Category Archives: Life

Look at me! part 2

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Look at me! Part 2 

            When children grow up, they want attention. “Look at me!” they shout.  There is something within us that we want to prove we are worthy or worth noticing.  We do that by what we wear, what we drive, how we talk and how we look.  It becomes much more subtle the older we get, but there is still something within us that wants others to notice us.  I realize there are introverted quiet types who do not want that attention.  They get the attention in other ways.  There are others, of course, who are growing in Jesus and understand what it means to be complete in Jesus.1 Continue reading →

Life Insights: Divided Opinion

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Divided Opinion
                The incident that occurred on February 26, 2012 was a horrible day for thousands of people, especially the Trayvon Martin family. To lose a 17-year-old child has to be one of the most difficult tragedies to bear. I can’t imagine how difficult it would be to imagine a life-time of joys and successes dashed to imagination at the moment of a single confrontation.
As the verdict was read Saturday night, July 13, at 10 pm, I wondered how America would respond?  Continue reading →

Life Insight: Why do people help others?

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Life Insight: Why do people help others?

The world cries out for help and there are often people who are very willing to provide service and soul care.   What motivates them?  Is God’s Spirit behind every good deed?  Are altruistic acts always sourced in God? Certainly, the Lord directs many to act on behalf of His mercy, but there are other reasons why people will help others.

Dale Larson, in his book “The Helper’s Journey” gives a secular perspective on why people purpose to help others.1 He writes, “Your helping motivations and the encounters that led you into this work define who you are both as a person and as a helper.” (p. 4)  Larson describes “great moments” that help people define their goal or mission as caregivers or helpers.  Some experience helps them determine, “This is it” or “This is why I’m doing this.” Yet this kind of thinking has nothing to do with seeking to please God.  What can it have to do with anything besides feeling good about self or some kind of emotional do-goodism?

Larson goes on to ask the question if man is basically selfish or naturally altruistic. He attempts to paint the picture that helping tendencies are not unique to man.  Elephants care for each other, monkeys pick at each other’s fur for cleanliness and even rats care for each other.  He writes there is “an almost universal tendency to become aroused in the presence of a distressed member of one’s own species and to act in ways to reduce this other’s distress.” (p. 13)  He claims that even when paid for the service, the motivation for helping usually comes from within. You care.” (p. 11)  He reports that 26. 8% of the population volunteered in 2009. He said that 30.1% of women and 21.1% of men volunteered.2 

Larson highlights several benefits of caring to the caregiver.  Health benefits have been reported, but are speculative. There are social benefits and relationships that are formed and often healthy. There are reportedly physical benefits of less aches and pains, psychological help in feeling of strength, self-worth and even immunity to illness and spiritual help in providing a basis for living that transcends self.  He says,

All societies and religions have understood this relation between social connectedness, altruism, and immunity, and thus have emphasized the importance of caring for others, generosity, and service.  Although barriers of they-ness can disrupt this connectedness, our collective health may ultimately depend on our ability to see ourselves in others.” (p. 26)

            But isn’t all of this self-oriented? Whether I help others because “it makes me feel good” or “there are health or social benefits from helping,” is it not still about what “I” as the helper gets out of it?  That is not necessarily bad, because it is good for society.  However, it has no intrinsic or eternal value before God. Unless what I am doing is for the glory of God (1 Cor. 10:31), because of my love for the Lord Jesus (Matt. 22:37-39) and I am dependent on the filling of the Holy Spirit (Eph. 5:18), it is merely human works and as Paul describes it, “…wood, hay and straw.” (1 Cor. 3:12)  It will be burned up at the judgment seat of Christ. 

            Do I want people to help others?  Absolutely, yes, I do.  However, do it to please the Lord, because you know you are complete in Jesus and you have a relation with God through Him.  Do it because you believe it is part of the good works to which God designed you after salvation (Eph. 2:10).  Anything man does is filthy rags, at best (Is. 64:6), unless it is done in His power.

            Paul made this principle very clear as he wrote to Titus.  He said,

·         11 For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men,
·         12 teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age,
·         13 looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ,
·         14 who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself His own special people, zealous for good works. (Titus 2:11-14)

Do good works.  Do help others.  Yet, do it for the Lord, not for self-exalting reasons, no matter how subtle they may be.  Learn some practical lessons from this book about grief, loss and illness, but look to the Lord for blessing.

1Larson, Dale G., The Helper’s Journey.

