Legacy

How do you want to be remembered? What do you want your legacy to be? Have you given it much thought? Have you worked out a plan to make that legacy real? Are you working on being the person you want to be remembered as?

With the passing of Ravi Zacharias a couple days ago, I’ve been thinking about my own legacy. Not that I haven’t in the past, but I reevaluated myself. I, once again, asked myself how I wanted to be remembered. I asked myself what I wanted my legacy to be. I asked myself if I was working toward that legacy or simply muddling through life.

The most important thing we can do, other than loving God and loving our neighbor, is to put on the full armor of God (Ephesians 6:10-20), if we want a legacy of positive impact. You see, Satan is attacking us each and every day and without the full armor of God, we are defenseless, being herded down a path of destruction.

The next thing we need to do is work at whatever we do as if it is for God (Colossians 3:23). When we pursue the work God has set before us out of love for Him, we will succeed in ways we never thought possible. Of course, this means setting aside our own desires for the desires of God.

One thing for all of us to remember each and every day, we are not guaranteed tomorrow. Another thing to remember is it takes years to build a legacy. Considering both of these truths, we must begin working on our legacy at the earliest possible time with intentionality. Being intentional, keeping our future legacy in mind every day, is key to the pursuit of it.

Find someone you look up to, someone who follows God with a strong faith, someone who does the very best they can each day, to be your example. Choose someone you know and can talk to, not someone far off. Then begin to ask questions, ask them to be a mentor, follow their direction, and get your legacy started.

I don’t know about you, but I want to be remembered for someone who followed Jesus and brought others into the kingdom. Bringing others into the kingdom may be a lofty goal for some, but each one of us can do it with God’s guidance and help. There is no greater legacy to leave than one of positive impact on others, including bringing them to Christ.

I pray we all take time to seriously consider what we want our legacy to be. I pray we decide how we want to be remembered today. I pray each one of us will lay out a plan and begin pursuing a positive legacy now. Be intentional. Be positive. Seek God’s guidance. Pursue your legacy each day.

1 Thessalonians 1:3 We remember before our God and Father your work produced by faith, your labor prompted by love, and your endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.

Tribute to Ravi

Though I don’t personally know Ravi Zacharias, I have listened to him on the radio and via podcast many, many times. He absolutely preached the truth. He was an amazing expositor and wonderful at explaining the gospel in a way that the common person could understand. A shining example for anyone who preaches today.

My prayers go out to his family and friends. This is especially difficult during this time of social distancing. I ask all of you to lift them up in prayer for comfort and strength as they continue to run the multiple ministries Ravi started during his lifetime.

Though his obituary is a little long, it is well worth reading. It is a wonderful demonstration of how someone can transformed from an adolescent at the point of giving to being a stalwart servant of God for decades. God certainly had a wonderful plan for Ravi and he was a willing soul.

https://www.rzim.org/read/rzim-updates/ravi-zacharias-obituary

Free Lunch

Do you have the mentality of earning your keep? Do you believe there is no such thing as a “free lunch?” Do you strive to earn everything you need and want? Do you believe you have earned your way? Do you believe there is something that is free?

I, for one, have always operated on the belief that if I need something or want something, I must earn it. I have always believed in the mantra that there is no such thing as a “free lunch.” In fact, I’ve taught that to others and insisted on it, regardless of what the sign in the window says. Yet, I was wrong.

You see, there is something that’s absolutely free. The only cost is a choice we must make. That choice doesn’t cost us money. It won’t cost us our freedom. It only takes a few seconds of our time. God sent His Son to save us simply because of His awesome mercy toward us.

We often want to put many rules in place for ourselves in the church. We add traditions to our worship services. We put all kinds of decorative artifacts in our buildings. Yet the most profound worship ever recorded was done on a hill side in the middle of God’s creation, not in a building.

When we ask people to come to Jesus Christ, to accept Him as their Lord and Savior, we ask questions. Depending on the specific setting, there may be several questions asked. Do we really need all those questions? Perhaps a single question is required, “Do you accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior?” That’s the only question God is asking. Why do we need to ask more?

