March 4, 2012

^“But now you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil. Therefore, to him who knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin.”  James 4:17

God's love is expressed in big, bold, infinite and eternal ways through nature and through the magnificence of God's person and character. But, it must be experienced in the time constraints and pressures of daily living!

How does that happen? How can you maintain the love of God in the real world?

So far, I have offered two ideas: (1) Remember you are on God's clock; (2) Remember to put God on your calendar.

Third, remember to put God in your center.

The Bible says:

Deuteronomy 6:5 – “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength.”

Mark 12:30 – “And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength. ’This is the first commandment.^”

These verses are pretty clear that God must occupy your center! You must love Him at the very core of your being. He wants you to love Him more than anything else.

The whole concept of a GOD presumes HIM being foremost and central! If He is not central in your thinking and at the core of your desires He is not your God!

HOW DO I KNOW?

LOOK AT YOUR CHECK BOOK – what are you spending money on?

LOOK AT YOUR DATE BOOK – where are you spending most time?

LOOK AT YOUR STRESS LEVEL - does worry occupy my spirit more that worship?

“No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon. “Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing?  Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?  Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature? “So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? “Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.”     MT. 6:42-34

IF GOD IS NOT AT YOUR CENTER YOU WILL BE STRESSED AND WORRIED. IF THERE ARE THINGS YOU LOVE MORE THAN GOD YOUR WILL BE STRESSED! IF YOU ARE WORKING HIM AROUND THE EDGES OF YOUR LIFE – YOU WILL WORRY!

If you know how you SHOULD love God but don’t live like that – IT IS A SIN!

Watch this:

http://youtu.be/6xSGLZd9Vg4

If today was the day you were to die, what would you regret and why?

What must you change about your life to avoid those regrets?

You will live most of your life after you die, so love like you are dying

March 3, 2012

 ^"Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we shall live and do this or that.”  James 4:15

Consider these facts:

40 MILLION MINUTES: The Average American spends during a lifetime?
Time spent on the phone: 2 Years
Time spent in the bathroom: 3 Years
Time spent getting dressed: 1 Year
Time spent watching TV: 7 Years
Time spent the God of the Universe: 7 Months, and many are much much less.

Looking at this research, what would you say is most important to the "average" American?

Sure, you have to go to the bathroom and you do have to get dressed, but are talking on the phone or watching TV more important than spending time with God?

I am guessing you would say, "No! Of course not!"

But how much different does your Day-Timer look from this "average American" schedule?

Let's be honest, you  and I are busy people and what gets scheduled gets done and those things that aren't scheduled don't. And the things that get scheduled seem to be those things that mean the most.

Here's what James is telling you in these verses: decisions made it time have consequences in eternity AND decisions about how you use your time impacts your eternity.

So, given these truths, how should you prioritize your time to express your love for God and receive His love for you?

How can you say you love God if He doesn't show up on your daily calendar?

Make time to worship.

People who love God worship Him! I am not talking just about the Sunday morning type of worship, I am talking about time spent in the Bible and in prayer. That time is necessary to commune with God, listening and speaking to Him.

Make time to line up with His will.

You will spend your days doing one of two things - His will or yours! Considering eternity hangs in the balance which do you think makes more sense?

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths."  Proverbs 3:5-6

"I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service.  And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God." Romans 12:1-2

Did you do God's will today?

Make Time To Walk With Him.

"As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him,  rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith, as you have been taught, abounding in it with thanksgiving." Colossians 2:6-7

"But whoever keeps His word, truly the love of God is perfected in him. By this we know that we are in Him.  He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as He walked." I John 2:5-6

Unless you are sleep walking you have to make a conscious decision how you will walk and where you will walk. That takes time to plan and decide how you should walk. How can you say you love God if you are not walking with Him?

Make Time To Witness For God.

"But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” Acts 1:8

People are watching your life as you live for Jesus. Based on your attitudes, actions, and affections others will form opinions about your faith and your God. The way your faith translates through your life can affect the eternal destinies of many people over the span of your life.

God expects you to live your life in such a godly way that when you get the chance to witness with your lips your life will match what your life shows.

A consistent witness requires time spent with God in prayer and Bible reading and soul-searching.

Do know people who will be in Heaven because of your witness? Do you know people who will miss Heaven because of your witness?

Since the vast majority of your life will be lived after you die, how should you spend your time today?