2http://www.bls.gov/news.release/volun.nr0.htm

 

 

 

Life Insights: Encouragement in the face of Wrong Judicial Decisions

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Encouragement in the face of Wrong Judicial Decisions

Today the Supreme Court historically became involved in the same-sex marriage issue.  On one day, the day before they recessed for the summer, the Justices, crossing ideological lines, struck down Proposition 8 from California and the federal government’s Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA).

Proposition 8 was the mandate by the people of California to prohibit gay marriages in the state constitution.  Same-sex couples sued for their rights to be recognized as legally married couples and the court agreed with their cause and position.  It affects 18,000 same-sex couples wedded in California back in 2008, after which the voters disapproved same-sex marriage on the ballot.  So now everyone in California has to accept what state constitution did not allow nor the majority of the people wanted.  Now you can guess and realize that the power lies with the court of man rather than the Constitution or the people. This is an attack on what is written.

The federal government’s Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), signed into law by Bill Clinton in 1996, was also struck down.  Those in states with same-sex marriage laws will be allowed to claim rights and benefits the same as hetero-sexual marriages. This is an attack on what is written.

This decision by the courtroom of man does not catch God by surprise.  The Courtroom of Heaven is still in session.  Our responsibility is to mourn for our nation as Daniel did so well in Daniel 9 and prayed on behalf of the nation. Our responsibility is to grow up spiritually and become spiritual parents, that is, to have disciples who are discipling others.   Our responsibility is to ask people if they know Jesus. If they do not or are not sure, then to share the gospel truth and help them understand the truth by faith. Our responsibility is to help draw the body of Christ to BE the body of Christ and care for one another.  Our responsibility is to influence our community through good works and be ready to given an account of the hope that is within.  What a privilege that responsibility is!  Let’s roll!

Do not be discouraged.  Press forward in truth and wait upon the Lord by sharing the truth with every soul who will listen.

 

 

Life Insights: Look at me!

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Look at me!
I love my grand-daughters.  The oldest is almost four and she loves to say, “Grandpa, look at me!” Or she will say, “Grandpa, watch my new dance!”  Now most of the time, it looks like one of the previous “dances” that she has done.  Usually it is standing on her toes, doing a twirl and kicking up her foot, or some variation. I try to always be excited and give her good marks on her little ditty.  Sometimes, she will come downstairs like today and say, “Grandpa, look at my dress!”  And I will respond how nice her dress looks on her and how she is ready for where she is going – church, in this case. People need encouragement as they grow.  It is pretty normal for children to want that kind of attention.
I have noticed that the attention getting does not stop with young children.  Adults have their own way of saying, “Look at me!”  Certainly, people don’t say it, but their actions – what they do, wear, drive, or own – say it very loud.  Not everyone seeks that attention, but most do in our society.  Often it might be a particular car we choose to drive like a Lamborghini (that must follow the same speed limits posted as a Yugo). Often it is the style of clothes that attracts attention to the owner.  Lack of modesty will always attract more attention from foolish men than proper clothing.  Adults are more subtle about calling attention to themselves, usually.  How should a mature believer live?
Scripture describes something quite different for those who are mature believers. Jesus said, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me.” (Luke 9:23) Instead of “look at me,” the attitude should be, “I die to myself, so people can see that I am following Jesus.”  Paul wrote, “I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.”(Gal. 2:20) Instead of “look at me,” that attitude should be, “I no longer live, it is Christ who should be seen in me.”  Again Paul writes, “For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain.” (Phil. 1:21) Instead of “look at me,” the attitude should be, “My life is centered on Christ and people should not see anything but Jesus in my life.  People should see Jesus, not me.”
This might seem a little extreme, but consider Jesus’ own words.  When Jesus was in the upper room with the disciples during the Last Supper, Philip asked Jesus to show him the Father. Jesus responded,
 9 Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you so long, and yet you have not known Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; so how can you say,`Show us the Father ‘?        10 “Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me? The words that I speak to you I do not speak on My own authority; but the Father who dwells in Me does the works. (John 14:9-10)
Jesus explains that Philip sees the Father when He sees Jesus.  Jesus is not referring to His flesh and blood, because Jesus explained to the Samaritan woman that God is Spirit and has no face or body (John 4:24).  Jesus is referring to His works. 
            When we draw attention to our dress or transportation or looks, we draw attention to the wrong thing and reveal that we are still a spiritual child at heart.  Of course this takes discernment to understand the balance.  I cannot draw a line for people, or it would quickly become a legalism.  Take, for example, jewelry.  You could take the Amish approach and not wear any jewelry at all.  Yet, Scripture has plenty of examples that jewelry was worn in Israel and God did not condemn it.  However, when Jacob led his family to worship, he made the women remove all the earrings that had been significant in idolatry (Gen. 35:4).  Peter made it clear that adornment for women should not have an external emphasis, “Do not let your adornment be merely outward– arranging the hair, wearing gold, or putting on fine apparel-” (1 Pet. 3:3) Peter emphasizes that external adornment would draw attention to it rather than the “quiet and gentle spirit” (1 Pet. 3:4)  And we see in God’s judgment on Israel, God removes the jewelry,