I believe we need to be extremely cautious with additions to God’s requirements. We are told in Scripture that these types of additions were one contributor to Jesus admonishing the Pharisees. When we look at what Jesus asked of His disciples while walking this earth, His simple requirement was to believe Him and accept Him. When we do that, we love, we learn, we desire to be like Him, we continue to grow in our understanding of God, and we accept the Holy Spirit into our being in order to change us.

It is God’s great mercy that provides us with salvation. It is He who did all the work to save us. We have nothing to brag about, nothing to point to our own righteousness (for we have none apart from Jesus), not one single thing that can earn our way into heaven. Every bit of it is a gift from God.

I pray we all recognize God’s merciful gift of salvation. I pray we give thanks to God for providing the gift of salvation. I pray each one of us humbles ourselves before God as a sinner who accepts His free gift. Recognize God’s mercy and love. See clearly that He gave you a free gift. Give thanks to Him who provides. Accept His gift.

Titus 3:4-5 But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy.

Children of Light

Are you afraid of the dark? Do often feel like you are wandering around the dark? Do you wonder what is just around the corner? Are you doing anything to get out of the dark and into the light? Are you willing to step into the light?

Many people wonder about aimlessly as if they are in the dark. They have no direction, no ambition, no desire to move forward in a positive way. Even some of us who have experienced the light may revert back to the comfort of our previous darkness. Yet none of us need to live in the dark. There is light and we can be in it.

The darkness we often live in is an internal darkness. We live in the darkness of our own minds. If we are not in the dark, we may be in a fog, which is also hard to see through. We allow ourselves to be overtaken by the fog and darkness. Ultimately, we have a choice to step out of the darkness and into the light.

In order to walk in the light, we must allow God’s Word to be our guide. His Word is as practical today as it was thousands of years ago. You see, we are still human, just as all our predecessors were human. We still struggle with the same struggles they did. Oh, we may have more technology and gadgets and distractions than they had, but the root struggles are the same. As stated in Ecclesiastes 1:9, “there is nothing new under the sun.”

We are to walk in the light, clear headed, and acting as children of the light. We are to be sober minded people who bring thought and wisdom to the group. We are to see things for what they truly are and not follow blindly a false teaching. We are to be fully awake and aware.

Okay, that’s easy to say, but how do we do that? First, we should investigate the situation, news report, and teaching. We likely won’t get to the bottom of everything. After all, we are human. Yet we can stop passing along information that we cannot verify ourselves. We can look at the situation from multiple angles to understand why someone took a specific action. We can be the calm person who knows that God is in control.

I pray we all decide to be children of light. I pray we act and behave as children of light. I pray each of us will make the conscious decision to stop spreading falsities and half-truths. I pray we decide to spread the truth, especially the truth of Jesus Christ. Stop living in the dark. Decide to walk in the light. Be a child of light that reflects God’s light into the world. Be of sober mind.

1 Thessalonians 5:4-6 But you, brothers and sisters, are not in darkness so that this day should surprise you like a thief. You are all children of the light and children of the day. We do not belong to the night or to the darkness. So then, let us not be like others, who are asleep, but let us be awake and sober.

Love in Action

Do you believe actions speak louder than words? Do you have more respect for the person who is doing good things or the person who talks about doing good things? Do you prefer to be around people to walk the walk or those who simply talk the talk?

There is a lot of noise in this world. Unfortunately, a large portion of it consists of people talking a really great game but doing nothing to support their talk. We see in all facets of life. We see in our bosses, our friends, our family, and our neighborhoods. We especially see it in celebrities and politicians.

It’s all exacerbated by the news media. Virtually every news agency in the world has agenda they are pushing. Oh, they may not outright lie or provide false information. What they will do is avoid reporting what doesn’t meet their agenda. The worst thing about this is, we follow them and repeat their behavior.

