Category: Christian Living

Categories
Christian Living

To Be or To Do – Is Character Important?

Being or Doing?
What is better in God’s eyes?

I believe that His statement: “I desire mercy, not sacrifice” answers the question.

I remember one trip when I was a youth minister where the adult leaders were asked: “What are the things that have most excited you about youth ministry this past year?”

One after another, people stood up and shared: We went on a mission trip. We did a service project. We performed a special choir musical for our church. We did this, or We did that.

As I listened, I thought, “I’m not sure these are the things that we ought to be “most” excited about.”
There was no mention of life change, salvation, or deeper discipleship.
It seems most of us were excited about the things we were doing.
Not about the things our students were “being.”
A tragedy.

What we ought to be most excited about are the changes we see in the people around us as they spend more time developing the character traits of Jesus.

In our “busy” society, we seem to believe that the more we “do” for someone, the better. That leads us to think that the more we “do” for the church, the more God appreciates it.

But is that truly the case?
Or can we be in the habit of “doing” in such a way that it is not an honor to God?

God doesn’t want you doing Christian things, without embracing His character traits.
He desires mercy, because He is a merciful God.
He desires love, because He is love.
He desires patience, because He is the most patient.
He desires purity, because He is a God of holiness.

There are many verses where God indicates His frustration with His people for how much they were “doing for Him” without “being” the people He had called them to be.

(here are some of those passages, if you care to read any of them:
1 Samuel 15:22; Ps 40:6-8; Ps 50:7-15; Ps 51:15-17; Isaiah 1:11-16a; Hos 6:6; Amos 5:21-24; Micah 6:6-8)

What does God want from you?
Does He desire that you do things for His kingdom?
Sure, but not if you refuse to develop His character.

Let’s make sure our “being” matches us with our “doing.”

Categories
Christian Living

Resolutions: A Personal Worship Plan

New Year's Resolutions List for 2014 to focus on a personal worship planWe are a month into 2014, and writing about my reading lists made me think about my other “resolutions.” Did you make any for 2014? Or have you come to the point where you have broken so many that your only resolution is to not make any more resolutions?

Even so, We make all sorts of plans throughout any given year. We resolve to make changes in our exercise, our eating habits, our business goals…. Shouldn’t we also give some thought to resolving to grow in our Christian lives?

Do you have a goal for your Bible reading, prayer life, charitable giving, church attendance, ministry involvement, etc.?

Maybe you are thinking, but why do so, when I so often fail at my New Years’ Resolutions? Should I write down more goals that if I don’t meet, I will feel guilty about?

In one of the most widely read books of all time – The Imitation of Christ – Thomas a Kempis reminds us – “Each day we ought to renew our resolutions as though it were the first day of our life in Christ. Because as our intention is, so will be our progress; so he who desires godly perfection must be very diligent. We know that even a strong-willed man fails Christ frequently, but what about the man who thinks of Christ seldom or is half-hearted in his attempts to live for Him? We must always have a fixed mindset, especially against those things which tempt us the most. In the morning make a resolution and in the evening examine yourself on how you did, what you have done and thought. Each day, read or write or pray or meditate or do something for the common good.”

And Thomas a Kempis reminds us why we need to do so – “as our intention is, so will be our progress.” Or as we might hear it stated today – “If you aim at nothing, you will hit it every time.”

Don’t stop setting spiritual goals simply because of possible guilt if you don’t meet them. Instead, be encouraged at what progress you do make, and become re-focused to go even farther tomorrow, next week, next month, next year.

Have you set any goals in your Christian life for 2014?

Next time, I’ll share some ideas you might want to consider in resolving to improve your Bible reading, prayer life, ministry involvement, etc.

Categories
Christian Living

What I Have Been and Will Be Reading

This year I am taking a cue my friend and co-worker, Jonathan McDuffie, and I am creating a reading plan by selecting twelve books to read for the year… the plan being to read at least one book a month for my spiritual growth and development. The list of my twelve is at the bottom of the post.

As I mentioned before, some of the books I read are “new” while some of them are a bit older. For example, John Huss’ work “On the Church” was written in 1413. (And then he was executed by fire two years later for holding to the Bible over man-made religious beliefs.)

artist depiction of the burning execution of jan hus (john huss)

Here is most of what I read over the past two years:

Personal Spiritual Growth
Knowing God – J.I. Packer
How to Develop a Powerful Prayer Life – Gregory Frizzell
Returning to Holiness – Gregory Frizzell
Releasing the Revival Flood – Gregory Frizzell
The Cost of Discipleship – Deitrich Bonhoeffer
Christ at Work Opening Doors – Kent Humphreys
Every Man’s Battle – Stephen Arteburn & Fred Stoeker

Missions Strategy Books
The Great Omission – Steve Saint
Serving as Senders – Neal Pirolo
When Helping Hurts – Steve Corbett & Brian Fikkert

Other Stuff to Help Me As a Pastor
Dangerous Calling – Paul Tripp
I Am a Church Member – Thom Rainer
Creature of the Word – Matt Chandler, et. al.
Transformational Church –Ed Stetzer & Thom Rainer
Building below the Waterline – Gordon MacDonald

