What do you want in life? What do you want to do? What do you want to be? When you ask children they can answer you quickly. They want to be a fireman, a policeman, a soldier, a doctor, a baseball player, etc. They know what they want to be. We tend to smile and discount what they say at that point and then proceed to undermine their God given creativity telling them they can only color “inside the lines” and we scold them if we catch them in school “daydreaming.”
God made us to be dreamers, to be people of vision. We have the privilege to choose our dream. Someone said, “You’re dreams and destiny do not come by CHANCE they are your CHOICE. God gave Joseph a dream, but he had to choose to embrace it. Did you know you can go anywhere you want to in life... if you know where you want to go. You can have anything you want in life... if you know what you want. Remember in Alice in Wonderland, Alice asked the cat, "Would you tell me, please, which way I ought to go from here?" The cat answered, "That depends a great deal on where you want to go." Alice said, "Oh, I don't much care." He answered, "Then it really doesn't matter which way you go."
The proverb writer reminds us, “Where there is no vision, the people perish.” (Proverbs 29:18 KJV)
The NIV says it this way, “Where there is no revelation, the people cast off restraint. (Proverbs 29:18 NIV)
In others words we need a dream to give us structure in our lives, to channel our energy in the right direction, to guide us in our decision making. Joseph went through some extremely difficult and even unfair times in his life, but through it all he never lost the dream. The dream God gave him was that one day he would be a significant leader among his people. The dream kept him going when his brothers wanted to kill him, when he was sold into slavery (slave - leader, somehow that doesn’t calculate), when others lied about him, and the liars were believed landing him in an Egyptian prison. He never lost the dream, the vision.
What is your dream? What do you want in life? Don’t allow life to just happen to you. Choose your dream. Choose your destiny. Oh, but you say, “I want God to just give me a dream.” That’s great, but you still must embrace it, choose it, think about it, meditate on it, never let go of it. Think about it... dreams - faith, faith - dreams. They really are the same. “Now faith is being sure of what we hope for (that’s the dream) and certain of what we do not see.” (Hebrews 11:1 NIV)
Prayer: Lord Jesus, thank You for the dreams You place in our hearts. Help me to be true to that dream no matter what life may look like at the moment. I want to hold on to the dream, talk about the dream, expect the dream to happen in my life. It is Your promise that “if I delight myself in You then You will give me the desires of my heart”... my dreams. AMEN
Blessings!
Pastor Roger
Thursday, February 15, 2007
Tuesday, February 13, 2007
The Way to Success
Brian Tracy is a life coach, an author, and a motivational speaker. He has what he calls the Success Mastery Academy. One of the principles or laws that he teaches is “The Law of Correspondence.” The basic premise is that everything in life corresponds to an opposite force, decision, or action. That is my interpretation of this principle not a quote from Mr. Tracy.
Whatever I am on the outside corresponds directly to what I am on the inside. So ultimately if I want to be a better father, a better husband, a better employee, a better employer, a better friend, a better leader, a better anything then I must become a better person, become better inside.
A successful beauty product company asked the people in a large city to send pictures along with brief letters about the most beautiful women they knew. Within a few weeks thousands of letters were delivered to the company.
One letter in particular caught the attention of the employees and soon it was handed to the company president. The letter was written by a young boy who was obviously from a broken home, living in a run-down neighborhood. With spelling corrections, an excerpt from his letter read: “A beautiful woman lives down the street from me. I visit her everyday. She makes me feel like the most important kid in the world. We play checkers and she listens to my problems. She understands me and when I leave she yells out the door that she’s proud of me.”
The boy ended his letter saying, “This picture shows you that she is the most beautiful woman. I hope I have a wife as pretty as her.”
Intrigued by the letter, the president asked to see this woman’s picture. His secretary handed him a photograph of a smiling, toothless woman, well-advanced in years, sitting in a wheelchair. Sparse gray hair was pulled back in a bun and wrinkles that formed deep furrows on her face were somehow diminished by the twinkle in her eyes.
“We can’t use this woman,” explained the president, smiling. “She would show the world that our products aren’t necessary to be beautiful.”
When Samuel was sent to anoint a king for Israel he was sent by God to the house of Jesse. As soon as he arrived he saw one of Jesse’s sons and thought he must be the one. 1 Samuel 16:6-7 “When they arrived, Samuel saw Eliab and thought, ‘Surely the LORD's anointed stands here before the LORD.’