There is one extremely important thing we can do, regardless of whether we follow specific news agencies, celebrities, politicians, or take sides for or against bosses, family, friends, and neighbors. That is to show our love through our actions. We can take a stand against simply talking the talk and go into action.

Our world needs to see love in action. It needs to see people putting others ahead of themselves to satisfy needs. Each one of us needs to change behavior to demonstrate our love through actions. Otherwise, we are simply part of the problem.

Anyone can talk a good game. Only those who truly care will play a good game. To love through actions, we need to turn our hearts over to God. We need to allow Him to fill our hearts with His Spirit, His love, and His Word. When we become a heartfelt child of God that deeply appreciates what He has done for us, we can’t help but turn our hearts over to Him.

Will we become people who love through actions or continue to be nothing more than a gaping mouthpiece? It’s our choice. Will we choose to allow God to fill us? Or will we continue to have a gaping hole in our hearts? We all should choose wisely.

I pray each of us chooses to demonstrate our love rather than simply mouth the words. I pray we all choose to allow God to fill our hearts. I pray we become people of actions in love and leave behind our talking head behavior. Allow God to fill your heart. Go into action. Show your love by doing. Please God with your behavior.

1 John 3:18 Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth.

In The Beginning…

Have you ever wondered how something is made? Perhaps the computer or smart phone you are reading this on? Or the cake you love so much? Or the chair you’re sitting in? Do you ever wonder how the earth and all the stars you see were created?

We, the human race, have advanced exponentially over the past 30 years in our ability to make things. We have advanced to the point that we have made machines that can make things for us. I’m not talking about the old assembly line machines, but the 3D printing machines that can make intricate parts and machines of their own.

We continue to advance. The advent of the computer, further miniaturizing of processors, memory, and circuit boards has put computers in the palm of our hands that are more powerful than computers that filled an entire room just 30 years ago. Technology has allowed our creativity to grow at a rate that is mind boggling.

Yet, we still cannot create the very basics of life or for life. We cannot create dirt. We cannot create oil. We cannot create atmosphere. We cannot create life. We cannot create plants. We cannot create food.

You may object to some of those. However, I challenge you to create any of them without being given something to create them with. Try creating food with nothing. Try creating dirt with nothing. Try creating anything you want to create without the aid of being given the appropriate materials and chemicals. You can’t do it.

Now, think about life. Think about the complexities of the human body. Think about creating a single strand of DNA. Human DNA has about 3 billion bases in it and it can be found in the smallest slice of our skin. We have learned amazing things about our DNA and yet science continues to discover new information about it.

Who created all of this from nothing? The answer—God. More specifically, the Word of God, AKA Jesus Christ. You see, when God spoke, all of creation came into being from nothing. The Word of God that spoke all things into being is Jesus. So, when we hear that the Creator came to earth and sacrificed Himself for us, it is absolute truth.

I pray we all recognize our Creator. I pray we understand that our Creator loved us enough to be our perfect sacrifice. I pray each of us will be amazed at His creation. See Jesus for who He is. Praise Him for creating all of creation. Praise Him for creating you. Thank Him for your many blessings.

John 1:1-3, 14 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made….The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.

The Full Armor of God

Do you feel strong? Do you feel weak? Are you relying on a power that is far greater than you? Or are you relying solely on your own strength? If you were given the opportunity to access a greater power any time you needed it, would you?

Our world is fraught with people who feel weak. They feel like everyone and everything is against them. They feel like there is no way for them to win. They are correct on two of those three assumptions. They are weak. The whole world is against them. Yet they can win.

How do we win against a world filled with evil? First, we have to stop fighting on our own. We must put on the full armor of God to win that battle. We need to be strong in Him and allow Him to win the battle on our behalf. Paul lays it out very clear in the middle section of Ephesians 6. Let’s take a look at what he says.

