Living a 220 life

Spiritual leadership in the home

“When you eat the labor of your hands, you shall be happy, and it shall be well with you. Your wife shall be like a fruitful vine in the very heart of your house, your children like olive plants all around your table.” (Psalm 128:2-3)

In today’s American home very few spiritual leaders exist. The men of our churches are not stepping up to fill the role they’ve been called to. When they do attempt to stand up they often go to one extreme or another; either yielding an iron fist of domestic dictatorship or sheepishly giving up upon the first sign of resistance from any family member. The Lord offers spiritual leaders some guidance and some encouraging words in Psalm 128.

The guidance for spiritual leadership begins in verse 1 when He says, “Blessed is everyone who fears the Lord, who walks in His ways.” Men, our goal as spiritual leaders in the house is #1 to fear the Lord. Our second goal is that out of our reverent fear for the Lord we walk in His ways. Similar to the safety procedure on an aircraft when you must place your own oxygen mask on before helping others, men, you must focus your own actions and thoughts to be captive to the Lord so that you may lead by example.

The encouragement for spiritual leadership begins in verse 2 and 3. We’re told that we will be happy and it shall be well with us when we eat the labor of our hands. The Lord is telling us that He knows it’s hard work for men to be the spiritual leader of the home. It’s supposed to be. God expects us to spend time in the analogous marriage fields, getting dirty, putting in hours of hard work, tilling the soil, and pruning the vines. The Lord tells us, men, if we put in the hard work tilling the soil of our marriage and cultivating a loving relationship between our wives and the Lord that she’ll be like a fruitful vine in the very heart of our home.

This must be understood: Though the man is the leader of the home, the woman is the heartbeat of the home. If your’ spiritual leadership is oppressive and abusive your home will most definitely suffer a heart attack. Likewise, with minimal or weak leadership the pulse of your home will be lost. Men, you must also understand that this means as spiritual leader you are no better than the woman; you are equals! You lead but she gives life to the home. You must love your wife and she must respect you. It’s a beautiful symbiotic relationship.

When the man is leading in love and humility the wife is a blessing to her home, bearing much fruit. Verse three also tells us when the man is leading and the wife is like a fruitful vine the children will be like olive plants all around your table. Olive plants are classy and add a bit of spice to your parties. They make things look good. If you wish to raise children who are honoring and make you proud the Lord reveals the recipe. Fear the Lord, walk in His ways, and put in the hard work to lead your family to do the same. Men, we’ve been given the burden to lead through servant hood to our family. We must humbly reject our own desires for the well-fair of our home. Men, we must become like Jesus! AMEN!

Overcoming our failures

“So when they had eaten breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, ‘Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me more than these?’ He said to Him, ‘Yes, Lord; You know that I love You.’ He said to him, ‘Feed My lambs.’” (John 21:15)

Remember, just before this, in John chapter 18, Peter is denying that he even knows Jesus. Peter hears the cock crow after his third denial of Jesus, he’s devastated at what he’s done, and he runs off into the sunset. We find Peter in John 21:3 saying, “I am going fishing.” To some of us who really enjoy fishing this may seem like a great idea; a hook, a bobber, and some quiet time out at the lake with God. Unfortunately, this was not Peter’s intent. No, in the original language Peter’s statement clearly implies that he intends to go back to his old life as a fisherman.

This seems to be the status quo when we fail in our Christian walk. When we feel like we’ve really blown it the tendency is to give up and go back to the life we were living before we met Jesus. Friends, if you’ve blown it and you’re currently ‘fishing’ there’s hope! Jesus has called you out of that life and into another; He doesn’t want you to go back no matter what!

