heart and give you a tender responsive heart. (Ez. 36:26)

When you have a rich relationship with Him – he gives you a generous heart. When you have a rich relationship with Him – investing in others is your top priority. When you have a rich relationship with Him – you trust that he will provide everything you need.

Greed keeps us from having a rich relationship with God. It is not about making a lot of money. It is that ongoing belief that if I can only get enough money, if only we can get that one thing I can be safe and secure. It is that longing for more that is never satisfied. You never are content what you have. Greed steals the dream God has for us. Because of our longing for more stuff we never notice the needs around us or if we do notice we don’t have the resources to meet the need.

Except for the kingdom of God, Jesus spends more time talking about your stuff and what to do with it than any other subject. A person’s attitude towards their money or possessions in relation to giving for support of ministries, the poor etc is a very accurate physical barometer on the reality of a person’s faith and trust in God. That saying, “put your money where your mouth is!”, completely relates to matters of faith. If your going to be stingy and hoarding of this form of power and control in your life (money), how can you honestly say that God can really do anything with you in this life, because to do that, he requires total submission to His will.

What is this saying? In a nutshell, if you can’t give at least 10% of your income to the church. If you can’t help the poor  then you have a greed problem.

What we do with our resources is a direct reflection of whether God has your heart.

Does he have YOUR heart?

(click on the pic to listen to it) When Walt Disney World in Orlando ,FL. opened in 1974, Mrs. Disney was sitting beside Walter Cronkite. Walt Disney had passed away a few years earlier. Walter Cronkite wanted to say just the right thing to Mrs. Disney, so he leaned over to her and said, “Wouldn’t it be great if Walt were here to see this today.” Mrs. Disney wisely replied, “If Walt had not first seen this you would not be seeing it today.”

Back in 1915 a church started when some people dared to make their dream a reality. I don’t when they got this dream or this vision – obviously it was before 1915. They saw something. I believe God gave them a dream, a vision, and a conviction that was inspired from Matthew 28:18-20. This is the same vision and conviction that God have to his one and only son.

Matthew 28:18-20
Jesus came and told his disciples, “I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth. Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

This particular church started in a saloon. A few people prayed and decided before 1915 that there needed to be a Church of God in Marion, IN so they gathered together in a saloon and had church. Not just for the sake of getting together in saloon. They were filled with purpose. They were on a mission.

As I sat and pondered on why they started this church here. I could only come up with only one answer:

They understood that they were a part of a much bigger story.

They dared to believe that they could impact a community. They dared to believe they could change the culture in which they lived. They dared to believe that God could use them to keep the story of Jesus birth, death, resurrection, and ascension alive and well. They dared to believe that they could make disciples baptizing them in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

Like them back in 1915, we are part of a much bigger story. They obviously wanted to be a part of that story because of this building, this land, and you are sitting here right now to prove it. We are sitting here 100 years later in this beautiful sanctuary, evidence of the time, energy, money, and other human resources that made their dream, that made their vision, a reality. Thousands of people have walked through these doors over the years and have been impacted by the gospel.

Like in 1915 our mission is the same. The mission will always be the same – Go and Make More and Better Disciples. Or as The Message puts it, “Go out and train everyone you meet in this way of life.”

Our mission – which should be the mission of every church – is other people.

Most of us in here have been trained that our mission is:
• To accumulate wealth
• Build bigger houses
• Live comfortably
• Build our financial portfolios

There is nothing wrong with these things but if that is what you are building your life on then you are missing the mark.

I have been following Tim Tebow since every team in the NFL has shunned him. His statistics are better than most of the starting quarterbacks in the NFL. He has since become a broadcaster for the SEC and ESPN. He made a good chunk of change while playing in the NFL.  Despite all of this …. He has taken his resources and invested them with Cure International in the Philippines to build a hospital that gives children hope for a brighter future. In the past couple of weeks someone snapped a picture of him praying with all of the SEC commentators before they went on the air.

Obviously we don’t have to be a Tim Tebow. Very few of us get that kind of platform to work from. But God gives each of us a platform. A platform is the sphere of influence God gives you. Whatever platform God has given you, you are to use it to Make More and Better disciples. We are to use that platform to invest in the life of others.

