Remember

This week is my 5th anniversary of being on staff at Gateway Church. These last 5 years have been the best years of my life. It's not that I feel I have arrived, but I have grown so much and been blessed beyond measure as men of God have spoken and poured into my life. My family has grown and enriched my life in a way that I never could have imagined. I have learned so much about myself, been healed from so much, and learned (still learning) how to lead. I would go on and on but pages could be filled with what has happened in my life over the last 5 years.

But this whole process did not begin 5 years ago, I would say it has been my whole adult life. Actually, even when I was a teenager. God began preparing me for today a long time ago.

So this week I remember.

Deuteronomy 8 (the whole chapter) is a call to the nation of Israel to remember. To remember that even though they were in the wilderness, God was with them the whole time, leading them and providing for them. He fed them with manna and taught them that they live because of Him, not from their own hand. And, I love this, that for forty years "your clothes didn't wear out, and your feet didn't blister or swell."

You see, I've had wilderness experiences, and I struggled through them. I even complained while wandering just like the Israelites did. But today, as I remember, I was provided for, taught valuable lessons, and did not wear out. He was with me in my wilderness.

That's important for me to remember today, because just last week I was complaining. If you read later on in Deuteronomy 8 (vs 11-17) the Lord tells them to be careful and not forget the Lord when they enter the land of plenty. Remember who you were, when you were a slave in Egypt. Remember where you were, in the terrifying wilderness with many dangers. Remember that He has always provided and taken care of you.

What do you need to remember this week?

Are you going through the wilderness now? Make sure you remember later on. He's with you and He's teaching you.

Words Matter

When I was a teenager, my father encouraged me and my brother to think about what we said before we said it. Simple enough. We needed to let the words roll around in our brain before we released them from our mouth. Comedians have joked about it and proverbs have been written about it; our words matter. Yet we carelessly fling them out like they were disposable drops of water. But just as water can be a formidable force to be reckoned with, we should be mindful of not just our thoughts but also of the words we speak.

Think about it, what does it look like to be a good steward of your words? Jesus stewarded His words. He knew that the words He spoke would be discussed and dissected for thousands of years by millions of people. I'm sure He chose His words wisely. Every word of His that is recorded had a place and a meaning. I'm willing to bet that even the ones we don't know about were just as meaningful.

How about this: Lawyers choose their statements beforehand because they know that the specific words they use and the way they use them can literally influence lives. Judgements depend on them (words and use of words). Let that sink in.

Guess what? Decisions and lives depend on your words. Choose and steward them wisely so that life will be produced by what you say.

Proverbs !8:21

Beyond Life Changing

So have you seen the show Undercover Boss? It's a gamble but so far in two seasons it's been pretty good. We just watched one last night that we had on the DVR where this guy owned a timeshare resort company and boy was this guy "larger than life". He looked and lived like he was trying to compete with Donald Trump. (here's his show) So anyway, this guy really knew how to throw around money. Usually what these guys get (or what you hope they do) is that its not always about making money but its about people and they get a change of perspective and a change of heart about how they run the company and see their employees. I really like it when that happens. Well, on this episode this guy has a huge ego and wanted to go undercover to see how his company was doing. If you ask me he did the show to promote his business (of course). He works undercover with several of his employees all around the country in which he uses his private jet to get around. At the end he invites these employees to one of his private beach houses to go over everything he saw and experienced. With each one of them he threw around a lot of money, I mean a lot of money. He even paid off one guy's mortgage.

Well one young lady that he met with came away from this meeting and described it as "beyond life changing." That statement struck me. Now I know, she was young and still in college, therefore prone to exaggerate. But beyond life changing? The guy gave her a load of cash. Beyond life changing?

Maybe it just challenged me. Are we in ministry really trying to change people's lives? I'm not all about shock and awe at church, and I know that discipleship is a process, but when I read in the Bible about people's interactions with Christ, they were life changing events/conversations. I guess a real "beyond life changing" experience would be one that changes eternity. God can definitely handle that.

Lord, help me to have "beyond life changing" interactions with people.

Useless

1 Corinthians 15:58
So, my dear brothers and sisters, be strong and immovable. Always work enthusiastically for the Lord, for you know that nothing you do for the Lord is ever useless.

As I read this verse this morning, one work jumped out at me: useless. It is the very last word in the verse, but carries with it a lot of weight. Surely there have been things I have done in the name of ministry that felt very useless. In retrospect, I realize that anything that has ever felt useless afterwards, I have done some with vigor and some with just an ounce of energy.

You see, that last phrase, "...nothing you do for the Lord is ever useless." can be hard to believe. Of course we want everything we do for the Lord to be the best, but in our imperfect and busy world, a lot of the times He gets the short end of the stick. We look back at our work and think, "it wasn't my best but I tried on what fuel and time I had. Next time will be the best!" only to find ourselves in the same predicament later on. Let's look at 2 options:

1. That last statement depends on the one just previous to it. The previous phrase from the same sentence says "Always work enthusiastically for the Lord". True enthusiasm requires a belief in what you are doing, that it really matters and the cause is worthwhile. Too many times we have labored in vain "for the Lord", that is, our efforts are done from a mindset of unbelief. We are simply going through the motions. We are putting in the "work" so we can check the box on a list of chores that we perform begrudgingly. By the way, the Lord never gave us a list of chores. That whole thought process is legalism and it kills any kind of enthusiasm we may have in what we do for the Lord. When we believe that we can make a difference and that the Lord will do great things in people's lives, our enthusiasm goes through the roof! Then it doesn't matter what our talents or skills are. It doesn't matter if we are short on time, which brings me to the second point:

2. You don't work as if the results depend on you. Of course anything we do for the Lord is never useless! When we join our faith in Him with the work of our hands, we release the power of God (not the power of work or ourselves) and great things do happen. It doesn't even matter if we see the results. It is not useless. That's the kind of thought that the enemy attacks us with. You need to hear God say, "I wish you could see what I see!" The result could happen immediately on the inside of someone's heart or it could happen a year from now when we are removed from the circumstance. God will use anything and everything He can to reach His lost children and save them and heal them. It is true that faith without works is dead (James 2:14-24) and vice versa. It may be a good work, but imagine the life that you can attach to your work when you apply your faith in God to move mountains! You may not be able to move a mountain on your own, but you and God working together? All things are possible to him that believes (Matthew 19:26)! Remember, when God is involved it is never useless.

So don't let the Devil use that against you. Don't let him have your enthusiasm. Be encouraged by this scripture and work enthusiastically today for the Lord, it makes an eternal difference!