18 In that day the Lord will take away the finery: The jingling anklets, the scarves, and the crescents; 19 The pendants, the bracelets, and the veils; 20 The headdresses, the leg ornaments, and the headbands; The perfume boxes, the charms, 21 and the rings; The nose jewels, 22 the festal apparel, and the mantles; The outer garments, the purses, 23 and the mirrors; The fine linen, the turbans, and the robes. (Is. 3:18-23)

There must be a balance. It is likely at the point where the believer is seeking God’s righteousness, depending on God’s guidance and humbly submitting to God’s will.
            The real issue is, “how should I look, dress, or live so that attention is drawn to Jesus instead of me?”  How are people supposed to see Jesus in me? The answer is found in the internal heart expressed in works.  It cannot be in what is seen.  Jesus is described as less than humanly good looking.  Isaiah wrote, “For He shall grow up before Him as a tender plant, And as a root out of dry ground. He has no form or comeliness; and when we see Him, there is no beauty that we should desire Him.” (Is. 53:2) Jesus would likely not be chosen as a leader, or a television anchor man, because He was not good-looking from the human perspective. But the real person is the soul, not the looks. 
            When God gave Israel their first king, King Saul, he was a handsome man and taller than everyone else.  That was a normal human choice, because the people rejected God.  God gave them what they wanted, instead of what they should have had.  King Saul was a disaster.
            The Apostle Paul is described historically as the last person who would be leading churches.  History records Paul was short, rotund, bandy-legged, bald and had a high squeaky voice.  That is not the person people naturally choose to follow.
            As we already noted in John 14:9, Jesus told Philip that he saw the Father when he saw Jesus.  Jesus was referring to His works, not His looks.  His works exalted the Father, not even Himself.  Jesus said, “Then Jesus answered and said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He sees the Father do; for whatever He does, the Son also does in like manner.” (John 5:19)
            Instead of saying, “Look at me!” we should be saying, “Do my works mirror the Father’s work in life?”  How should we dress, wear jewelry, choose a car or house, or live in such a way that we are not the recipient of attention, but God is the obvious One who is living through us?
            I am certainly going to enjoy my grand-daughter every time she says, “Grandpa, look at me!”  I am going to affirm and help disciple her.  At well-chosen points, I will help her parents see that the issue is not her, but the Lord.  I will also help to prepare her, so whatever she wears or how she fixes herself, she is drawing attention to her soul devoted to Jesus and serving others, rather than to herself.

Words: Can you hear it (Wisdom calling out)?