Our mission has already been determined for us (Matthew 28:18-20). While that is true, how we go about doing that mission is where the adventure begins. I believe this is where we miss it. We look at making more and better disciples as a chore. It was never meant to be a chore. It was intended to be an adventure. An adventure has heartache, pain, joy, disappointment, success, frustration, and accomplishments. 

For us the adventure is – How do we keep this story going? Not the story of this church and its building. But the story of why Jesus was born, abused, crucified, resurrected, and ascended into heaven.

Our mission is to make more and better disciples. We are to go and train everyone we meet in our way of life.  Is not the reason you are here today because of what Jesus did in your life? Is not the reason you are following Him today because of what Jesus did in your life?

There are millions of people who have gone before us who have done the simple things and those who have been given a big platform from which to speak. Not matter what the size of your platform we are all called to do the same thing.

• Joseph and Mary carried out their part of the mission
• Doubting Thomas carried out his part of the mission
• Philip carried out his part of the mission.
• Peter and Paul carried out their part of the mission.
• Even Judas, despite his betrayal, is part of the story. He let his story end way to soon by not repenting.

All of us in here are unique. God made you unique for a purpose.

John the Baptist and Jesus went about Making disciples their own way. John yelled, “repent and be baptized for the kingdom of God is near.” Jesus taught on a mountain and spoke parables, he also met people at the crucible of their life.

The scripture teaches us that:
• We all have at least one spiritual gift.
• We all have talents that can be used to encourage others
• We all have unique personalities
• We all have unique stories of why we decided to follow Christ.

If you are willing to get on board and make more and better and disciples this is what it is going to cost you:

• Personal comfort
• Personal agendas
• A willingness to make some difficult life choices.

You also need to be willing to:

• Fight through fears
• Fight through self-doubt
• Fight through personal anxieties
• Fight through personal inadequacies.

Your fears, your insecurities, anxieties, inadequacies never go away but they begin to lose their power when you face them and remember that last line in vs. 20 – And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

Where do you start?

First of all, make this your personal mission.

When I was 18 years old God made is pretty clear to me that my personal mission was to impact the lives of others for the kingdom of God. At first I didn’t want to do it. I didn’t know how I was going to do it. I didn’t know where I was going to do it. I didn’t know what I was going to do. Then I read Isaiah 6:8,

Then I heard the Lord asking, “Whom should I send as a messenger to this people? Who will go for us?”

I said, “Here I am. Send me.”

Secondly,  If you are Christ follower – You need to do something! The scriptures don’t allow us to be pew sitters, pew gossipers, or pew complainers.

• If you can teach – you ‘d better be teaching.
• If you can serve – you’d better be serving.
• If you can play music or sing – you better be playing and singing.
• If you can pray – you’d better be praying.
• If you can lead – you’d better be leading.
• If you can cook – you’d better be cooking.
• If you got technology skills – you better be using those technology skills.
• If you got mechanical skills – you better be using those mechanical skills.

God wants to use the way he created you – your spiritual gift(s), your talent(s) your time and invest them in the life of other people. When you invest them in the life of others they get to see Jesus. When they see Jesus, it opens the door to make them a disciple.

Thirdly, Ask God for a dream. We all dream about something. As little kids we dream about what we want to be when we grow up. As an athlete you dream of getting the clutch hit, making a great play, that helps you win a game. As parents you dream of your kids contributing something good to this world. As grandparents you dream of being a better parent to your grandkids.

What are you dreaming about?

There are dreams that God gives us and there our own personal dreams. Walt Disney’s dream was to make people happy. In fact that is Disney’s vision statement “To Make People happy.”

God’s dreams have nothing to do with personal happiness. They have everything to do with eternal joy. God’s dreams have nothing to do with personal success. They have everything to do with investing in others. God’s dream have nothing to do with personal fulfillment. They have everything to do with fulfilling the Great Commission (Matthew 28:18-20).

God’s dreams ….

• Cause your faith to be challenged.
• Will cause your heart to awaken
• Will cause your creativity to be released
• Will cause your character to mature
• Will cause God to be honored.
• Will influence the next generation.

Walt Disney world started with a dream. This church started with a dream.

What is your dream? Not your personal dream. Your God dream.

What do you believe is God’s dream for you?

God’s dream for me is …… ________________________________.

Watch this 2 minute video before continuing on.

Which person from the Jesus Christmas story do you most identify with?

