"Being Productive"

Physical skills need to be developed. No matter what the skill, a pianist, a juggler, a basketball player, a singer, all need and become better with practice. If we are going to increase our spiritual qualities we must practice and develop them into what God wants them to be.

Have you ever seen an inactive or barren Christian? I have seen plenty of them. Most of them became that way because they never developed the skill of making their Christian life productive. God wants our lives to produce fruit. If we are going to have fruit that remains we must be developing our lives in such a way that we are able to bear that fruit.

No one becomes a solid, grounded Christian on accident. It must be done on purpose. Become productive. You can do it.

Paul's View on Life

In II Timothy 4 the Apostle Paul, reveals to Timothy that he is coming to the end of his life. In doing so, Paul gives what his view of life had become over the years God granted him life.

The first thing I see is that Paul viewed life as an offering. Not just any offering, but he offered his life for the Lord. What have you offered your life for? Your spouse, your children, your job, your recreation, your church or your Lord? If you have offered you life for anything other than for the Lord, all of those other things mentioned suffer. In order to be the right spouse, parent, worker, or church member, we must first be the right kind of Christian, and that requires offering your entire life to the Lord.

The second thing I see about Paul's view on life, is that he viewed it as a battle. We are not going to have a good battle in this life if we do not take orders from the Commander in Chief, and that's the Lord Jesus Christ. There are a lot of things that can happen during battle and we must be in direct contact with what the Lord wants for our lives.

The third thing I see is that Paul viewed life as a test of Faith. Don't base your faith on others. They will let you down every time. It doesn't matter if it's you own mother or father. They will disappoint you at sometime. Put your faith and trust in the Lord. No matter what happens in this life, keep the faith. Life may test your faith, but you must pass the test.

"When God Speaks - Do you listen?"

John 15

Have you ever tried to go an entire day without speaking? I find it near impossible. I like talking so much, I even talk to myself from time to time and have even had disagreements! Speaking is one of the most vital aspects in our lives. Communication is highly important. It's how we express everything. Now while there is verbal communication, there is also non-verbal communication. You know exactly what I'm talking about. When your spouse is across a crowded room and your about to say something very stupid (men, we probably already did) then you get the look. Yes, everyone knows "the look." That is the non-verbal communication.

Have you ever been ignored, or maybe been the one doing the ignoring? Of course you have! We all know what being ignored feels like, yet even so, we still do it to others.

The question today is simply this: When God speaks - do you listen? Does God have your undivided attention? In John 15, Jesus said, "My sheep hear my voice". Have you placed your life in a position to hear God's voice? You must be near by in order to hear him. I have found in my life that God often speaks to me in 3 different ways.

1. Sometimes He speaks directly - that still small voice. That voice that if I'm not close enough I miss what He's saying.
2. Sometimes He sends a messenger - the preacher. I can't even begin to count the times that God has spoken to me through the preaching of His Word.
3. Sometimes He sends a Text message - the Bible. Again, to count the times God has given me something just from reading His Word would be a lame attempt.

Notice the similarities between these three ways. We must be in the right position. If we are not walking daily with Him we may miss that still small voice. If we skip church for a ballgame or a family reunion we may miss what God wanted to say to us. If we neglect our Bibles, how can we expect God to speak to us. Stop ignoring what He is trying to say to you. Listen.

"What in the world is wrong with me?"

Have you ever asked yourself this question? "What in the world is wrong with me?" I know I have. Plenty of times. I John 4:4 says, "Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world."

Hey, let's face it, if we look long and hard enough we can come up with some pretty good reasons as to what in the world is wrong with us. However, instead why not recognize our position in Christ and find out what is right with us. Don't worry about how you feel as much as what you know the Word of God tells you. Remove the weights from your life and press ahead, trusting Christ all along the way. Isn't good to be free?

"A Good Name is all about choices"

Proverbs 22:1 "A good name is rather to be chosen than great riches, and loving favor rather than silver and gold."

What's in a name? When we hear certain names certain things come to mind. What do you think about when you hear the name, George Washington? Thomas Jefferson? John Wilks Booth? Jimmy Carter? John Wayne? Tom Cruise? Bill Clinton? There is a lot that we think about. But the Bible says that what ever it is that you think about a good name, or even a bad name for that matter, your opinion is derived from the choices made by the person that owns the name.

A good name is chosen. A person that has a good name has made several good choices in their life. Not that they are perfect, but they have considered what and how they are perceived in this life.