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Can you hear it?
I have read the passage hundreds of time.  It is time I comment on it.  Proverbs 8:1-2 says, “Does not wisdom cry out, and understanding lift up her voice? She takes her stand on the top of the high hill. Beside the way, where the paths meet.” How many of us think about this?
How can you hear wisdom?  The passage says that wisdom cries out, yet you can’t audibly hear anything?  The question should really be, “Are people listening for wisdom?”  How can people listen for wisdom, when they may no longer carry the “boom boxes” from the eighties, but ARE wired into the ear sets of iPods, iPads, iPhones and all sorts of MP3 players?   The style choices for music, talk shows and news are seemingly endless. The preferences people plug into stimulate their brains, bodies and souls, which can fill every waking moment, so that no one could ever become “bored.”  How can people listen for wisdom if they are always listening to something on the television, radio or techno gadget?
How many people have the television on in the background, even though they are not really listening to it?  There is something that our flesh likes about having music, or talking, in the background.  When I visited my cousins on the farm, my uncle always played music on the radio at milking time, because it calmed the cows and they produced more milk. Do we like something in the background to keep us calm and we really do not like silence? 
All the noise can easily become “white noise.”  What happens then? What might be very important is not heard, like wisdom calling in “the way, where the paths meet…by the gates, at the entry of the city.”
In fact, wisdom is spiritual wisdom, just like God is Spirit.  You cannot feel, taste, touch, see, smell, or hear God.  You cannot use the senses during this Age to connect with God.  God has provided everything you need to understand and know Him through His Word.  The Christian way of life is based on faith, not sight.  Paul makes this point clear when he said, “As you have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him.” (Col. 2:6)  How did you receive Jesus as your Savior?  You received Him by faith.  It was not by works, feelings, sight, hearing or any other physical sense.  You received Him by faith and you are also to live by faith, not by your senses or personal efforts.  You are to live by trusting in Him to do His work through you by means of His Spirit. 
Consequently, wisdom is given by God’s Spirit as you hide God’s Word in your heart.  God’s Spirit guides you into the Word (John 16:13) and enlightens you as a partaker of the Holy Spirit (Heb. 6:4).  When a person is filled with the Spirit (Eph. 5:18), he will be enlightened and the Word will not be a dry desert, but a loud message awakening him from his slumberous walk in life.
Proverbs eight continues to use the hearing sense personified, just as wisdom is personified as a lady to be courted by a pursuing believer,
·         32 “Now therefore, listen to me, my children, for blessed are those who keep my ways.
·         33 Hear instruction and be wise, and do not disdain it.
·         34 Blessed is the man who listens to me, Watching daily at my gates, Waiting at the posts of my doors.
·         35 For whoever finds me finds life, And obtains favor from the LORD. (Pro. 8:32-35)
Wait in silence before God and wisdom will call to your soul and lead you in God’s presence of blessing and life.
            Silence is a Spiritual Discipline1 that must be cultivated.  How will that happen in a world full of white noise? Schedule times of silence in the day, so that as you meditate on God’s Word, or at least have God’s Word in the back of your mind, wisdom will speak to you and you will understand the will of the Lord.  Unless you schedule silence into your life, you will miss wisdom crying out to you.
1Look back at the following link on Spiritual Disciplines for a short description on the Spiritual Discipline of Silence: http://renewingtruth.blogspot.com/2013/03/words-spiritual-disciplines-part-3.html

 

Life Insights: Stewardship of Stuff

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Life Insights: Stewardship of Stuff
I mentioned recently how our families (we have two families living under the same roof) have moved from a large home to a more modest home.  We went from having two kitchens, separate entrances, living quarters to sharing a normal home with one kitchen, etc.  I’m glad we made the move.
We are still in the process of settling in as we finally put blinds up on the master bathroom window today!  That sheet held up by the masking tape was not what I was used to in our old home.
One of the key things I learned was that I was not as discerning with stewardship as I had thought, or at least I learned a new dimension of stewardship. I had always thought about stewardship as – as long as I do not have to pay a monthly storage cost, I am okay.  Certainly in some situations, outside storage is necessary.  But, from my perspective, the “stuff” that was stored at storage facilities would be getting less valuable with each monthly rental fee expended.
What I did not consider was the time needed to maintain or sustain the stuff.  I must have rationalized that away.  It does not own me, I thought, because I’m not washing and waxing it.  I am not paying a monthly fee to keep it in the attic or on the shelf.  I am not worried about it getting dusty, because it is not valuable anyway and I am not all that concerned about it.  However, those are only some of the ways that stuff can control you more than you control it.
First, you have to provide space to store the stuff.  Maybe you cover your attic floor with the stuff or you build shelves for it, but either way, it takes up space and you PAID for that space.
Secondly, you end up moving it around.  You may rearrange your stuff, because you acquired more stuff either through a good deal, or my favorite – a free deal.  Then you spend the TIME to think through how to organize the stuff, when you could be discipling another soul to the Lord.
Thirdly, you buy bins to organize like articles.  Yes it happens with efficient people that stuff needs to be grouped according to like objects and therefore plastic bins must be purchased and labeled. So now you spend TIME and money, because you PAID for stuff to store your stuff.
Fourthly, you have to remember where you put the stuff.  I despise it when I have to spend 15 minutes looking for my keys, let alone look for something I have stored.  The problem in my old house was that the stuff could be in the garage, the garage attic, in the mechanical room in the basement, in the master closet or the office closet upstairs. Whoa! Timeout! I do not like to waste TIME looking for stuff.  That is a cost I knew each time I incurred, but not as far as the price of the object.
Fifthly, the value of the object is worth about 10% of the cost paid when new.  We have had a few garage sales over the last two years and I learned the value of my stuff – only what someone else is willing to pay – not much!  Some people are not willing to pay a dime for what I paid seven dollars on a trip to Europe! Ha! What is the VALUE in the eye of the beholder?
Sixthly, stuff does not determine my value.  When I realized that the stuff I was storing, because I thought I would need it sometime, was of no value to others, I realized I must be attached to the wrong things or unaware of how much TIME I was using to maintain my stuff.  I realized that my time helping others was worth far more than the time I expended to maintain my stuff.  My value was based on who I am in Christ, not whether I was prepared or not because I had a widget I “might” use at some time in the future.
Seventhly, because you “CAN” store something, does not mean you should.  Just because “out of sight, out of mind” could work, eventually payday (the day you have to deal with the object at moving time or selling time) proves the value of the object – again, not much.  I was not paying a monthly rental fee, but the TIME factor was causing the stuff to become less valuable.  It weighed me down.
Eighthly, when you move, you have to move the stuff.  You have to buy boxes or acquire them somehow and that is a cost of TIME or MONEY to box up the stuff, tape it shut, label it and then figure out a new place to store the stuff.  You need to have gracious friends who are polite enough to not ask, “What’s all this stuff we’re moving???” or you just suffer on your own and move it yourself. 
Ninthly, if you store it, you can’t bless others with it.  How many extra screws do I need to store, just so I “might” have a screw or nut or whatever.  I have rationalized victoriously when I needed a screw or nut and I just happened to have it in the bin of drawers.  It’s just like the golfer who gets one good shot on the 17th hole that makes him think, “I could hit a shot like that again!” and it keeps him going back to the links.  When I have gone out to the garage and found the needed nut, I proclaim, “I have the nut I needed.  Wow, how great I am to have had that stuff!”
Tenthly, the more stuff I have on earth, the less I am likely to think of heaven.  Paul said,

