Happy thoughts

John 8:32 (ESV)

And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.

Do you feel like you spend a lot of time dwelling on the negatives? Oftentimes, we let our circumstances overwhelm us. We focus on the moment and forget that there is something bigger and better ahead of us.

Make the Choice to Rejoice.

You always have a choice: Focus on yesterday’s pain or today’s joy. Yes there will be hard times but God will bring you through and the lessons you learn will carry you far. Life can be difficult. You can choose joy by seeking out God’s Word! God’s Word is an anchor for your soul. If you just open your ears to God’s voice, He will shatter those chains of negativity and speak His truth into your heart.

God loves you; He has wonderful things in store for you! Repeat the words in Psalm 139: “I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well.”

Dear Lord, help us to focus on the joy You bring and not the pains we have felt. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.

Taking the first step

Psalm 37:23-24 (ESV)

23 The steps of a man are established by the Lord,

    when he delights in his way;

24 though he fall, he shall not be cast headlong,

    for the Lord upholds his hand.

Often the hardest step to take is the first one - saying yes. It’s making the choice to confront your doubt and insecurities and putting everything on the line for obedience. It can be the hardest step to take, but nobody has ever walked a mile without it.

I remember many times standing on the brink of a massive breakthrough in my life and feeling scared, uncertain, and terrified to jump. Like teetering on the edge of a diving board and wondering how the water feels, that first leap in the direction God gave me felt so uncertain. Looking back on those moments now, I know there are no decisions I’ve made that have been more rewarding.

Unfortunately, too many people will never take that first step. God can’t orchestrate your win unless you’re willing to step into battle!

I read an article of a couple a few years back where they said it took them getting to the end of their ropes to finally take that first step, and how saying yes changed their lives.

God had given them a business idea, but comfortable in their routine, they kept putting it on the back burner. As time went on, their financial situation grew serious. Still, they hesitated to start their business. They didn’t recognize it as an answer to prayers. That first step seemed scary and risky—so they continued to put it off.

On the verge of losing everything and filing for bankruptcy, they finally took a leap of faith and started their company. Their business took off! Suddenly, they had cash to pay their bills, their company was thriving, and that was just the beginning! Their lives changed drastically!

They didn’t have to spend years living in financial chaos; they just had to take that first step.

How many ideas has God given you that you have simply hesitated to act on? Could one of them be the answer you’ve believed for? Seek God for direction, and when He speaks, act! Don’t wait until it’s your last resort—take the first step!

Dear Lord give us the courage to take the first step. But before we do help us to come to You for direction. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.

Unlocking happiness

Psalm 37:4 (ESV)

Delight yourself in the Lord,

    and he will give you the desires of your heart.

I have heard all my life, “Nobody can steal your joy unless you give them permission first.”

I’m so thankful for those words of wisdom because they are absolutely right!

Every single day, we have two choices: we can simply react to everything happening around us, or we can take action and create the lives we want to live.

Don’t give someone else the keys to your happiness!

I’ve known people who have everything they’ve ever wanted, but they’re miserable. No matter what people do for them, they’re always blaming somebody for something. On a bright sunny day, they find the one cloud in the sky. Then I’ve known people who have gone through hard situations, but they’re still the happiest people I know. Nothing can steal their joy. Why? Because every person’s happiness is ultimately their choice! If we put our happiness in other people’s hands, we’re going to be disappointed.

It’s incredibly freeing when we take back the responsibility for how we feel. When we react to others’ actions, it sets us up to be the victim. When we maintain the fact that we own our emotions, we free ourselves to be victorious in all circumstances!

Matthew 16:19 (NIV) says, “I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.”

The keys are in your hands—what are you going to do with them?

Dear Lord, thank You for giving us joy. Help us to take the responsibility for how we feel. Help us not let those around us steal our joy. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.  

Your harvest depends on why you sow.

2 Corinthians 9:10 (ESV)

He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your seed for sowing and increase the harvest of your righteousness.

The reason God wants to bless your sowing is to “increase of the harvest of your righteousness” (2 Corinthians 9:10). God is interested in meeting your need as long as meeting your need is going to help you grow in your godly character and living, not just increase your stuff. A lot of folks want to be blessed for blessing’s sake, never mind whether it is going to help them have a closer walk with God.

In other words, God is not only interested in blessing you with a new car so you can go on to forget Him while driving behind the wheel. He’s not interested in you getting a bigger house so you can be more unrighteous in it. God is not interested in just the external. Rather, God, wants to increase the righteousness of your inner person. He wants to draw you closer to Himself so that you follow Him more obediently.

Yes, God can make all grace abound to you. But He wants to make sure that His grace makes you a better you. The difference between a person who gives for the right motive and the one who only gives to get is that the latter is trying to make a bargain with God. But we can’t say to God, “I’ll give to your work, but only if you bless my finances.” God may want to bless you anyway, but He doesn’t do deals.

Notice that Paul said in verse 10 it is God who “supplies seed to the sower.” Even the seed you need for sowing comes from God. It’s all grace. God has this thing so covered that once He sees a need, He includes a seed to sow and meet that need. And when the need is met, He also supplies more seed for replanting so there can be a further harvest and then additional seed for even the harvest beyond that!

Do you have any “deals” you’re trying to work out with God right now? How can you work on turning those “deals” into cheerful giving? 

Dear Lord, we pray that when You bless us we will find a way to use that blessing to draw us closer to You. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.

The Super Bowl and the Christian life

1 Corinthians 9:24-27 (ESV)

24 Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it. 25 Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. 26 So I do not run aimlessly; I do not box as one beating the air. 27 But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified.

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to play in the Super Bowl? It’s a long and tough road to get there, and the two teams that make it have put together a rare combination of hard work, determination, and even a bit of luck!