How is your name? Is it good? You know, it saddens me deeply to think that there may be people reading this paragraph today that would not have a good opinion of my name. But I have to live with the fact that I have made certain choices in this life that have very possibly caused my name not to be good with some people. You may be in the same place. But with God's help and good future choices to be made, our names can be good! It's all about how we choose. What will you choose? I hope you will choose A good name.

'The Bitter Waters were Made Sweet"

Exodus 15:25 "And he cried unto the Lord; and the Lord shewed him a tree, which when he had cast into the waters, the waters were made sweet: there he made for them a statue and an ordinance, and there he proved them,"

Oh, the trials in the wilderness! In Exodus 15, three days had passed since they made their voyage out of Egypt. Boy, were they thirsty! They wanted some water and they wanted it right then. When they finally found water, the Bible tells us that they couldn't drink it because it was bitter. Moses cried unto the Lord and God showed him how to sweeten those bitter waters. And the people drank. Because they trusted God, the next place that God led them to was Elim, where there was 12 bountiful wells waiting for them.

Whatever the trial is in your life, take it to the Lord. As soon as you pray, God already has an answer. Think about it. When Moses cried unto God, God showed him a tree. The tree was already in place before they ever arrived. What if Moses had not cried unto God at that time? What if he said, "Alright this water is no good, let's keep moving." Many would have lost their lives. God already had an answer and a solution. Don't make a decision first, act upon it, then expect God to just fix everything. Go to Him first, He has the answer. He'll make your bitter waters, sweet! Trust Him.

"Throw Some Wood on the Fire"

Proverbs 26:20a "Where no wood is, there the fire goeth out..."

We need a spiritual revival in our churches today. In order for that to happen we need someone who will be willing to cut down, prepare, and throw some wood on the fire that is already there.

Today the fire is out in many churches. That's because the fire has gone out of many of the homes that make up the churches. And that is the result from the fire going out in many hearts. You see all of these things are connected. We have allowed our own ambitions and desires to choke out the fire that once burned ablaze within our hearts.

Get a hold of the Word of God, stir the glowing embers of love and grace in your heart, and then throw some wood on and watch how God will once again cause the fire to burn brightly.

"Moments of Pleasure or a Lifetime of Happiness?"

Proverbs 21:17 "He that loveth pleasure shall be a poor man..."

People are often seeking happiness through moments of pleasure. Unfortunately, our happiness is not ultimately derived from the pleasures that we experience in this life. The Bible does explain that while there me be some moments of pleasure from sin, but it is not lasting and in the end it only brings turmoil, sadness, distress, and death.

Many have ruined their lives by seeking happiness from a moment of pleasure. Think about it: The man with a bottle... The girl with her boyfriend...The man with a magazine or website. I could on and on.

The main thing we must remember is that moments of pleasure do not bring lasting happiness. However a life of happiness does bring great pleasure.

The following verses in the Bible explain how to have a life of happiness:

1. Psalm 144:15


2. Psalm 146:5


3. Proverbs 3:1-18


4. Proverbs 16:20


5. Proverbs 29:18

"Ten Principles on Making a Decision"

The following list is one that I wrote in the back of my Bible on Aug. 25th, 2002. I hope it is a help and blessing to you as much has it has been to me.

1. Never make a decision based on feelings.
2. Always wait before making a decision
3. Make the decision based on what God would want
4. The decision should be based on "will it bring Glory to the Lord"
5. Find out what the Bible says before making the decision
6. Research the matter before making the decision
7. Count the full cost before making the decision
8. Have a list of counserllors that help you make decisions
9. Never make a decision that will pull you away from God's Word
10. Once a good decision has been made, don't reverse the decision.

"I'll Use My Burden"

Galatians 6:5 "For every man shall bear his own burden."

In life, no one is exempt from having burdens. They come to all of us. To the rich and to the poor. To the mighty and to the weak. Everyone from time to time has burdens. In Galatians chapter 6 the Bible gives us some insight to our own burdens. We must learn to carry them on our own.

When it comes to our own burdens we need to learn to look at them as a tool. When we have a burden we often say to God, "God I can't be used by you as long as I have this burden distracting me." And yet in my life it always seems to be that God says back, "It was with that burden that I was planning on using you." Turn your burden into a tool that can be used, rather than just allowing it to weigh you down.