March 2, 2012

"For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away." James 4:14

When you go into your bathroom the next time, breathe on your mirror and watch the mist appear and disappear almost as quickly. According to this phrase from the Bible, that is your life span compared with eternity.

Here is a salient truth - "the biggest part of your life will be lived after you are dead". Therefore, where you spend eternity is HUGE! So, make sure you are prepared to spend eternity with God in heaven!

The tricky part is you do not know when your human life will end and your eternity will begin. You are on God's clock and it is ticking! So, you must make sure you are ready. You must be sure you have repented of your sins and received Christ as your Savior. Once you have received the CRAZY LOVE and amazing grace of God, then you must live and grow in that spiritual relationship based on loving God more than you love anything else.

To know God's love and grow in God's love requires time. You must make time each day to pray and study the Bible. How do you find that time when you are already stressed?

While that is a valid question let me remind you that you find time to do the things that are most important to you each day. Every day you find time to watch TV or get on Facebook. The average American spends 8 hours a day watching TV and almost 2 hours per day on the internet. You may not be average in these catagories and spend less time than this. BUT still, if you chose to give up ONE sitcom that is a half-hour you could spend with God.

Honestly, you know we find time to do the things we love. So, I ask you, if you don't make time for God do you really love Him?

And I ask you, "If your time runs out on God's clock and your life in eternity begins will you be wishing you watched more TV or surfed the web more OR will you wish you had spent more time with God?

To manage time well you must live in light of eternity. Realize that everything you do with time has eternal significance. You are compiling a "permanent record"! How that record reads will determine where you will spend the majority of your life.

Check your Day-Timer and see how much you love God. If it is not what it should be, adjust your time-managment before you run out of time!

Tick...... Tick..... Tick.......

March 1, 2012

 ^"Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, spend a year there, buy and sell, and make a profit”;  whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away."  James 4:13-14

Yesterday was an extra day! Not often that we just get handed another 24 hours! That was only the 15th time in my lifespan that has happened!

Here's the question: "What did you do with it?"

Did you make it count?

Did you help His Kingdom come or His will be done?

Were you a blessing to someone?

Did you spend quality time with God?

Did you spend extra time with a loved one?

Did you make some memories?

What you did with that time will translate into eternity.

Davey Jones woke up yesterday excited about the extra day and never dreamed it would be his last. The '60's pop icon slipped into eternity at the relatively young age of 66 when he suffered a fatal heart attack.

If you are under 50, that probably doesn't mean much to you, but to my generation it is a sober reminder that we have rounded the last turn and are headed into the home stretch. On a day we are tyring to celebrate an extra day we get a slap down from reality. Thanks a lot, Davey!

I had the Monkees first record album and I once saw Davey live on stage in the Schubert Theater in Chicago when he played the lead in the musical "Oliver". Now he is not live anywhere - this side of eternity.

Not to be morbid, but this is one of the more important thoughts that can occupy your mind - "What if that had been you? What if that extra day had been your last one? Where would you be hanging out today?"

Again, I don't focus on this to frighten you or depress you, but the truth is you will spend most of your life after you are dead. That is what eternity is all about! And how you spend time will determine your eternal destiny. How you respond to the love of God in time will decide whether you live in that love for eternity or whether you suffer the agony of eternal separation from that love.

Today is an extra day for you! A day of opportunity to make sure you are spiritually ready to face eternity.

I pray Davey was ready.

I pray you will make sure you are ready today. Repent of your sin. Turn from selfish living to surrendered living in Christ and know the abundant life that leads to eternal life!

February 29, 2012

^"Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, spend a year there, buy and sell, and make a profit”;  whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away. Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we shall live and do this or that.” James 4:13-15