“But the LORD said to Samuel, ‘Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The LORD does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.’" NIV
He went on the pass seven of Jesse’s sons past him and the Lord said “No” to each one. God was looking for a kingly heart not a kingly physique. Well, Jesse asked if had any other sons. He said that he had a younger son attending the sheep. As you know, if was David, and David had the heart of a king.
Proverbs reminds us, “Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life.” (4:23) and “My son, if your heart is wise, then my heart will be glad...” (23:15)
So, the beginning of any success in our life begins with our heart, who we am on the inside. We cannot be consistently good in our outer life and be bad inside. WeI may have our moments of success but ultimately the real heart, the real person will come through.
So, our prayer today is for a heart like Jesus. Lord Jesus, I pray as David prayed, “Create in me a clean heart, renew a right spirit within me.” Start on the inside to make me what you want me to be. I really do want to do what is right and holy and pure and Christlike so help today by cleansing my heart from every sinful way and thought. AMEN.
Blessings!
Pastor Roger
Whatever I am on the outside corresponds directly to what I am on the inside. So ultimately if I want to be a better father, a better husband, a better employee, a better employer, a better friend, a better leader, a better anything then I must become a better person, become better inside.
A successful beauty product company asked the people in a large city to send pictures along with brief letters about the most beautiful women they knew. Within a few weeks thousands of letters were delivered to the company.
One letter in particular caught the attention of the employees and soon it was handed to the company president. The letter was written by a young boy who was obviously from a broken home, living in a run-down neighborhood. With spelling corrections, an excerpt from his letter read: “A beautiful woman lives down the street from me. I visit her everyday. She makes me feel like the most important kid in the world. We play checkers and she listens to my problems. She understands me and when I leave she yells out the door that she’s proud of me.”
The boy ended his letter saying, “This picture shows you that she is the most beautiful woman. I hope I have a wife as pretty as her.”
Intrigued by the letter, the president asked to see this woman’s picture. His secretary handed him a photograph of a smiling, toothless woman, well-advanced in years, sitting in a wheelchair. Sparse gray hair was pulled back in a bun and wrinkles that formed deep furrows on her face were somehow diminished by the twinkle in her eyes.
“We can’t use this woman,” explained the president, smiling. “She would show the world that our products aren’t necessary to be beautiful.”
When Samuel was sent to anoint a king for Israel he was sent by God to the house of Jesse. As soon as he arrived he saw one of Jesse’s sons and thought he must be the one. 1 Samuel 16:6-7 “When they arrived, Samuel saw Eliab and thought, ‘Surely the LORD's anointed stands here before the LORD.’
“But the LORD said to Samuel, ‘Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The LORD does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.’" NIV
He went on the pass seven of Jesse’s sons past him and the Lord said “No” to each one. God was looking for a kingly heart not a kingly physique. Well, Jesse asked if had any other sons. He said that he had a younger son attending the sheep. As you know, if was David, and David had the heart of a king.
Proverbs reminds us, “Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life.” (4:23) and “My son, if your heart is wise, then my heart will be glad...” (23:15)
So, the beginning of any success in our life begins with our heart, who we am on the inside. We cannot be consistently good in our outer life and be bad inside. WeI may have our moments of success but ultimately the real heart, the real person will come through.
So, our prayer today is for a heart like Jesus. Lord Jesus, I pray as David prayed, “Create in me a clean heart, renew a right spirit within me.” Start on the inside to make me what you want me to be. I really do want to do what is right and holy and pure and Christlike so help today by cleansing my heart from every sinful way and thought. AMEN.
Blessings!
Pastor Roger
Monday, February 12, 2007
Who's First?
A young boy by the name of James had a desire to be the most famous manufacturer and salesman of cheese in the world. He planned on becoming rich and famous by making and selling cheese and began with a little buggy pulled by a pony named Paddy. After making his cheese, he would load his wagon and he and Paddy would drive down the streets of Chicago to sell the cheese. As the months passed, the young boy began to despair because he was not making any money, in spite of his long hours and hard work.
One day he pulled his pony to a stop and began to talk to him. He said, "Paddy, there is something wrong. We are not doing it right. I am afraid we have things turned around and our priorities are not where they ought to be. Maybe we ought to serve God and place him first in our lives." The boy drove home and made a covenant that for the rest of his life he would first serve God and then would work as God directed.