The second thing I see about burdens is that we can carry more with our burdens than with out them. Our burdens make our shoulders broader. They make our backs stronger. They make our minds keener. They make our hearts softer. Our burdens will allow us to perform what Galatians is instructing us to do - assist in the carrying of other peoples burdens.

Stop fighting the burden God has allowed into your life and use it to bear the burdens of others.

"Building A House"

Psalm 127:1 "Except the Lord build the house, they labor in vain that build it: except the Lord keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain."

As a pastor, I am always thinking about the strength of our church. There is only one difficult thing to understand when pondering on that. It's this, the church is only as strong as it's strongest member. But it doesn't stop there. The church is also as weak as it's weakest member. I believe today that it is imperative that we have a strong churches. But I have come to a conclusion, we will not have strong churches if we don't have strong families. We will not have strong families unless we have strong, faithful husbands and fathers. We will not have strong, faithful husbands and fathers without strong, supportive wives, mothers, and children. Basically in the end we must have each member in each family striving together in service to the Lord. Let's purpose to become what God would have us to be. Strong in the Lord, and in the power of His might!

"Can't or Won't?"

II Corinthians 12:9 "And he said unto me, 'My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness.' Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me."

"I can't get along with my wife/husband." "My spouse and I can't communicate with each other." "I can't discipline the kid's the way I should." "I can't stop overeating." "I can't find the time to pray." "I can't find the time to read my Bible." "I can't quit gossiping." "I can't be faithful to church." I can't, I can't, I can't......or should it be, I won't?

We tell ourselves these statements all the time. I can't do this or I can't do that. The fact of the matter is, is that most of the time it truly is not that we can't it is that we won't.

In II Corinthians 12:9 the Bible tells us that it doesn't matter what is going on in our lives - We can. We can because His grace is sufficient. In Ephesians 3:16, we can because He has given us His might. In II Peter 1:3-4, We can because of His promises. In I Corinthians 10:13, We can because He has provided us a way out. In Philippians 4:13, We can because the Bible says we can.

What is it that you think you can't do? You can if you take God at His word. Trust Him and you CAN! Do it today. You CAN do better.

"Committed to Christ"

Romans 12:1 "I beseech you therefore brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service."

Commitment: "The act or process of consigning, delivering or entrusting, as for safekeeping." Here in Romans 12 we find commitment is defined for us. The Lord wants us to put our trust in Him for safekeeping. Not just part of our trust but our full trust, our whole body. Our whole body means everything there that defines who we are. When you think about it, it means what we eat, where we live, where we go, what we wear, what we say, what we think, etc. All of these things are to be committed to Christ for His safekeeping.

For those of us who are Christians, commitment is not optional. It is a demand from Christ. We must serve God in His timing and under His conditions. If we are going to live our lives committed to Christ we are going to have to have patience and perseverance in the race of life.

So go ahead, commit your life to Christ for his safekeeping. It is truly a reasonable life to live.

"The Great Appraiser"

Matthew 6:21 "For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also."

If you take the time to go back and read in verse 19 of Matthew 6, you will find the instruction not to "lay up treasures upon the earth." We are told this because those treasure are temporary. We have valuable things here on earth, but compared to the heavenly treasures they don't even compare. Usually when you want to know how much something is worth, you take it to an appraiser. The appraiser evaluates the item and then gives the item a value. We must understand that God is the appraiser of all things in this life. God places more value on a man's soul than he does upon anything else. When we spend our time on things and activities that are temporary, it often frustrates our relationship with God. May we learn to place our obedience to the principles found it the Word of God. Obedience is a life long lesson that we all must apply to our lives if we are going to live the way God would have us live.

"The Uncertainty of Life"

James 4:14 "Whereas ye know not shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away."

Here in our verse today, James tells us that our lives are nothing more than a mere vapour. It's here for a while then it is gone. We only get one life to live. We need to spend it wisely, doing the will of God, and preparing ourselves to meet Him when this life is over. As you read this devotion, can you see the vapour dissipating from your life into the air of eternity?

If we were totally honest with ourselves, we would have to say one of two things today. Either, "I am living my life based on the Word and the will of God." Or, "I am going my own way, doing my own thing, rarely considering what God wants for my life." I know that these are two extreme places to be, and that most are going to find themselves somewhere in the middle of both.

Wherever you find yourself today, watch for the vapour dissipating from you life, and do your best to draw yourself closer to God. Let it be a challenge to you, to live your life according to what God wants as opposed to what you want. You only have one life, spend it for Him.