• Mary
• Joseph
• Shepherds
• Wise men
• Herod

An official survey was done to see which person from the Jesus Christmas story that most people identified with? Not surprisingly the shepherd came out on top by far.

Let me tell you a bit about shepherds. They were the last people you’d expect God to take notice of. First of all, they were religious outcasts. According to Jewish religious law, these men were unclean. Their line of work prevented them from participating in the feasts and holy days that made up the Jewish religious calendar. Why? Well, somebody had to watch the sheep. When everyone else was making the trip to Jerusalem to make sacrifices at the temple, or to participate in one of the annual feasts, they were out in the fields, watching over the sheep.
Since they were constantly on the move to find new pasture for their flocks, they were looked on with suspicion. Kind of the way people today might look at gypsies, or carnival workers accused of being thieves. If something came up missing – it must have been those shepherds. They were not permitted to give testimony in a legal proceeding, because their word wasn’t considered trustworthy. And on top of all that, they really didn’t have much contact with other people.

Think of people who you think would be social outcast. A social outcast would be a person who that you would not go out of our way to hang around. A lot of us are familiar with Rudolph. He had a very shiny nose. No one let him play in reindeer games. There is the Grinch who doesn’t fit in any where. You also have the island of misfit toys. These are toys that nobody wants because they have something wrong with them.

So why? Why did God do this? Why did He send His angels to announce the birth of Christ to these shepherds, to invite them, and them only, to come and see the child? Why would God choose the outcast? They were not considered religious people. They definitely weren’t considered holy people. Several possible answers have been proposed. The simplest explanation is God wanted to show that His love does not discriminate on the basis of class, or wealth, or social standing. He does not respect kings and princes more than hourly laborers, he does not value priests and pastors above the people in the pews. God does not show favoritism; He does not give preferential treatment to one group of people over another. His love is available to all on the same basis – faith in Jesus Christ, and faith alone.

Look throughout the Old and New Testament. The things I am about to mention all happened before he spoke to the shepherds.

• He used a farmer to lead an army
• He used a pagan king to spread the gospel
• He used a woman who had been divorced 5 times as his first prophet
• He used a murderer to lead the people out of Egypt
• He used a liar to be the leader of the Jewish people and start the Christian faith
• He used a person living in depression to be a prophet
• He used a city prostitute to help the nation of Israel (mentioned in the Hebrews of 11 hall of faith)
• He used an adulterer to be the king of Israel.
• He used a carpenter and a teenager girl to bring His only son into the world.

Look at the continued evidence that scripture gives us about who God chooses to use:

• “You save the humble, but your eyes are on the haughty to bring them low.” – 2 Samuel 22:28 (NIV)
• “For the LORD takes delight in his people; he crowns the humble with salvation.”
  – Psalm 149:4 (NIV)
• . . . “This is the one I esteem: he who is humble and contrite in spirit, and trembles at my word.” – Isaiah 66:1- 2 (NIV)
• “For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.” – Matthew 23:12 (NIV)
• God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble. Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. – 1 Peter 5:5-6

I’m beginning to wonder if we must become outcast because they seem to be only people God chooses to use to do something divine.

According to scripture, We are all outcast. Many spend more time and energy trying to cover up that fact. The ones we call outcast have come to grips with the fact they are outcast.

Those of us who don’t consider ourselves outcasts spend a lot of time and energy keeping God from humbling us. We spend a lot of time and energy avoiding our enemies. We spend a lot of time and energy holding grudges because we believe we have the right. We spend a lot of time and energy putting on spiritual cosmetics to cover up our spiritual flaws.Those of us who don’t consider ourselves outcast (Cosmetic Christians) think forgiveness, mercy, and compassion is an option.Those of us who don’t consider ourselves outcast believe themselves entitled to be blessed by God.Those of us who don’t’ consider ourselves outcast think loving our enemies is a choice we get to make. Those of us who don’t consider ourselves outcast think that serving others is an option and not a calling.

Why did God speak to the shepherds, the outcasts ? The message God is sending is simple: Jesus was not going to be the Savior of only the political and social and religious elite. Jesus was not going to be the Savior only of kings and governors, or popes and priests. Jesus is the Savior of all equally, he doesn’t give preference to any group or any class. Nor does he discriminate on the basis of intelligence, or education, or wealth, or profession, or political power, or social standing, or any of the other qualities that human beings judge by. His love is offered indiscriminately to anyone who will repent and believe, anyone who will trust in Him as Savior.

