Heaven?

Have you ever been somewhere and thought "this is what Heaven must be like"?  I have been on some beautiful golf courses and thought that, been up on the blue ridge parkway and thought that, have been to Pocono mountains and thought that, and many more and the thought is there.  We try to compare what we see here to what we think it is like, well there..... the problem is we cant.

one of my favorite songs from the 80's is "Heaven is a place on earth".  But the reality is:  It most certainly is not.

Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. ^2 I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. (Re 21:1-2, NIV)

This is one of the things in scripture that the writers did the absolute best they could to describe a place that is indescribable.  Whatever place on earth that you think is like heaven:  its better than that.

Mountain Air Golf course:  it's more beautiful than that
Blue Ridge Mountains: its more beautiful than that
Grand Canyon: it's more beautiful than that
Niagara falls: it's more beautiful than that
Biltmore House: it's more beautiful than that
Buckingham palace: it's more beautiful than that

God has created a place that is more beautiful than anything we have ever seen, and what makes it beautiful?  God.  He has created it for you and me, if you will only believe.

Have a great weekend.  Chris

are you tough enough?

Who do you envision as a "tough guy"?  Mine is easy, Clint Eastwood, especially in "Pale Rider"

Oh yes, Eastwood as the Preacher with the side arm.  Now that is a tough guy.

Life inevitably is tough.  Some days are tougher than others.  Life ebbs and flows some days really good, others, well they can be quite miserable.  Sometimes it seems we are under an avalanche of problems with no hope in sight.  the Apostle Paul understood that:

I have worked much harder, been in prison more frequently, been flogged more severely, and been exposed to death again and again. ^24 Five times I received from the Jews the forty lashes minus one. ^25 Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned, three times I was shipwrecked, I spent a night and a day in the open sea, ^26 I have been constantly on the move. I have been in danger from rivers, in danger from bandits, in danger from my own countrymen, in danger from Gentiles; in danger in the city, in danger in the country, in danger at sea; and in danger from false brothers. ^27 I have labored and toiled and have often gone without sleep; I have known hunger and thirst and have often gone without food; I have been cold and naked. ^28 Besides everything else, I face daily the pressure of my concern for all the churches. (2 Co 11:23-28, NIV)

Although we live in a country where most of the above will not happen (flogging, lashes, stoned, etc.) because of our faith.  Society has a way of putting an immense amount of pressure on us as Christians to compromise our faith, our core beliefs, our morals, and our values.  In essence being a Christian is not easy, it takes some hard core spiritual toughness to face the daily battles.  You have heard it said many times Christianity is not for wimps, reality is that this statement is 100% accurate.  However, God does not expect you or I to go it alone.  In this battle you need God, you need His Spirit, you need to be growing spiritually (reading your Bible, praying, etc.), you need your local church, and you need solid Christian Friends.  God never intended you to go it alone, so why do it.  Let's toughen up together.

Chris.

"But First let me......"

Excuses eventually run out.....

^61 Still another said, “I will follow you, Lord; but first let me go back and say good-by to my family.” (Lk 9:61, NIV)

Wouldn't it be hilarious if God wrote a book of all the excuses He heard over the years. You know it would begin in the Garden with Adam making an excuse that it was Eve, then Eve making an excuse that it was the serpent, fast forward to Moses and His list of excuses as to why he couldn't lead slaves out of Egypt, fast fast forward to Luke 9:61 when Jesus was calling Disciples and one said, "I will but I have something else to do first....", and then we get to you. 

