God

what can Christians learn from politics?

Each day has enough trouble of its own

Learning from a dog

Each day has enough trouble of its own.  Isn’t that the truth?  I’m guessing pretty much everyone reading this feels that way.  It’s true.  But do you know where it comes from?  Further, why it was said?  I’ve known the where part for decades.  I’ve been learning the why part for the past ten years.  From my dogs.  All five of them.

No – you’re not in the wrong place.  This is about Jesus and Christianity.  And dogs.  Why not?  Dogs are part of God’s creation too.  In fact, back when the movie version of The Shack came out, I wrote the following as my conclusion to what I titled, Why God is a curvy, black woman in ‘The Shack’?  

Should God choose to present Himself to me as a dog (if He hasn’t already) – I would totally understand why, and be thrilled that He chose to present Himself in a way that was not in the least threatening to me.

Each day has enough trouble of its own More

collaborate

Don’t settle for less, #07: Don’t relentlessly collaborate

Settling for less

Don’t relentlessly collaborate as a “thing” for successful people seems to be at odds with being a successful Christian.  After all, what about church?  Bible study?  Small groups?  Christian community?  Aren’t those all important things for a Christian?  In fact, these Christian community meetings are so important, the author of Hebrews wrote about it in a passage the NIV titles A Call to Persevere.

But ultimately, for a Christian the key to success is knowing the difference between someone who can help us lead the kind of life taught by Jesus and led by the Holy Spirit, and someone who leads a life taught from the ideas of man rather than God.

Don’t settle for less, #07: Don’t relentlessly collaborate More

Don't procrastinate

Don’t settle for less, #06: Don’t procrastinate

Settling for less

Don’t procrastinate. Maybe you’re still asking, why not procrastinate?  Even if we never do the thing God’s asking us to do, won’t He have a Plan B?  Won’t He have someone else do it instead?  But that’s missing the point.  It was a task we were created to do.  For the One who created us. 

Let me create a picture for you, then explain it.  Remember the image at the top of the page?  It was a burned out light bulb, trying to get someone’s attention.  Trying to say it needs to be replaced.

Now, let’s say that light bulb represents the Holy Spirit in us.  Fortunately, the Holy Spirit will be trying to get our attention before it goes out.  But if it does go out, we’re in trouble.  If it goes out, if the Holy Spirit is no longer in us, then we’ve done what Jesus warned us about in the following passage from Luke’s gospel.

Don’t settle for less, #06: Don’t procrastinate More

This then is how you should not pray...

This then is how you should not pray…

The Lord's Prayer

This then is how you should pray.
That’s the passage before The Lord’s Prayer.  Short.  A mere 4 verses.  But what is Jesus really saying? 
In the first part of the passage, Jesus talks about this then is how you should not pray.

But is it like, I wish you wouldn’t pray like the hypocrites?  Or maybe it’s, I’d like it if you could avoid praying like them.  Or is it more like, you really need to ask for My help and try very, very hard to not pray like them?  Or do you think it’s just a suggestion, as in it’d be nice to not be like them but don’t worry if you can’t help it?

Wait ’til you find out what they meant.  It’s shocking if you’ve never noticed before.

This then is how you should not pray… More

Blessed are the pure in heart

Blessed are the pure in heart

The Beatitudes

Blessed are the pure in heart.  What does that even mean?  In this day and age, do we even know what the word “pure” means?  And what’s meant by the word heart?  We hopefully know it’s not about someone with a healthy heart pumping pure blood without infections, foreign matter, or other impurities.  But what is it? 

Blessed are the pure in heart More

Don't wait until you're ready

Don’t settle for less, #05: Don’t wait until you’re ready

Settling for less

Don’t wait until you’re ready

If you wait until you’re ready, you’ll be waiting your entire life.  OK, I’ll go along with that part.  Even with: be as prepared as you can, but then dive in headfirst. 

That’s all good stuff for the secular world.  But we’re taking this to look at what it takes to be a successful Christian.  Hopefully this part’s obvious, but we really ought to wait until God’s ready.  

Don’t settle for less, #05: Don’t wait until you’re ready More

don't dwell on your haters

Don’t settle for less, #04: Don’t dwell on your haters

Settling for less

Don’t dwell on your haters – but do spend time with them

Huh?  Spend time with them?  Even in the secular world, there a saying that some people go by.  Keep your friends close, and your enemies even closer.  But that’s to protect yourself from them.  As a Christian, there’s a different reason for spending time with our enemies.  Remember the kinds of things Jesus did in that regard?

Don’t settle for less, #04: Don’t dwell on your haters More

don't start the day without a plan

Don’t settle for less, #02: don’t start the day without a plan

Settling for less

Don’t start the day without a plan.  It’s the second in a series of traits for successful people in the secular world that we’re going to look at.  However, we’re going to see how these same traits can be applied to becoming a “successful” Christian.  Someone who not only has an idea what Christianity is really about, but who also lives it.  Finally, who also does the Great Commission and not what Dallas Willard calls the Great Omission.

Don’t settle for less, #02: don’t start the day without a plan More

don't speak negatively of yourself

Don’t settle for less, #01: don’t speak negatively of yourself

Settling for less

Don’t speak negatively of yourself

OK.  To some extent, that’s also true from a Christian point of view.  To some extent.  However, some changes are needed.  It maybe seems weird, but there are two totally opposite ways that some (many?) Christians perceive themselves.  As with most extremes, I think both are, well, for lack of a better word – extreme – and therefore not right.  As usual, someplace in the middle is where we should be.

That may sound odd to most Christians.  After all, Jesus told us something about being the least.  You may remember it.

Don’t settle for less, #01: don’t speak negatively of yourself More

Scroll to Top