Jesus comes walking up on the beach while Peter and the disciples are out fishing. They’ve spent all night out in the boat and have caught nothing. Jesus tells them to throw the net back out on the other side. When they do they catch more fish than they can handle. A few points exist in this interaction that need to be pointed out. First, the disciples caught nothing the whole night. It may seem like a good idea to go back to your old life but you’ll catch nothing. It’s not the same life you remember. Second, Jesus wishes to continue to bless you. The moment you begin to obey Him again you’ll find His blessing. Understand this, the disciples were still out in the boat, living their old life. It was their obedience to Jesus that changed it all. Third, Jesus is pursuing you. Jesus initiated the interaction with Peter. In fact, Jesus used the same miracle that He used when He first called Peter. (Luke 5:1-11) If you’re out on the lake, trust me, Jesus is on the shore calling out to you right now.

When Peter comes in from the boat and is talking with Jesus, the Lord asks him, “Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me more than these?” Several points exist here also and must be pointed out. First, Jesus is asking him if he loves Him more than these fish. In essence, Jesus is saying Peter do you love me enough to leave your old life behind? Going back and forth isn’t an option. The same question is posed to us, “Do you love me more than these?” Second, Jesus asks Peter three times if he loves Him. He doesn’t ask if he’s sorry, if he’s ready, if he likes ministry, what his theology is, or any other question we may think would be important for the upcoming leader of the church. No, Jesus asks if he loves Him. Friends, this is what it’s all about. If you want to be effective in ministry this is THE question to ask: Do I love Jesus so much that everything flows from my love of Him? Third, Jesus tells Peter to ‘feed My lambs’. Though we may feel like a complete failure Jesus see’s potential in us. He see’s our hearts and knows our desires. Friends, continue seeking after Him, loving Him, and obeying Him and Jesus will ask you to feed His lambs.

In conclusion, if you’ve messed up and feel like the biggest failure the world has ever known Jesus still loves you and wants to use you to advance His kingdom. Your responsibility in life isn’t to be perfect but to love Jesus with all your heart. Out of this love your actions will begin to change and match your heart but your sole focus in life should be loving Jesus. Friends, put down your nets and leave your old life behind. You’ve been called to be a fisher of men and your old life will no longer satisfy. No mistake you ever make can separate you from the perfect love of Jesus. AMEN!

The importance of selecting your friends

“But now I have written to you not to keep company with anyone named a brother, who is sexually immoral, or covetous, or an idolater, or a reviler, or a drunkard, or an extortioner–not even to eat with such a person. For what have I to do with judging those also who are outside? Do you not judge those who are inside?”

How many times have you heard the saying, “Bad company corrupts good morals”? How many times have you ignored the saying? Perhaps it’s only me, but for whatever reason, while I was in school I always selected the people who made bad company. Often this bad company, believe it or not, corrupted good morals. Even as adults, we convince ourselves that it’s alright to hang out with certain people who are of questionable character. One of the most redily used and most dangerous lines we convince ourselves with is: ‘Thow shall not judge other people’.

In our politically correct world we’ve become terrified of ‘judging’ other people. We go to great lengths to avoid any accusations of being a judgemental person. Friends, I have news for you. Satan would like for nothing more than for every Christian to completely stop judging others and simply hang out with anyone and everyone. If all believers stopped judging others we’d quickly loose site of righteousness and be blinded by a life of morally smelted grey. Please understand that I’m not advocating a self righteous judgement on the part of believers. Absolutely not. What I am advocating is that believers begin to follow the Spirits leading in their lives, identify sin, and stay away from the sin.

Understand, believers are not to judge non-believers; this is God’s job. We’re called only to judge other believers by their actions. Our judgement of others is not a condemnational judgement but rather more of an assessment. What scripture is teaching us in 1 Corinthians 5:11-12 is not to condemn other people but to be wise in our understanding of the powerful influence sin has in the lives of those around us. When we judge other believers we still love the person but are making a judgement of the amount of sin present in that persons life. It is the sin we are called to disassociate with, not the person. However, the person can’t be seperated from the sin until the backslidden believer denounces the sin in his/her life and is set free by the Lord.