God asks, "Why don't you read My Word (the Bible)?", we respond with

• It's too hard to read
• I don't understand it
• I don't have time

God asks, "why haven't you been to church lately?", we respond with

• it's my only day off
• i overslept
• it was sunny so i enjoyed outside
• its full of hypocrites

God says, "I have a plan for you, why won't You follow me?", we respond with:

• I don't feel worthy
• I have to work
• I am too tired
• its too hard
• I will when I'm older
• I will when i retire

and the list could go on and on.  But the problem is this:  God has heard them all and eventually you will run out of them.  God wants so much more for you life, here is some practical advise for carving out some quality time with Him:

• cut off that TV
• shut down the computer
• turn off the video games
• put down the book (aka reading for pleasure)
• make better use of drive time (listen to bible on mp3)
• get out of bed 30 min earlier in mornings
• multitask during lunch (devotion while eating)

There are so many more things we could adjust and manage our time better.  I would  caution you though NOT to cut any family time to do so, there are far more other things we can adjust.

have a great day, Chris

your prize

I have never experienced what it would feel like to hit or score the game winning run, to throw or score the game winning touchdown, or to catch the game winning interception.  I can imagine how exhilarating it would be though, the adrenaline rush is probably unreal.  My game is golf, and the closest feeling i have to winning at it was sinking a 10' putt that won the game in a captains choice company tourney many years ago.  It was such a great feeling.  For a moment in time you feel on top of the world.  I think it's amusing sometimes when the highlight of peoples lives are those moments, but they happened 20, 30 years ago.  Like Al Bundy at Polk High, haha.  What have you done since then.  Sometimes we focus on things that we have gained that mean so little for Eternity.  Don't misunderstand me, because i am a sports fanatic, but if sports is our only prize, we are thinking way too small.

^14 I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.

(Php 3:14, NIV)

 

Sports is not why I get out of bed in the morning, sports is not what motivates me throughout the day.  It is knowing that God has called me to do something, and I'm doing it.  The same concept is there for you.  Where ever you are whatever you are doing, God has called you for something that will make an eternal difference, so are you doing it?  If not your missing out.

 

Chris

I am the greatest of all time

This was labeled "one of the greatest speeches of all times".  Was Muhammad Ali a great boxer, absolutely.  The greatest of all time, could be.  But what really makes a person, "great", much less the "greatest of all time"?  This blog is not about the debate of the greatest boxer of all time, however it is a closer look at the heart of man, and what we need to determine makes us the greatest.

Here is How Jesus addressed it:

^33 They came to Capernaum. When he was in the house, he asked them, “What were you arguing about on the road?” ^34 But they kept quiet because on the way they had argued about who was the greatest.

^35 Sitting down, Jesus called the Twelve and said, “If anyone wants to be first, he must be the very last, and the servant of all.” (Mk 9:33-35, NIV)

 

If you think your the greatest, bad news your probably not.  Jesus was the greatest that ever lived, and yet yet never proclaimed in front of everyone that He was.  He lived it, He was (in His own words) a servant of all.  The greatest of all are those who choose to put others first and make an eternal difference.

 

So who are you serving first, and are you making an eternal difference.

 

Ponder that for a little bit, I know I am.

 

Chris

I am not your enemy

One of my favorite lines out of one of my favorite movies, "The Rundown"

In the movie the rock is a bounty hunter who goes to south america to bring back one Travis Walker.  The Rock captures him and is on his way to bring him back until Hatcher finds out Travis knows the location of a valuable artifact.  The Rock is fleeing from Hatcher with Travis to leave country when they run into Rebels who are trying to overthrow Hatcher.  Travis convinces the Rebels (because he speaks their language and the Rock doesn't) that The Rock works for Hatcher, and so a fight scene is about to happen, right before the fight scene the Rock looks at the rebels and says, "I am not your enemy, I do no want to fight you".  Instead of fighting together against Hatcher they fought each other.  They end up working together in the end to overthrow Hatcher, but the point is they wasted time and energy fighting each other, instead of their common enemy.

^12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. (Eph 6:12, NIV)

We spend way too much time fighting against those who we "think" are our enemies.  We fight against friends, neighbors, co workers, teachers, parents, siblings, and who knows else.  People make us angry and we think they are against us, people hurt us and we want to do everything we can to get them back, people talk bad about us, people spread rumors that are not true, people are spoiled and get angry when they don't get what they want..... I get that, I understand that, we all do.  We all get angry, but we spend time, way too much time, fighting against one another, when reality is..... I am not your enemy, you are not my enemy, but we do have a common enemy: Satan.  Let's get past our differences, quit wasting time, and energy and wage war against Him together.