As you watch the Super Bowl  you will see so many different storylines come into play, but at the end of the day we all just want good commercials and a great game.

You are a professional “athlete,” not in the NFL, but in a much greater league.

As a Christian, you might be a raving lunatic fan for the NFL, or maybe you can’t name a single team—but either way there are some fascinating parallels between the Super Bowl and our time serving Jesus here on earth.  Here are two thoughts that I want to share that will hopefully encourage you as you strive to make the most out of your journey through life with Christ.

The first thought you are a professional “athlete,” not in the NFL, but in a much greater league that offers an eternal reward that makes winning a trophy look like a free hot dog by comparison.  Here’s the way the Apostle Paul puts it:

We all know that when there’s a race, all the runners bolt for the finish line, but only one will take the prize. When you run, run for the prize! Athletes in training are very strict with themselves, exercising self-control over desires, and for what? For a wreath that soon withers or is crushed or simply forgotten. That is not our race. We run for the crown that we will wear for eternity. So I don’t run aimlessly. I don’t let my eyes drift off the finish line. When I box, I don’t throw punches in the air.  I discipline my body and make it my slave so that after all this, after I have brought the gospel to others, I will still be qualified to win the prize 1 Corinthians 9:24-27.

Can you name the last 48 Super Bowl winners or MVPs?  I doubt most people could, and that is Paul’s point here.  At the time, those folks thought they had reached the pinnacle of victory, and now the majority of people on earth don’t even remember their names.

But when we see the Christian life as a daily “all in” competition with our selfish and sinful nature, we will achieve a victory and glory for our Father that will never perish or fade! So wake up each morning with a game day mindset.  Tell the Lord that you are ready to walk in His power and follow His will wherever it leads.

Second thought when you watch the Super Bowl, observe how carefully the quarterback keeps his eyes on the clock.  He knows that he has only 60 minutes of playing time to make every snap, handoff and pass count as much as possible.  He knows that when the clock runs out and the whistle blows, he may never have a chance for a Super Bowl victory again.

And as you think about your walk with Jesus Christ, ponder this directive from God’s Word:

 Look carefully then how you walk! Live purposefully and worthily and accurately, not as the unwise and witless, but as wise sensible, intelligent people, making the very most of the time buying up each opportunity, because the days are evil Ephesians 5:15-16.

Each day is like the snap of the ball for The Cause of Christ.

When you start to envision your walk with Christ as a trained athlete who is racing against the clock to bring glory to God, the Christian life takes on a whole new level of meaning and excitement!  And don’t be fooled by all the time we seem to have left, because, in my opinion, we are in the fourth quarter at the two-minute warning.  Each day is like the snap of the ball for The Cause of Christ, and we must carefully plan out our “plays” before the whistle blows!

So as you eat the goodies and enjoy Super Sunday with your family and friends, take some time to reflect on the reality that your life with Jesus. Realize that you are on a team (the church) that is competing for the ultimate prize and victory!  The stakes are eternal, and like the athletes in the game, we must put ourselves into the strict training of prayer, Bible study, fellowship, and sharing the gospel for the sake of Christ and His Cause!

Dear Lord, we pray that we would be ready for the game we call life. Help us to pray, stay in Your Word and fellowship with other believers so that we are ready for whatever we come across. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.

Your harvest depends on when you sow.

Galatians 6:9 (ESV)

And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.

The Bible says we will reap at the right time if we don’t grow weary (Galatians 6:9). That means you don’t sow your seeds today and go out tomorrow looking for the harvest. There is a time gap between sowing and reaping, unless God overrides this gap through a miracle. But remember, miracles are not God’s normal way of operating. There’s the sowing season, and then comes harvest season.

So don’t get frustrated if what you are sowing for Jesus today doesn’t come to harvest tomorrow. The key thing to remember is that the season between planting and reaping in God’s harvest doesn’t mean that nothing is happening. He is always at work; sometimes it’s just underneath the soil. So allow a season for reaping knowing that even when God is silent, He is not still. God is after your long-term benefit, not just your short-term pleasure.

Do you need help waiting on God? Pray for understanding that He has a plan, even when it’s not visible to our earthly eyes.

Dear Lord, we pray today that we would understand Your plan today. Help us not get discouraged when things don’t seem to go as we think they should. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.

Your harvest depends on where you sow.

Matthew 6:19-21 (ESV)

19 “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, 20 but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

There was a pastor that before his message on planting good seed in bad soil sprinkled watermelon seeds on the carpet, telling the people that he wanted watermelons so he was sowing what he wanted to reap. Everyone laughed, or course, because he was violating a fundamental rule of sowing. He was “planting” his watermelon seeds in an environment that was not conducive to their growth. In biblical terms, he was planting good seed in bad soil.

You can’t just plant your seed anywhere; you have to plant it in soil that is designed to receive and nourish the seed that is being planted. In the spiritual realm, sowing in good soil is to invest in that which will allow you to legitimately give thanks to God. Paul explained it this way in our text: “Now He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your seed for sowing and increase the harvest of your righteousness; you will be enriched in everything for all liberality, which through us is producing thanksgiving to God” (2 Corinthians 9:10-11).

Can you give thanks to God for where you are sowing your seed? Are you sowing it in a place where it will reap a harvest of righteousness that is producing praise and glory and thanksgiving to God? If you cannot give thanks to God for where you are sowing your seed, then you ought not to be sowing it in that place. Giving that produces a harvest of righteousness is that which benefits others and gives a basis for thanksgiving.

Where do you need to plant your seed to bring the greatest glory to God?

Dear Lord, help us to plant Your seeds of love in the people around us that need it.  We pray that they will be ready to hear the good news. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.