My friends, no one is perfect. I understand this. As you get into the Word and spend more time alone with the Lord you’ll begin to see more clearly those characteristics you no longer wish to associate with. Certainly a believer has no commanalities with a non-believer and as you grow in the Lord you will find some believers who are like non-believers in their actions. I’ve addressed the negative side of this coin so let me lay out the positive side. We, as believers, are called to grow closer to the Lord every minute of every day. The best and most effective way to grow closer to the Lord is to find other people we can walk beside who also desire whole heartedly to walk closer to the Lord every day. By surrounding ourselves with influences that are God honoring we will find it easier to honor God with all that we say and do.

Which ever side of the coin you look at, the principle is the same: surround yourself with people who desire to honor the Lord with their words and actions. People of God, your selection in friends will influence your relationship with the Lord and ultimately will impact your eternal existence. Don’t take the selection process lightly. AMEN!

REMEMBER!

“Remember His marvelous works which He has done, His wonders, and the judgments of His mouth” (Psalm 105:5)

Why do we do such stupid things sometimes? Maybe I’m the only one, but as I look back at my life I see so many times that I did things that were clearly dumb things to do that God had already told me not to do. I’ve required extra patience on God’s part for my learning because I seem to forget much of what He teaches me. It usually takes 3 or 4…or more…very clear messages from God before I really learn something. I say this humerously but the fact is this: it’s pathetic that the Creator of the Universe takes time to teach me something and I quickly forget it.

My friends, I suspect many of you have the same issue. Remembering the things that the Lord has done in your life is not always easy. The Hebrew people had the same problem. Now remember, these people saw such things as the miracles in Egypt, the parting of the Red Sea, the mana come down from God, etc. They saw some pretty miraculous stuff and yet we read in Psalm 106:21, “They forgot God their Savior, Who had done great things in Egypt”.

The problem with forgeting the things God has done for us is revealed in Psalm 106:13-15 where we read, “They soon forgot His works; They did not wait for His counsel, but lusted exceedingly in the wilderness, and tested God in the desert. And He gave them their request, but sent leanness into their soul.” They forgot what God had done for them, they began lusting after things of the flesh, and God allowed them to go after what they wanted. This is scary: when God allows us to go after what we want.

Friends, when we’re allowed to go after the desires of our heart we’re given leanness in our soul. That’s not a good thing! It’s unclear what the original language is trying to say by leanness, but it implies distance from the Lord in your soul. The key to overcoming all of this is to remember what God has done in your life. Begin writing things down; draw pictures on your walls, build monuments, do whatever you need to remind yourself of the things God has done for and with you. God is so good and He’s completely worthy of your rememberance. AMEN!

Why people hate church

“For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed.” (John 3:20)

Let me open with the disclaimer that every individual has a personal story and some people have been deeply hurt in the church. Some of my deepest wounds have come at the hands of well meaning (and sometimes not well meaning) Christians in the house of God. My friends, what I’m explaining here is a Biblical truth which transcends the hardships of life and relationships with other believers and addresses our interaction with the Lord. Many people in our world today hate church because….______________…fill in the blank with any excuse you’d like. These excuses effectively keep many people seperated from the Lord, but they all come back to one thing; sin.

John 3:20 tells us that people living in sin will ‘hate’ the light and anything that represents the light. The excuses are simply ways of covering this reality. As we grow closer to the Lord, we’ll desire to be in His presence more and more. My friends, the Lord has made it abundantly clear through scripture that the church, not the building but the people, is His body. This is why we’re called the ‘body of believers’.

Friends, those living in sin, who greatly dislike and desire to avoid the church at all costs, are the very people who need the church the most. Consider Matthew 11:28-30, “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and My burden is light.” Those living in sin outside the fellowship of believers are incredibly heavy laden. They don’t know and can’t fathom how light the load is once accepting Christ. Friends, it’s our job to help them take the yoke of Christ.

People hate church because sin hates God. We must live our lives close to Him and allow His love to shine through us. (John 13:34-35) The love of the Lord is what will draw people past their hatred and into the body of believers. Our love for them must be greater than their pleasure in sin! Only when the love outweighs the pleasure will the sinner repent and enter the joy of the Lord. Let us begin loving our neighbors out of their hatred. AMEN!