  • Put the belt of truth around your waist (Ephesians 6:14a). The truth Paul is talking about is the truth of God’s Word. This is so we can discern between falseness, half-truths, and the truth. It will keep us from being deceived.
  • Put the breastplate of righteous in place (Ephesians 6:14b). This breastplate is given by God, it is not earned. God equips His people with protection and the breastplate is to guard our hearts. It is to keep our hearts from being pierced.
  • Put the boots of the peace of the gospel on your feet (Ephesians 6:15). I use the term boots to equate it to our soldiers today, who wear boots that can take the punishment of rugged terrain, provide them traction, and are light enough to allow full maneuverability. The gospel of peace performs the same functions for us in our spiritual fight.
  • Take up the shield of faith (Ephesians 6:16). This shield is not the small circle shield often shown in the movies. It is the full body length shield the Roman soldiers used to walk side-by-side, effectively creating a moving wall moving forward. Or, it created a wall when under attack that didn’t allow a single arrow to reach a soldier. Our faith is our own, yes, but we are to interlock our faith with our fellow Christians. When the faith of many are interlocked, we build a wall against Satan’s attacks.
  • Put on the helmet of salvation (Ephesians 6:17a). As we might expect, this protects our heads, which are the only portions of our body not behind the shields. Being confident in our salvation helps us defend against those doubts Satan sends our way.
  • Take up the sword of the Spirit (Ephesians 6:17b). This is the only offensive weapon. It is the Word of God. It is knowing our Bible and using it against Satan, to beat him back just as Jesus did. When we combine it with the truth, we can truly discern what is right.

Notice that Paul doesn’t just say to put on the full armor of God once, he says it twice (Ephesians 6:11, 13)! He knew it was doubly important to wear the full armor to fend off Satan’s attacks. He knew if we did not wear all of it, we would fail. Just like our current day soldiers, we can’t go into battle half dressed. We need it all.

I pray all of us will put on the full armor of God. I pray each of us will take time to fully dress ourselves in God’s protective provisions. I pray we study God’s Word more so we can take the offensive against Satan. Be fully dressed for battle. Protect yourself with God’s protective gear. Take up the fight against Satan. Trust that God will provide the win for you.

Ephesians 6:10-11 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.

God’s Path

Have you been predestined? Have you been called? Have you been justified? Have you been glorified? Do you know that God loves you? Do you know that God has done all of those for you? Are you living to fulfill the purpose He has set for you?

We often hear parents tell their children they can be whatever they want to be when they grow up. Why do we lie to our children like that? Especially when it can be a life destroying lie with extremely high expectations. It is extremely rare that any of us end up doing what we thought we wanted to do when we were children. Many times we randomly end up in a profession that we had no thought about.

For example, as a child, I wanted to be a professional baseball player. More specifically, I wanted to play for the St. Louis Cardinals. As I grew older, I realized that dream wasn’t going to come true. I thought I would go on to college and figure out what I wanted to do. Yet by the time I became a senior in high school, I wanted no part of any further schooling. I ended up joining the Marine Corps. I thought I wanted to drive trucks. I ended up working in a warehouse. I decided I had enough of that and got out and…ended up working in a warehouse. I rejoined the Marine Corps and by a strange twist of events ended up in the computer field. When I retired, I continued in the computer field for several years. It is only now that I believe I’m actually pursuing what God wants me to do, which is to become a pastor.

Did you catch all those twists and turns to end up where God wants me to be? In the end, I had very little to do with the choices I made and where I went. I thought I did. People gave me advice. I pondered decisions. Yet, upon reflection, I can see how God led me down a path to put me where He wanted me and provided me the experiences He wanted me to have in order that I would end up where He wanted me to be so I could help others.

After all my experiences and reflections, I now advise people to seek the path God wants them to be on. I found that when we are on the path He has chosen for us is when we are most at peace and experience the most joy.

We should teach our children to seek God’s path for them. We should look at them objectively to determine the skills God has blessed them with. We need to be seeking God’s path for them as well so we can guide them. If we truly have our children’s best interest at heart, we need to stop telling them they can be whatever they want to be and guide them onto God’s path.

I pray we all seek God’s path for our children. I pray we guide them down the path God has blessed them to follow. I pray each one of us will no longer tell our children the lie that they can be whatever they want to be. Seek God. Seek God’s path for you. Seek God’s path for your children. Trust God. Know He is in control.