And the Old Stuff (written over 100 years ago)
Orthodoxy – G.K.Chesterton
Pilgrim’s Progress, parts 1 & 2 – John Bunyan
In Praise of Folly – Desiderius Erasmus
A German Theology – Martin Luther, translator
Address to the Christian Nobility – Martin Luther
Augsburg Confession – Phillipp Melancthon
On Christian Freedom – Martin Luther
Treatise on the Church – John Huss
The Babylonian Captivity – Martin Luther
On Christian Liberty – Martin Luther

The twelve books I have selected to read for this year are:
1. The Jesus I Never Knew, Philip Yancey
2. The Imitation of Christ, Thomas a Kempis
3. The Spiritual Exercises, Ignatius of Loyola
4. The Seven Storey Mountain, Thomas Merton
5. Darwin on Trial, Phillip E. Johnson
6. The Pursuit of God, A. W. Tozer
7. Out of the Saltshaker and into the World, Rebecca Pippert
8. The Diary of Anne Frank, Anne Frank
9. The Hiding Place, Corrie ten Boom
10. The Wounded Healer, Henri J. M. Nouwen
11. Prayer: Conversing With God, Rosalind Rinker
12. Rich Christians in an Age of Hunger, Ronald J. Sider

What about you? Earlier in the week you shared what your favorites were. What are you going to read to help you grow in Christ this year? Do you have a plan? Do you have any you are presently working on? Have you read any that are on my list?

Categories
Christian Living

Recommended Reading Lists

Today I’ll let you in on a little secret – I’m weird.
You’re probably thinking – “but that isn’t a secret at all.”
Point taken.

Today’s topic of discussion on my weirdness is my “Reading List.”photo of my library bookshelf to show some of the books I am reading

What I post about often comes from what I have been reading. So how do I choose what to read? Many people choose their “next book” on what is the latest bestseller. My list doesn’t come from the hottest books out there today, but rather from respected sources who share with me the best stuff they have read — People (and authors) I trust who share with me the books that have influenced them most.

I don’t necessarily want to know what is the newest book on a subject, but what is the best book on the subject… especially one that has lasted the test of time. Some of my favorite authors have warned their readers to avoid “Chronological Snobbery” — something I definitely had when I was younger. Back then, I believed that “new” meant best, while “old” was dated and less important. But what I have learned is that there are books that have stood the test of time as being extremely important for Christian growth. And with the limited amount of time that I have to read, I want to choose not just “good” books, but those that have been deemed the best.

Two lists that have helped me select books are both from Christianity Today:
(you can click on the links if you are interested in knowing their choices)

The Top 50 Books that Have Shaped Evangelicals

The Top 100 Books of the 20th Century

Though I’m sure there could be some disagreement about the lists, the books they suggest are certainly a good place to start. They aren’t the newest books on the shelves. And some of the choices may seem a bit weird to you.

Over the next few days, I’ll share with you some of what I have been reading and give you some of my own recommendations. But until then, what are your suggestions? What would be on your list as your very favorite Christian books… the ones that have been instrumental in shaping your Christian development that you recommend everyone should read?

I’d love to know, as I might want to add one of your recommendations to my weird reading list!

Categories
Christian Living

What Business Do You Have With Me?

In the strange exorcism I mentioned in my last post, we find that Jesus’ great compassion shows how He places much greater value on people than on property. But the men who owned the pigs in the encounter were furious that they lost their property, even though two men were radically healed. In fact the men of the town then came out and asked Jesus to leave their town.

The problem is that the men “preferred their property to the Savior.”

“It is no uncommon thing for men to love the world so much; to love property so much as to see no beauty in religion, and no excellence in the Savior; and, rather than part with their material belongings, to ask Jesus to withdraw from them” (Albert Barnes).

They wanted to have no business with Jesus.

Interestingly enough, at the beginning of this encounter, the demon “spokesman” asks – “What business do you have with me, Jesus?”
question mark die But isn’t this really the question everyone should be asking? In the demonic encounter we find that…
The business Jesus had with the demons was to get them out of the two men.
The business He had with the owners of the pigs was to give them spiritual healing, but they were not willing due to their focus on self.
The business He had with one of the healed men was to send him as a witness to others who lived nearby.

What a great question for us to ask as well – Jesus, What business do you have with me today?

What do you think He would answer and say?
And after you heard His answer, would you be ready to obey?

The gap between peoples’ beliefs & actions seems to be growing wider every day.
We know what to do and yet we don’t do it.
Others have decided to sit and not grow – they still “need milk” and are not yet ready for the “meat” of truths in God’s Word.

If we have committed to making Jesus the Master of our lives, then we will be in the process of asking Him what is the next step He wants us to take and we will be obedient to actually take it.

Too many people are not serving nor are planning to serve in their church; they are not living in joy; not serving God with their marriage; not making disciples of their children; not growing spiritually; they are choosing immorality over purity & obedience.

Maybe today we need to ask – What business do you have with me, Jesus?
And then listen… and obey.