That’s exactly what the Shepherds did. These unclean religious outcast did exactly what God told them to do. They trusted He was the Savior. They listened to God. They were obedient when being obedient didn’t make any sense. They chose to do the right thing.

Why did He send His angels to announce the birth of Christ to these shepherds, to invite them, and them only, to come and see the child?

1. The shepherds KNEW they were outcast. How could they forget? They were constantly reminded by the society and their culture that they didn’t belong. This is who Jesus came for. Those who don’t feel like they belong. Understanding this, it makes he spoke to those who didn’t feel they belonged anywhere. As you read the scriptures you learn ….

• He didn’t come for the people who have all it all figured out. He came to help people figure it out.
• He didn’t come for the people who have it all together. He came to put people together.
• He didn’t come for the super religious people. He came to have a relationship that makes you super.

2. Jesus was an outcast

Very few people liked him. Very few people accepted them into their world. Very few people sat at his table for lunch. Isaiah tells us there was nothing about His appearance that would have attracted us to Him. What I also find interesting is despite the fact that his earthly father was a carpenter. He is remembered as a shepherd.

Look at these scriptures:

• “The man who enters by the gate is the shepherd of his sheep. The watchman opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice.” – John 10:2-4 (NIV)
• “I am a good shepherd” John 10:11

The bottom line for us is that if we want to come and see the Christ child….

3. We must become outcast

I am thankful for the times when I was considered an outcast. As a kid I didn’t understand it. I just thought it was normal. In middle and high school I spent a lot of lunches eating by myself. I wore high-water pants, funky shirts, my white belt, had thick plastic glasses, and was consistently bullied. I never really considered myself a social outcast because my Sunday School teachers and my family constantly reminded me that I am loved by God.

We are all outcast. We just need to admit it. There are just some of us who spend a lot of time and money to prove that we belong to this world. Many work themselves to death to buy the things that help them fit in. All of us want to fit in. All of us want to be loved. All of us want to be accepted. There are some who are willing to pay whatever it cost to fit in, be loved and accepted.

All of us, according to God, are a bunch of misfits. The sooner one comes to grips with that the easier life becomes.

We all have our quirks. We all have something wrong with us. Like the shepherds when you accept that it is easier to love others. It is easier to serve others. You lose your sense of spiritual entitlement.

I am convinced we must become outcast.
We must stop trying to fit into a world that doesn’t make sense to fit into (we are all guilty – not a one of us is exempt). Stop trying to fit into a mold that doesn’t make sense to fit into. Stop trying to fit into a way of life that doesn’t make sense to.

The following is one of the best Christmas stories I have read. It also gives us a picture of how to become an outcast.

His name was Bill. He had wild hair, wore a T-shirt with holes in it, jeans, and shoes with no socks. This was his wardrobe during four years of college. Though mildly eccentric, he was a brilliant person. He became a Christian while attending college. Across from the campus was a traditional church. They wanted to develop a ministry to students, but weren’t sure how to go about it. One day Bill decided to go worship there. He walked in with his wild hair, T-shirt with holes in it, jeans, and shoes with no socks. The service had started. Bill started down the aisle looking for a seat but the church was full. By now people were looking a bit uncomfortable, but no one said anything. Bill got closer and closer to the front, when he realized there were no seats. He just sat down right on the floor. Although perfectly acceptable behavior at a college fellowship, this had never happened in this church! By now the people were really uptight, and the tension in the air was thick. A deacon slowly made his way toward Bill. This deacon was in his eighties, a distinguished man with silver-gray hair and a three-piece suit. He walked with a cane. Everyone thought, “You can’t blame him for what he’s going to do. How could you expect a man of his age and background to understand some college kid, thinking he can worship sitting on the floor?”
It took time for the man to reach the boy. The church became utterly silent, except for the clicking of the man’s cane on the tiled floor. All eyes focused on him. When the elderly deacon got next to the boy, he dropped his cane to the floor. With great difficulty he lowered himself and asked Bill, “May I sit with you?” The man sat down next to Bill and worshiped with him, so he wouldn’t be alone.

Who wants to be an outcast?

