Tag Archive - spiritual growth
32

Which Came First? Chicken or Egg?

The common question is what came first, the chicken or the egg.
I lean toward the chicken since God created it, but that’s not the point of this post.

The point? As Christians we have to know what comes first… Jesus or getting our actions right.

A lot of Christians want the egg before they have the chicken.

They want to change their behavior before they allow God to change their heart.
This leads to nothing but frustration and often quitting because it’s impossible to get right.

A lot of Christians want others to do the same… To become perfect before they will “accept” them.

It will NEVER happen.

The key to our Christian life isn’t trying to clean up and become a trophy to sit on the shelf.
A life truly lived for Christ seeks Him first and leaves the behaviors up to him.
A life truly lived for Christ is about fighting to become more about Him and less about self.

You see, I’ve noticed something during my short life…
When I seek Jesus, I become more like Him.

It’s the natural result.

If your frustrated with your actions and are on the verge of giving up or giving in, return to the Father and be changed from the inside out.

Spend time getting to know Him, beg Him to change your heart, and gain a better appreciation for His love and grace.

Don’t try to find the eggs before you have the chicken.

PS: I’m in no way calling Jesus an actual chicken. It’s just a metaphor. :-)


Written by on March 3, 2011 and categorized under Blog, Church Ministry, Life

11

3 Elements to Turn the World UPSIDE Down

If you missed yesterday’s post and would like to catch it, you can read it here.

If we’re going to be people that actually turn the world upside down and make a significant impact, we MUST be willing to do these 3 things…

1. Be with Him.

We must be willing to spend time with God. When I first met my wife, I knew there was something about her that I liked. I didn’t know everything about her, but I certainly wanted to. So, I made consistent and desperate (really desperate sometimes) attempts to spend time with her. The more time I spent, the better I got to know her. I know her better everyday we’re together. If we truly see God for WHO He is, we’ll want to know Him. Only then will people begin to see Him IN us.

2. Listen to Him.

When my wife and I first exchanged phone numbers shortly after meeting, it took me a while to be sure it was her I was talking to when I called her. Even though I knew her, I didn’t know her voice that well. The more we talked, the easier it was to recognize her voice. Many of us can’t hear from God because we haven’t taken the time to learn His voice. We don’t know if it’s really Him calling us to take that step, or the shrimp we ate for dinner. We must spend time with Him and listen to Him. When God speaks, we have to listen.

3. Sell out for Him.

It’s not enough for us to listen to God, we have to obey Him. It blows me away that we can believe that God is God and that Jesus is who He claims to be and not sell out on a daily basis to His kingdom. Regardless of the risks. Regardless of the cost. Regardless of the outcome. We need to be sold out for Him. That’s exactly what it’s going to take for us to reach the world for Christ. We must be different and we must be obedient. Only then will we be people that…

turn the world UPSIDE down.


Written by on January 4, 2011 and categorized under Blog, Church Ministry, Leadership, Life

9

4 Secrets for Spiritual Growth

James 4:7-8 “Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.”

OK, so it’s in the Bible and it’s not really a secret.
The problem is, we so seldom take the Bible’s advice, the priciples found in it often become like a secret.

James 4:7-8 gives great insight into 4 simple things we can do to grow closer to Christ…

1. Submit yourself to God.

That’s where it starts…turning our lives over to Him. Submitting everything we have and all of who we are go His control.

2. Resist the Devil.

We can’t underestimate the enemy’s frustration with someone that is completely submitted to following God. We must be on the lookout. We need to take proactive steps in resisting the devil. If a certain thing, place, or person puts you at risk for sin, avoid that thing, place, or person.

3. Come near to God.

I remember reading these verses as a 13 year old and thinking, “So if I try to come near to God, He’s gonna meet me in the middle?” Even at that age, I realized how of an amazing promise this is. Come near to Him, and He’ll come near to you. You have to spend time seeking Him!

4. Purify your hearts.

If you put junk in, junk is going to come out. You reap what you sow. Use any catch phrase, but they all mean the same. You must guard what enters your mind and heart. Resist the junk, take in the good things of Christ. You don’t have to be a monk, just dedicated to purifying your heart.

So, let’s learn from each other…

What’s the most critical element to your spiritual growth?


Written by on May 13, 2010 and categorized under Blog, Devotional Thought, Featured, Life

7

I’m Fine With Last Place

One of the things that has been heavy on my heart lately is my honest passion to live a life worthy of the calling God has placed on it.
Sure, I get it right a lot of the times, often say that right things, and even do many of the expected things, but there are often inconsistencies between what I do/say and what I really want to do/say deep down.

I want a pure heart.
I want a heart that not only does and says the right things, but consistently believes and is motivated by the right things.

This is something we can all probably relate to.

As I was spending some time with God the other day, I wrote this in my journal.
I think it’s a great snapshot into what I truly desire…
This is the creed that I want to live by…

God is more important. He’s more important than my hobbies, my wants, or even my needs. He’s more important than my pride, my desires, or my dreams. He is exponentially more valuable than the money I save or the possessions that I earn.

He must be treated as so. I can’t fake it or pretend it or even just do it, I must be sold out for it. He must be my everything, my only thing.

That’s where I want to be.
That’s my journey’s destination.
To be all about Him, all about others, and nothing about me.

I hope it’s yours too.

John 3:30 “He must become greater; I must become less.”


Written by on April 12, 2010 and categorized under Blog