Out Here Servin

Have you heard of FOMO? It’s a real thing. In fact, FOMO—Fear Of Missing Out, #fomo—was just added to the latest edition of a popular English language dictionary. There’s an entire generation of people who are constantly worried they’re going to miss something. With the accessibility technology and social media provide, they feel pressured to stay connected all the time.

But ask yourself: at the end of your life, is it really going to matter how many Likes you got? Do you honestly believe that you’re going to be lying on your deathbed one day, wishing you’d posted another funny cat video?

What you really should be afraid of is missing out on the person in front of you. When you stay glued to your phone or tablet, that’s what you’re missing out on. You may be missing out on your children growing up. You may be missing out on enjoying an intimate marriage. You may be missing out on deep friendships filled with meaning. Your fear that you’re going to miss out on something may cause you to miss out on what matters most!

Life will not be about how many Likes you got. It will be all about how much love you showed. The only way people will know that you are a follower of Jesus is by how well you love other people.

They won’t know that you’re his disciple by how many followers you have. They won’t know that you’re his disciple by how many Likes you get.

They won’t know that you’re his disciple by how quickly you are to respond to emails.

Believe it or not, they won’t even know that you’re his disciple by how many Bible verses you post!

No, they will know that you’re his disciple when they can see your love being acted out. When you get involved in the lives of other people, when you care for them right where they are, when you open up your heart and you do life with them—that’s when they’ll see something in you that they really want.

Others won’t know you by your Likes.

They will know you by his Love.

Envy Not!!

As long as you keep searching, comparing, and envying what you don’t have, you’ll never have enough. Only when you rely on God and practice gratitude for all he provides will you be able to overcome the dissatisfaction that comes from envy. Envy causes you to resent God’s goodness in other people’s lives and to ignore God’s goodness in your own.

For people always comparing themselves to others—you know, checking their status and updating their profile—every single day brings more trouble. There’s no way for them to see their blessings because the glass is always half-empty. But people who trust God as the source of their happiness have no desire to compare themselves to anyone else. They know that he loves them and remains in charge of their lives, through pleasant circumstances as well as painful ones.

So enjoy what God has given you, instead of longing for what you don’t have. Be thankful for what God has given you, instead of creeping on someone else’s Instagram: “Oh, I wish I had their life!” Guess what? They’re longing for your life in ways you don’t even know about!

Enjoy what you do have rather than desiring what you don’t have.

With Christ’s help, you can win the battle of constantly comparing yourself and envying others. Social media should be a place to see what’s happening in the lives of those you love—not the place to make you envy. Let’s rejoice with those who rejoice. Let’s cultivate gratitude.

Let’s worship our God, not because he gives us everything we want, but because he is worthy of our praise. Let’s worship him because we’ve learned the secret of being content, whether we’re living in plenty or living in want. That secret is that we can do all things through the Son of God, Jesus Christ, who gives us strength.

Because he is all we need, let’s pursue him with our whole hearts.

Only in him will we find true joy and true contentment.

Because only he is life, and only he truly satisfies.

Let's pray.... Father we thank for all you do, have done and will do in our lives even when we take it for granted you still grant it. Give us the heart to trust that, what you provide for us is for us. Deliver your children from the envious heart, for our trust, faith and belief, needs and wants rely in you and you only, thank you Father for being so patient with such a hasty people. Strengthen us, lead us, and continue to be with us.....

In the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit amen

Christ is all you need

In the pursuit of fulfillment in life, technology and social media allow you to capture every moment along the way. You’re not only on the fast track to success, but you get to show selfies at each lap along the way. Which only confirms how up-to-the-nano-second cool you are.

So get the biggest data plan you can, and collect wi-fi passwords at every stop. Check in at all the cool places. Share every inspirational thought you have, and every joke. Snap lots of pics. Get video clips, too, of course. And never stop uploading the whole show to the Cloud as you go.

Post everything online for the whole world to see. Pile up Likes and Friends and Followers until it’s all just one frenzied blur. Hustle until your real life exceeds your dreams. And finally, once you’ve reached the summit, I can guarantee you this one thing: your longing for more never stops. Like the latest technology, your achievements are outdated overnight.

Why? How could that be possible?

Because you were not created for earth. You were created for eternity. And there is nothing on this earth that can ever satisfy that spiritual longing you feel inside—even if you can collect it all.

Nothing outside of a living relationship with Christ can ever fill the emptiness of that ache inside your heart.

Your scavenger hunt for success will never be enough. Christ is what you’re searching for. He is your source. He is your strength. He is your sustainer. He is your joy. He is your contentment. He is your all and all. He’s everything that matters.

When Christ is all you have, you’ll finally realize that Christ is all you need.

Laziness

 

Abandon: Laziness

 

You may or may not remember the “get rich quick” commercials promising little work, lots of pay, and early retirement. The underlying messages were that the best life was to have more money than you could ever need, quit working, and be lazy gallivanting around in a beautiful mansion with everything you ever wanted. (i.e., cars, food, trips) This, however, is not how God designed us to function.