The Birth of Jesus -Luke 2
At that time the Roman emperor, Augustus, decreed that a census should be taken throughout the Roman Empire. 2 (This was the first census taken when Quirinius was governor of Syria.) 3 All returned to their own ancestral towns to register for this census. 4 And because Joseph was a descendant of King David, he had to go to Bethlehem in Judea, David’s ancient home. He traveled there from the village of Nazareth in Galilee. 5 He took with him Mary, his fiancée, who was now obviously pregnant.
6 And while they were there, the time came for her baby to be born. 7 She gave birth to her first child, a son. She wrapped him snugly in strips of cloth and laid him in a manger, because there was no lodging available for them.
During this particular time of the year, we tend to rant and complain about how busy we are. I am convinced that is just not this time of year. Being and keeping busy is just a state of mind. But this time of year seems to create more stress than any other time of year and we tend to get more stressed out.
When we are stressed out making room for Jesus just doesn’t make sense. We spend a lot of time preparing for the party but we forget to show up. We tend to forget that we are the reason for the season. We are the reason He came to earth. We are the reason we celebrate  Christmas every year but we better not forget to show up for the party. We need this one month of emphasis every year to remind us the Jesus really did come.
How would like to take the stress out of the holiday season? On the Today show there was a New York City psychotherapist telling us how to “take the stress out of the holiday season.”

Suggestion one: Have realistic Expectations
We all have fantasies about how the holiday should be, don’t we? We are romantics at heart. We want this to be a high-mark time for everybody involved. The family, such as it is, comes back together for this intense time. What we forget is that our memories of Christmases past tend to be sanitized by time. What we remember are the warm fuzzies of family togetherness. We have edited out stress, conflicts, ongoing clashes of personality and varied expectations of all who are part of the holiday mix.
Suggestion two: Avoid Perfectionism
In other words, don’t forget not everything needs to be perfect. EnJOY the season. If you think about it we tend to get stressed out over the silliest of things. This season was meant to celebrate. As Christ followers we need to get better at celebrating. We need to get better at enjoying life.
What are some of the silly things we get stressed over? (make some mental notes of the silly little things that  you stress over)
Suggestion Three: Limit Family time
Thank God for families. I love getting together with them but we don’t have to spend every single moment together. We all bring our varied psychological stuff to the holidays, don’t we? Put us all in a room together for a prolonged period of time, and that stuff will begin to leak out around the edges. We all have the annoying person in our family. We all have that one family member we wonder about. We all have had family members who have hurt us intentionally and unintentionally.
Suggestion 4: Encourage creative traditions
We all have them. They are good. And they can change, modify and even grow over a period of years.My family growing up used to have family communion together and then go to Pearl Snyder’s house. I like going to Pearl’s house after church on Christmas Eve because she always bought us a present. Traditions give you something to look forward or at least roll your eyes at and complain about.
Suggestion 5: Avoid over indulgence
Too much food. Too much alcohol. Too many parties. Too much gift buying. All of these can ruin the holiday season. After this season is over, you will pay for it all some way or another.

Suggestion 6 (this is mine): Make room for God “innterruptions.”

For a guy we don’t know if he actually exists he gets a pretty bum – wrap. The Bible doesn’t mention him but tradition and Christmas folklore talks a lot about the “poor innkeeper” who told Mary and Joseph there was no room for them in the inn.

There were a couple of types of inns. In Luke 10 you have the story of the Good Samaritan. The Good Samaritan dropped him off at the “pan-dokh-i-on” and gave him two silver coins which in US dollars is equivalent to $250 and told him to take care of the man. This was more like a motel or a place of lodging. The Inn in Luke 2 is a “kat-al-oo-mah”. The word literally means “the breaking up of a journey.” Often in ancient Israel the journey between two towns would take longer than a day, so ancient “KOI’s” (Kampground of Israel) developed beside the roads. Since Bethlehem was a small village less than five miles from Jerusalem there probably was no need for a [pandokhion – motel or lodging place] but there might be a need for a [kataloomah]. More than likely the inn was just a stopover for caravans on their way through Jerusalem to Galilee or Egypt.The nicer of these kataloomah type inns would be two-story structures where the overnight guests would sleep on the upper level while their animals rested underneath in the “ancient parking lot”. The not so nice inns were simply crude stone walls encircling an area for animals. These types of inns did not always have an innkeeper because mainly animals stayed in there.