James W. Moore says, "One of the greatest comedy acts in the history of show business was the beloved husband and wife team of George Burns and Gracie Allen. In real life, Gracie Allen was a bright, wise businesswoman, but she always played the part of a naive, off-the-wall personality, sweetly simple in her approach to life. On one of their radio programs, Gracie became very upset because her new electric clock kept losing time. Each day it lost lots of time, so she finally called a repairman. He discovered the problem immediately. There was nothing wrong with the clock--it just wasn’t plugged in! "When George asked Gracie why it was unplugged she said, 'Well, I only need it when I need to know what time it is and I decided to turn it off in between to save electricity.'" God's CRAZY LOVE is all around us because He is an Infinite, Eternal Spirit Who is all around us. As we have learned, He reveals His love through His creation and through His character and especially, through His Christ. CRAZY LOVE is a constant. God doesn't turn it off and on. It isn't conditional. It isn't fickle. I can't be earned. You can't buy it because it has already been paid for. You can connect with it and plug into it by trusting Christ as your personal Savior. When you receive Him you receive God's love. CRAZY LOVE is eternal love that brings eternal life but it must be lived out in time and how you use that time will impact your eternity. To keep CRAZY LOVE love fresh and real and growing in your life you must make time for God and His Word. You must make time to worship Him and work for Him and walk with Him! To get to an eternal place where time doesn't matter you must learn to use your time wisely and order your life well. Staying plugged into CRAZY LOVE in the midst of crazy living requires a moment by moment relationship with an eternal God. Relationships require time. It takes time to know God and to grow in God. How do you find the time to nurture CRAZY LOVE? You make it! You take time from things you shouldn't love and give it to the One you love and desire to love more. You schedule time for Bible study. You schedule time for prayer. You schedule time for worship and for serving Him. If you say you love God but you give Him no time or if you squeeze Him around the edges of your day you may be fooling yourself. Your day-timer is evidence of your true love. Your time goes to where your heart is. Don't lose God's CRAZY LOVE in the middle of crazy living. Set aside time to start your day with God and order your day around Him! Live each day like it's your last and you WILL last!

February 28, 2012

^"For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet perhaps for a good man someone would even dare to die. But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.  Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him.  For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life."  Romans 5:7-10

In one of our LIFE Groups last night there was some discussion about the significance of the title "CRAZY LOVE".

That question didn't come up in my group but if it had I would have answered this way - at least for today!

You are familiar with the definition of insanity that maintains "insanity is doing the same thing repeatedly and expecting different results."

By that standard you could make a case for God's love being a little crazy! The Bible tells us that God demonstrated His love before people recognized it or even recognized they needed it. That seems a little crazy to pay such a heavy price for people who either ignorant about God's love or indifferent to it.

But now, for the past 2,000 years since the death and resurrection of Christ, God has continued to show His love for sinners. He keeps loving and they keep sinning. That seems crazy!

If God stopped loving these arrogant, clueless sinners and rained judgment down on them like He did for Sodom and Gomorrah that would make sense in my reasoning. But God just keeps loving sinners and calling sinners and woeing them with His love. Crazy!

But really, who is the crazy one, is it those who continually refuse to receive His love. Do is it those people who think they can ignore or disregard His love and then expect to get to Heaven? That's crazy! Or is the loving God the Crazy One because He just keeps offering that love?

God's not crazy. Love isn't something He does, love is Who He is! He is not being crazy to keep loving unrepentent and unresponsive people - He is simply being Himself! To stop loving He would have to stop being God and that's impossible!

But you CAN change! You CAN stop ignoring His love or abusing His love or refusing His love and you are crazy not to! Will you turn from your crazy ways and receive His crazy love?

February 27, 2012

^"And of His fullness we have all received, and grace for grace.  For the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ." John 1:16-17

Imagine a universe filled with 350 billion galaxies and 93 billion light years to the edge of it! That is HUGE!

Now, think of a God Who is so powerful and vast that He can fill every square inch of that universe with His presence! This is the One Who spoke that universe into being with His voice and Who maintains its balance by His will.

That same God was Who was in your service this morning was also present at the outer edge of the universe and the inner most places of your soul! Are you impressed yet?

Contemplate this, God, through His Holy Spirit can dwell within people of faith who have received Him - all at the same time! Even as I write these lines He is in me and in you as fully as we allow Him to be.

Blessed yet?

While He dwells simultaneously in every believer He fills each one individually with the precise truth he needs and adequate amount of grace for that moment. It will be different for you and for me but it will be according to our needs!

How about one more crazy love factoid? While is giving you and me the exactly the measures of truth and grace we need ourselves, He can also give me the grace and truth I will need to encourage you!

What sort of love is this?

God's love! A crazy, unconditional, satisfying, fulfilling and transforming love!

If you don't have it you can get it! This love surrounds you and fills the universe! But you can't earn it or purchase it. You can only receive it as a free gift when you repent of your sins and receive Jesus Christ as your Savior!

You would have to be crazy to not receive His crazy love!