As humans, we’re made for work; work gives us meaning. In fact, work begins with God in the first book of the Bible: Genesis. In the creation story (see Genesis 1), God works for six days and rests on the seventh. This is the example we as people, made in the image of God, are suppose to follow. If we don’t, the Bible has some tough words for us. Paul says in 2 Thessalonians 3:10, “...The one who is unwilling to work shall not eat.” (NIV)

How do we abandon laziness? We find what it is that we love doing that serves other people. Instead of focusing on what it is that will make us the most money for an "early retirement," we focus on what it is that God has called us to do to give back to the community. If you don’t know what it is that you love to do, then seek out someone who can pray with you and help you find it.

Pray with me.....

Prayer:
Our Father, please show us the gifts that you have given us to serve. Help us to understand that You have uniquely purposed us to be a blessing to others. It’s not about money. It’s not about fame. It’s about loving You and loving others through service. May we find joy and pleasure in meaningful work.

In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Abandoning Fear of Man

 

Abandon: Fear of Man

 

The fear of man (meaning: fear of people in authority or anyone other than God) can be paralyzing. We may fear that a boss is going to fire us if we don’t live up perfectly to his/her expectations. We may fear that a parent or guardian is going to punish us or not love us anymore if we don’t live up to their expectations. Last, we may fear that our friends aren’t going to like or accept us if we don’t do what they say. There are so many situations that try to bring fear into our hearts and minds.

This fear hinders us from living the way God intended us to live. Unfortunately, these circumstances are not the fault of our own; there are times when the people around us put us in a position of fear. For example, a boss, parent, or friend may have treated you in such a way that caused fear. Regardless of the source, we are meant to be in relationships built on love, trust, and mutual respect, not fear.

How do we abandon this fear of man? We must understand who we are and who God is. We are prized possessions made by a loving God. This loving God is our protector and provider. Psalm 91:1-2 says, “Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, ‘He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.’” (NIV) Even though people and circumstances may attempt to make us feel fear, it is our responsibility to focus on the God who goes before us and behind us to guide and protect.

Pray with me.....

Prayer:
Our Father, may our only desire be to please You. Help us to guard against people and circumstances that seek to cause fear in hearts and minds. May we find rest and peace in knowing that You are watching over us and even in death, You are with us.

In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Moving out on Faith

Moving out on Faith

Abraham went to a far country at the bidding of God. He was not young and foolish. He was advanced in years, being seventy-five years old when God said to him: "Get out of your country, from your family and from your father's house, to a land that I will show you" (Gen. 12:1).

Abraham's move was not a temporary trip for purposes of study or relaxation. It was to be a permanent uprooting for himself and his immediate family. It meant leaving both his father's house and his fatherland. It meant leaving everything that was a part of his security. He left his home, his property, his business contacts, his doctor, and everyone else that was integral to his community. He took his wife, his nephew, and some servants. The only other person who went with him was God.

What made Abraham's departure all the more startling was that he had no idea where he was going. He was a pilgrim with no place to call his home. But he went with a promise, a sacred pledge from God Himself that the Lord would show him a land wherein Abraham would become the father of a great nation.

This moment in his life was memorialized by the author of Hebrews: "By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to the place which he would receive as an inheritance" (Heb. 11:8).

Is God asking you to move out by faith in some area of your life or ministry?

Now This is Living

Now this is living!

God has a dream for this world, and you’re invited to be a part of it. It is an irresistible dream that God has had for all eternity. It’s a dream for your life, your community, and the whole world.

God’s dream is that you would live each second of your existence with a confidence that he relentlessly and passionately loves you. His dream is that you would willingly risk loving others because you know God has risked everything in loving you.

That’s why the final awakening on the journey of finding your way back to God is the awakening to life. When we truly awaken to the new life God offers at home with him, we see the possibilities for our future completely differently. We exclaim, “Now this is living!” but we realize that “living” means something different now. It means living a life that is better, bigger, and more meaningful than ever before.

Your new, lifelong walk with Jesus is a journey you never need travel alone. You never need to live apart from your heavenly Father again. If you find yourself drifting into complacency, looking for substitutes, thinking you have all the answers you need for yourself . . . you know what to do.

Come back to the life that is really living! You know the way, and home is where you always belong.

Be prepared in the years ahead for a kind of life that’s different from anything you thought possible when you made a U-turn on the road that day and asked the Father for help. The awakening to life brings with it unexpected influence and opportunities. How can this be? It’s because Christ is alive in you, and that changes just about everything. Now you can bring hope where there has been discouragement. Now you can show prisoners the way to freedom. Now you can be light in the darkness.

And that is living!

Find your place in the community of other grateful sons and daughters of the Father. Connect, learn, and work alongside them to make a difference for good in marriages, homes, schools, workplaces, and communities.

Let’s keep helping others find their way back to God. That’s where the real celebration is waiting.

As you look back what “awakening” do you resonate with most? What next step do you believe God is calling you to?