My thinking is (thinking like a man) is that Joseph tried for a “pandokhion” and ended up in a crude stone wall encircled with animals.

Mary and Joseph were under a lot of stress but they still

• Were obedient when being obedient didn’t make any sense.
• Listened for God’s direction
• Chose to do the right thing
• Chose to be servants even though it didn’t make much sense to them. Besides Elizabeth, Mary and Joseph were the only ones who knew about God’s plan.

Even though there wasn’t any room for them to stay, they made room for these things to happen in their life. They trusted God’s direction even when there wasn’t a place for them to rest. You would think God would have least given them a place to stay to have a baby.

I am certain that they both had large amounts of  stress in their life. When you make a change in your life there is stress. I am certain that the way they had the changes planned out it would have went a lot smoother. God interrupts the rhythm of their life and then completely abandons them – NO HE DIDN’T ABANDON them. God interrupts the rhythm of their life. They listened. They served even though there was no place for them to stay after a 70 mile donkey ride. No place for them to have the baby. Things probably didn’t go the way they had it planned in their head but God was with them through the whole process.

The stress in our life convinces us that we don’t have room for anything or anyone else in our life. The rhythm of our life and the stress levels it creates causes us to believe that we can’t do just one more thing. We certainly don’t have time for God to interrupt the rhythm of our life. That is really a stress that we don’t want to deal with on top of the other silly little things we stress over.

Like Mary and Joseph, We need to make room for God to interrupt the rhythm of our life.

He would interrupt the rhythm of our day. If we let him. We do this by spending time with him. I am not talking about reading scripture, praying, listening to music, or enjoying his creation. Those things are just tools to help you accomplish that. I am talking about intentionally being aware of His presence. We don’t do this because it doesn’t make sense to. Why would we give 5,10, 15 minutes or even an hour of our day thinking, reflecting, or even wondering about God?
He would interrupt the rhythm of our life once a week. If we would let him. We meet together to worship and to be encouraged and challenged to live for Him through the week. Even this doesn’t make sense anymore to do. Spending time with other believers and worshipping has just become another activity to go to and not an opportunity for God to interrupt your life. When you work all week, get involved in various others things we just don’t have time for this kind of interruption.
He would interrupt the rhythm of our life for the whole month of December. If we would let him.
Then there are those surprise interruptions. God would interrupt  our rhythm our lives then if we would let him.

What keeps us from letting God interrupt our life? The stuff we stress out about.

Usually these surprising interruptions come at the most stressful time in our life. God doesn’t create the  stress. We are the ones who create the stress. When those stress levels get to a certain point. Caboom! Things explode! We emotionally, mentally, and spiritually breakdown.
Our stresses convince us we don’t have time God interruptions. We say things this like “this shouldn’t be happening to me now!” Or “This is really bad timing right now.” Or “I don’t have time for this right now!”

• Stress causes us to lose perspective on life.
• Stress causes us to do things we wouldn’t normally do.
• Stress causes heart attacks, ulcers, and other kinds of physical ailments.
• Stress keeps us sick longer.
• Stress causes us to drink more alcohol, eat more food, buy and horde more things, or smoke more cigarettes.

Because of this we NEED to make room for God to interrupt our rhythm of life.
I read the story of group who does ministry in the streets of some of our bigger cities. In this one particular story they were working with some prostitutes. As they listened to one of the ladies sharing her story, she shared she has tried everything to get out of prostitution. Then one of guys said, “have you tried God?” The woman’s response, “why would I do that?” My answer would have been, “Because he loves you that’s why!” and “He even likes you!”:

John 3:16-17 Living Translation (NLT)
16 “For this is how God loved the world: He gave[a] his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. 17 God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through him.

God spent a lot of time with prostitutes, tax collectors, super religious people, and other low – life sinners.

• He interrupted the woman at the wells life
• He interrupted Zacheus’ life
• He interrupted Nicodemus’ life.

All of these people’s lives were pretty stressful. And they let God interrupt their stress. And their life were changed because of it.

How do we let God interrupt our lives in 2014?
For 5 minutes a day
• Take a deep breath and exhale slowly.
• Close your eyes
• For 5 minutes say, “I am God’s beloved”
• During that 5 minutes Think on your heavenly Father’s unfailing love, mercy and longing for you.

God will “innterrupt” your life and you will be changed.