·         20 For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ,
·         21 who will transform our lowly body that it may be conformed to His glorious body, according to the working by which He is able even to subdue all things to Himself. (Phil. 3:20-21)
What do you need where you are in that station of life and how should you bless others with the stuff you don’t need?

 

Life Insights: Stewardship of Space

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Life Insights: Stewardship of Space

Recently, our family just went through a move from one house to another.  Our situation is a little different than most in that there are two families under the same roof.  Six years ago, after my father-in-law died and I learned that my mother-in-law preferred the warmth of south Texas, rather than the unpredictable weather of Indiana.  So, I asked my son-in-law if he and my daughter would like to move into our lower level, provided I finished it off. 
They were doing well financially and were not in need of any assistance.  At the time, I was traveling quite a bit with the National Guard visiting all fifty state headquarters and the mobilization sites, as the National Guard provided 45% of the mobilization force.  It seemed like good stewardship to have our daughter and son-in-law in our home when my wife spent so much time alone in my absence.
After thinking about the option for almost three months, he said, “Sure!”  So, we finished off the lower level, which provided totally separate living quarters, including bedrooms, living areas, kitchens and entrances (the old home had a walkout lower level).  They moved in and three children later, everyone appreciated the relationships, the spiritual accountability and the support to each other.  The house provided plenty of space to store anything we weren’t using.
Recently we decided it was time to move into a different house.  We were interested in having our whole extended family stay with us and our son-in-law and family decided they wanted to stay with us also.  However, I didn’t realize how much could be stored in one house. I had not torn down a barn to build a bigger barn to store things (our Homeowner’s Association did not allow barns or sheds), as Jesus warned in a parable, “So he said,`I will do this: I will pull down my barns and build greater, and there I will store all my crops and my goods.” (Luke 12:18)  I had no barn, but the design allowed for room that I had not purposely planned.
There was mega-space built into the house that I did not believe existed.  To me it was just a house.  Fortunately, we have been trying to extract things over the previous couple years, so we were saved by several garage sales and Youth Rummage Sales at church.  Yet I found out the size of the house when we moved.  Just because you “can” store something, should you?
So we moved into a new home designed for a single family.  That meant we’d only have one kitchen and one place to store things – the basement.  Moving day came and went and we looked for the floor for several weeks.
The new house required several adjustments. The garage is barely big enough to fit the cars in, and my passenger has to wait until I pull out in order to get in. We needed to add kitchen cabinets, because what came with the house was less than half the size of “one” of the kitchens in the old house.  There is no attic space to store anything above the house or the garage, which the old home had; everything had to go to the basement.  But we love it just the way it is.  It will help us continue to refine “what we really need to store.”
The first three weeks were like a rubrics cube trying to decide where and how to store things.  We didn’t want to move something more than once, but if one thing was moved, that meant other things had to move.  Trying to find realistic space for two families in one house takes thoughtfulness, planning and several attempts. Over the Memorial Day weekend, we could see the light down the tracks and we know it is not another train.
            There are many books on what you should keep or what you should store.  There are many people with great discernment.  In all the process, I sure have learned how gracious and merciful the Lord is in all areas of life.  I continue to learn how helpful family and friends are in time of need.  For me, the key is fixing my eyes on Jesus, rather than the things of this world:
·         Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us,
·         2 looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. (Heb. 12:1-2)
My prayer for you is that you can learn the simple way from God’s Word, rather than the way I’ve had to learn freedom in Christ.

