Category: Discipleship

“Beam Me Up, Scotty”

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Star TrekHave you ever taken a shortcut?  I live for shortcuts.  I love side streets and back roads that save time and keep you moving toward the desired destination. A while back, I bought a GPS unit, in part, so I can find additional routes that can save time.

Unfortunately, I have discovered there are no shortcuts to spiritual maturity! If a person wants his or her life to count for God in a significant way, there is no shortcut. It’s not all that complicated, but, it’s certainly not easy!  No shortcut will lead you into the power of God and impact for His kingdom.

How can a Christian make a Godly impact on his world?  The answer can be found in a simple Scripture written by the Apostle Paul to the church of Galatia.  Paul writes in Galatians 2:20, “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me.  The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”

Paul alludes to this same truth in 2 Corinthians 12 when he tells about his William Shatner, Star Trek experience of being “beamed up” into Heaven where the Lord said to him, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”  Paul responded by saying, “Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me . . . For when I am weak, then I am strong.”

These verses teach us that we cannot rely upon our own strengths to accomplish God’s will.  We will only see the power of God when we are filled with His presence and His power!  We trust Him to do what only He can do. The formula for spiritual success then is as follows:

Surrender +  faith  =  God’s Power

We do not apply this formula to our lives one time and then that’s it! No, we apply it daily–sometimes several times throughout the day. Walking with Christ implies a journey where we take step after step. Sometimes we will run; sometimes we will walk; sometimes we will stand still!

Book of “Acts”

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ActsI’ve been reading the Book of Acts the last couple of days. As I read I am reminded and convicted that the book is about the “acts” of the early followers of Jesus. They did not simply say they were believers; they acted it out each day in the way they lived. Many of them made great sacrifices along the way as disciples and many of them died for the faith.

I ask myself, “What am I sacrificing for Jesus? What acts in my life show that I stand with and stand for my Savior?”

In Acts 5, Peter and some of the Apostles were called before the Jewish religious court and were ultimately flogged for speaking about Jesus. After their brutal beating, the Bible says they they left “rejoicing because they had been counted worthy of suffering disgrace for the Name” (Acts 5:41, NIV).

Wow! I don’t know about you, but passages like this challenge me and convict me. Any thoughts?

Go Ahead and Pray

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prayerI’m about half way through Craig Groeschel’s book, Confessions of a Pastor. I’ll review the book when I finish it as a part of my series of posts called 52 Books In 2009. But, I want to go ahead and share a few of Craig’s thoughts on prayer. Here are a couple of paragraphs from his chapter called, I Hate Prayer Meetings:

If you feel insecure about your faltering prayer life, I’ve got great news for you: God’s waiting. Right now. At this moment. He wants to reveal Himself to you, and He wants you to reveal your heart to Him.

Pray. Pray creatively, openly, honestly. Pray long. Pray short. Sigh. Sing. Dance. Cry. Shout. Pray in the morning. During the day and in the evening. Pray in the car, while working, while doing chores. Laugh with Him. Cry with Him. Experience His presence. Let your attitudes, thoughts, energy, focus, attention, desire, and love be directed toward the One who loves you. Like breathing air, allow moment-by-moment fellowship to become a way of life–starting this very moment. Go ahead. Commuicate.

I hope Craig’s words helps you as you think about prayer.

Benefits of Living a Life of Purpose

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rick-warren21A few years ago I had the privilege of attending a Purpose Driven Church Conference on the campus of Saddleback Church in southern California.  It was one of those rare, life-changing weeks that come along far too seldom.  The founding pastor, Rick Warren, has written two best-selling books.  His latest is called  “The Purpose Driven Life.” This book is designed to be read over a period of 40 days.  Each lesson is just a few pages long and requires time to digest.  On Day Three, Rick shares five great benefits of living a purpose-driven life:

1.  Knowing your purpose gives meaning to your life.  We were made to have meaning.  This is why people try dubious methods, like astrology or psychics, to discover it.  When life has meaning, you can bear almost anything; without it, nothing is bearable.

2.  Knowing your purpose simplifies your life.  If defines what you do and what you don’t do.  Your purpose becomes the standard you use to evaluate which activities are essential and which aren’t.  People who don’t know their purpose try to do too much–and that causes stress, fatigue, and conflict. (See Ordering Your Private World and A Leader’s Real Test for further thoughts along these lines).

3.  Knowing your purpose focuses your life.  It concentrates your effort and energy on what’s important.  You become effective by being selective.

4.  Knowing your purpose motivates your life.  Purpose always produces passion.  Nothing energizes like a clear purpose.

5.  Knowing your purpose prepares you for eternity.  Many people spend their lives trying to create a lasting legacy on earth.  They want to be remembered when they’re gone.  Yet, what ultimately matters most will not be what others say about your life, but what God says.

Grow Up

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baby4“Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation….” 1 Peter 2:2 (NIV) 

A few days ago, Nadya Suleman, a 33-year-old in Southern California mother, gave birth to six boys and two girls ranging from 1 pound 8 ounces to 3 pounds 4 ounces. I certainly wish them well and pray that God will bless them to live healthy, productive lives for His glory.

As I was thinking about the octuplets, it dawned on me that they all have one thing in common besides having the same mother–they were all born as babies! That is true for all of us. We all begin the same way and we all end the same way. What we do in the middle makes all the difference!

As Christians, we all begin the same way spiritually as well. We all are born spiritually (John 3) through Jesus and begin as newborns in the Lord. Unfortunately, many believers never move beyond that point. Nothing saddens me more than seeing believers that should have long ago become spiritually mature still thinking and acting as spiritual newborns.

Where are you in your spiritual development? Frankly, God expects and commands us to grow up.

“But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and forever! Amen.” 2 Peter 3:18 (NIV)