Remember that person you  don't like is not your enemy....

our greatest weapon is Love

Have a great day, Chris

You never know

^11 But Moses said to God, “Who am I, that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?”

^12 And God said, “I will be with you. (Ex 3:11-12a, NIV)

 

Life has a funny way of eventually bringing you to a place of you doing something you would have never imagined.  God has a way of orchastrating, directing, and equipping us to use us in ways we could have never even have dreamed up.

Take Moses, prince of Egypt, had a heart for the Hebrews as they where slaves in Egypt.  Killed a Egyptian soldier with his own bare hands because of the way he was treating a slave, fled Egypt for fear of his life, and now here he was in Exodus 3, where God tells Him, "Hey i want you to go back to Egypt and bring my people out."  Moses would have never imagined....

 

What about you?  where do you see yourself in 10,15,20 years?  What ever you see, whatever you dream, whatever your goals are?  God has bigger, better plans.

 

I would have never dreamed or imagined 21 years after graduating high school, that here i would be, a minister to students.  21 years ago, i was one.... 21 years ago, i was not even a believer let alone going to a church...... 21 years ago I saw myself doing something completely different in 21 years.... I love what I do, I am so glad God called me to be where I am, and doing what I am doing.  The bonus is that when God sends you He also equips you, prepares you.  So He places you and gives you everything you need to do it.  I serve a mighty Great God.

 

Whatever God calls you to do, know He will somehow, someday equip you to do it.

 

Love to all and have a great weekend.

 

Chris

I'm so busy, oh so busy

“You still lack one thing. Sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” (S. Lk 18:22, NIV)

Life is busy isn't it, i mean busy, as a parent you get up get the kids breakfast, make sure their dressed, get yourself dressed, gulp down some coffee, get them off to school, run from school to work, at work your busy all day long, you pick the kids up, go home help them with homework, then fix supper, eat supper, clean up after supper, get the kids in the bath/shower, then try to get them into bed at a decent time, whew, you sit down for a minute, realize it 10 pm, and you need to get to bed because that alarm clock goes off early and the whole routine starts over again. 

now your daily schedule may not be exactly the same, but its probably a whirlwind none the less.  Well lets go ahead and throw into that schedule, trying to find time to spend with spouse, friends, exercise, and housework.  We are busy, busy people.

In the midst of all our daily schedules, the question is, Where do we find time for Jesus?  Where do we find time to read devotions, pray, help others?  It is definitely difficult, extremely difficult. so keep this thought in mind:
"Material wealth, possessions, and busy schedules can clutter a life, but they can never fill it"

So the thought i propose today is this, "what are you willing to sacrifice to get to know Jesus better?", where in your schedule can you carve out time for your Lord.  You will find it is worth every second that you sacrifice to know Him better.

Have a blessed day, Chris

new beginnings

"Every day is not just a dawn; it is a precious chance to start over or begin anew".

^31 God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. And there was evening, and there was morning—the sixth day. (Ge 1:31, NIV)

"Beginnings are important, but what we make of them is even more important.  Every morning, you get a gift from God: a new beginning.  God hands to you as an expression of divine love a new day full of promise and the chance to right the wrongs in your life.  You can use the day to pay a debt, start a new relationship, tell your family you love them, chase a dream, solve a problem..... or not.  God simply provides the gift.  How you use it is up to you.  God gives you the chance with the dawning of every new day.  You have the chance today to make things right." - Ed McMinn

I read this in my devotion today, it really spoke to me.  Yesterday is gone, I can't do anything about it.  So why do we allow the problems of yesterday to affect how we view today.  Just because last year, last week, or yesterday was bad, doesn't mean today has to be.  A new year, a new month, a new start on the day.  Thats what we/I need.  We all do.

Never be afraid to say either one of these: "I am sorry" or "I was wrong".  Most people are resilient when it comes to forgiveness.  The choice is mine/yours, what will we do with "the new day".

Chris