Life Insights: Bucket List

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Life Insights: Bucket List

I have to admit I enjoyed the comedy “Bucket List.”  When a person finds out he has less than a year to live and tries to accomplish a number of adventurous things before he dies and then dies, it is rather moving to me.  I like adventure.  I like to do risky things.  I know death is a sobering time for most people, because it causes us to reflect on what is important in life.  Is a bucket list important in life?

I have heard many people say they have a bucket list.  Some of the things I have heard people say they want to do, I applaud them and hope they have a good time.  I have to admit, I don’t have one. I have been blessed and have traveled all over the world and accomplished many things. So for me to say, “I don’t have a bucket list,” does not mean much to people.  Some often think, “If I had done what you’ve been able to enjoy, I can see why you don’t have one.”  For that reason, I write this respectfully and defer to the desires of others.

Yet, at the same time, I must help you think through priorities.  What is a bucket list?  I have yet to hear of one person have one item about sharing the gospel with people, or leading a person in discipleship, or discipling ten people to become disciple-making people.  The bucket list is always a place to go, or something earthly to do or see. 

When I compare what I hear what is on a bucket list, compared to what believers in Jesus Christ will do and see in heaven, I have to admit, I do not see any comparison.  I wonder, as one dear sister mentioned, “Bucket lists are made to make people’s lives more interesting.”  I must admit, I have to agree with her.  When we get to heaven, a bucket list will be a far distant memory at best. What we see and do in heaven will be far more vivid, far more glorious and far more exalting.  The resources needed for a bucket list will be a dismal investment for eternity sake.

The enemy has filled our lives with so many things, which distract us from what is truly important.  If people put as much mental, emotional and physical energy into God’s priorities as they do thinking about a bucket list, we Christians might influence our community from its downward spiral.

How intent are Christians learning how to be disciple, so they can disciple others who will be able to disciple others?  How intent are people pursuing the multiplication of discipleship to honor the Lord?  How intent are people denying what they want to do in order to put others first and help them in their walk with the Lord? 

I see Christians content with Bible study, fellowship and attending church.  Praise God for the ones who are seeking to learn multiplication!  Praise God for the ones who are building bridges with others!  Praise God for those who are less concerned about their own knowledge intake and are more concerned with helping others understand how to multiply!

I am encouraged every time I see people grasp the multiplication process, because the enemy hates it. 

The enemy will distract people from God’s priority of discipleship at whatever level he can.  He will use all the entertainment of life and of sports.  People shout when their team wins a game, but the same people are dry and stoic singing praise to God in church.  People plan great trips across the United States, but the same people expect the church to teach and entertain for 40 years, without their involvement in discipleship.  People plan out their 50 item bucket list, but never get around to discipling another person to Jesus.  Do I want you to enjoy all that God has created?  Absolutely! It is God’s magnificent and beautiful world. 

Enjoy a trip.  Enjoy what God has created.  Enjoy your vacation.  Enjoy your retirement.  Enjoy the adventure.  Yet, don’t get distracted from God’s priorities.

I like what James says about misusing the tongue, “My friends, these things ought not to be so.” (Jam. 3:10)  Let’s not misuse the time He’s given us. Let’s follow what Moses said, “So teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.” (Ps. 90:12)  
 
What’s your bucket list?  Who does God want you to reach for His name sake?  Who are some people you might be able to disciple?  How does God want to exalt His name? How can I help you with God’s bucket list of priorities?