Many years after this, the young boy, now a man, stood as Sunday School Superintendent at North Shore Baptist Church in Chicago and said, "I would rather be a layman in the North Shore Baptist Church than to head the greatest corporation in America. My first job is serving Jesus."
So, every time you take a take a bite of Philadelphia Cream cheese, sip a cup of Maxwell House, mix a quart of Kool-Aid, slice up a DiGiorno Pizza, cook a pot of Macaroni & Cheese, spread some Grey Poupon, stir a bowl of Cream of Wheat, slurp down some Jell-O, eat the cream out of the middle of an Oreo cookie, or serve some Stove Top, remember a boy, his pony named Paddy, and the promise little James L. Kraft made to serve God and work as He directed. (From Illustrations for Biblical Preaching, Baker, p. 331.)
Today is Monday and the beginning of another week of work for most of you. As much as I value hard work, and as much as the Bible teaches and values hard work, hard work alone will not bring true success and fulfillment in life. That comes from putting God first. Matthew 6:33 reminds us to seek first the kingdom (the rule, the ways, the principles) of God and His righteousness and all these things (food, clothing, shelter, the things that worry us) will be added to our lives.
I think it is interesting how that admonition is worded. It doesn’t say to ADD to our lives the value of seeking God’s kingdom and righteousness. Too often that is what we do. We try to find a way to add God to all that we are already doing and involved in. Try to squeeze Him in. No, it says to clear the calendar, clear the desk and put God there first. Then He will ADD everything else that we need back to our lives. Jesus can’t just be an added feature in our lives, an added venture in our lives. He must be our life and to Him everything else is added.
Prayer: Lord Jesus, help me to get this principle right. It is so difficult in the world we live in. I am sure it was no easier when Matthew 6:33 was penned that it is today, but ot just seems so much more difficult right now. I really do want You to be first in my life so that everything else will find it’s proper place. Give me the courage, the wisdom, and the strength to do it. AMEN.
Blessings!
Pastor Roger
One day he pulled his pony to a stop and began to talk to him. He said, "Paddy, there is something wrong. We are not doing it right. I am afraid we have things turned around and our priorities are not where they ought to be. Maybe we ought to serve God and place him first in our lives." The boy drove home and made a covenant that for the rest of his life he would first serve God and then would work as God directed.
Many years after this, the young boy, now a man, stood as Sunday School Superintendent at North Shore Baptist Church in Chicago and said, "I would rather be a layman in the North Shore Baptist Church than to head the greatest corporation in America. My first job is serving Jesus."
So, every time you take a take a bite of Philadelphia Cream cheese, sip a cup of Maxwell House, mix a quart of Kool-Aid, slice up a DiGiorno Pizza, cook a pot of Macaroni & Cheese, spread some Grey Poupon, stir a bowl of Cream of Wheat, slurp down some Jell-O, eat the cream out of the middle of an Oreo cookie, or serve some Stove Top, remember a boy, his pony named Paddy, and the promise little James L. Kraft made to serve God and work as He directed. (From Illustrations for Biblical Preaching, Baker, p. 331.)
Today is Monday and the beginning of another week of work for most of you. As much as I value hard work, and as much as the Bible teaches and values hard work, hard work alone will not bring true success and fulfillment in life. That comes from putting God first. Matthew 6:33 reminds us to seek first the kingdom (the rule, the ways, the principles) of God and His righteousness and all these things (food, clothing, shelter, the things that worry us) will be added to our lives.
I think it is interesting how that admonition is worded. It doesn’t say to ADD to our lives the value of seeking God’s kingdom and righteousness. Too often that is what we do. We try to find a way to add God to all that we are already doing and involved in. Try to squeeze Him in. No, it says to clear the calendar, clear the desk and put God there first. Then He will ADD everything else that we need back to our lives. Jesus can’t just be an added feature in our lives, an added venture in our lives. He must be our life and to Him everything else is added.
Prayer: Lord Jesus, help me to get this principle right. It is so difficult in the world we live in. I am sure it was no easier when Matthew 6:33 was penned that it is today, but ot just seems so much more difficult right now. I really do want You to be first in my life so that everything else will find it’s proper place. Give me the courage, the wisdom, and the strength to do it. AMEN.
Blessings!
Pastor Roger
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