Romans 8:28-30 And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified.

Bowing Down

Who do you cater to? Who are the people you bow down to? Do you realize you are bowing down to others? Who are you putting ahead of your walk with Jesus Christ? Will you decide to put Jesus ahead of all others?

We bow down to more people in our culture today than we realize. Think you don’t bow down? Who do you worship? Who do you put on a pedestal? What TV shows and actors are you putting ahead of your relationship with God? What sporting events and stars do you put above your relationship with Jesus? How many people are in your conversations? Is Jesus in your conversation? Is God considered when you are with friends and family?

Today’s society puts so many people on pedestals. People seek to be put on that pedestal to point of doing crazy things, capturing them on video, then posting them on YouTube or Facebook in the hopes of the video going viral. Too often, we get caught up in the hype and become part of the problem, encouraging others to do the same.

We often put those who are rich and famous ahead of our relationship with God. Yet we see in today’s current environment, there is nothing those rich and famous can do to help us. We find that they often seem to be even more helpless than those of us who have less than they do. We have figured out these people are not as important in our lives as we might have thought previously.

Folks, it is our brothers and sisters in Christ who will care for us. It is not someone in Hollywood, not someone in Washington, not someone in a state capitol, not someone who owns a mega-business. God takes care of us through others who are in Jesus, who are following Him and His commands.

It is having a relationship with God and His people that we will find companionship, care, love, and solace. It is with God’s people that we can rest assured that we will be provided what we need. It is by turning our hearts to Jesus Christ, following His lead, and spending time with Him and His people that our deepest needs are satisfied.

I pray each of us decides to spend time with God. I pray we all build our relationships with Jesus Christ. I pray we delve into God’s Word to know His love and His commands and decide to follow Him. Put God first in your life. Build your relationship with Jesus. Know that He will provide. Realize it is God’s people who you can lean on. Trust God.

James 2:5-7 Listen, my dear brothers and sisters: Has not God chosen those who are poor in the eyes of the world to be rich in faith and to inherit the kingdom he promised those who love him? But you have dishonored the poor. Is it not the rich who are exploiting you? Are they not the ones who are dragging you into court? Are they not the ones who are blaspheming the noble name of him to whom you belong?

Produce Good Fruit

What are the fruits of your labor? What are the fruits of your relationships? What are the fruits of those you see around you? Do you recognize good fruits and bad fruits? Are you wondering what types of fruits you are producing?

We see all kinds of people as we go about are lives. We see people of different races, ethnic backgrounds, cultural backgrounds, shapes, and sizes. If we take time to notice, we’ll find that those don’t really matter when it comes to the types of fruit they produce. So, what does matter?

We might want to say it is the way they were raised. Yet we see people who were raised in bad neighborhoods or in foster homes that produce wonderful fruit. We may want to say some are just predisposed to be bad people. Yet we see people who have been in gangs, deeply involved in drugs and alcohol, and even sexual slavery who produce good fruit.

You see, it really comes down to two things. First, each person needs to hear the good news about Jesus Christ. Second, that person needs to decide to follow Him. Once these two things have happened, everything else will fall in place.

What we often observe is the person who has grown up in the church takes it for granted and often has a harder time producing good fruit. Yet the person who has lived in the horrible happenings of the world will make an immediate change, once they know Jesus. In some ways, we just don’t understand this. We would think the person who has grown up knowing who Jesus is would be more appreciative.

What I’ve found is that unless we have experienced hardship, we don’t appreciate the good. The most obvious experience I’ve had with this is attending Marine Corps boot camp and being a Drill Instructor. Boot camp has a plethora of tests, many of which purposely put your face in the dirt to determine if you will get back up or simply give up. Going through that crucible forces you to experience tough situations and appreciate the good.

This is why we often hear some people say it wasn’t until they hit rock bottom that they finally looked up and saw Jesus offering His hand to pull them up. It is at a time like this that we will fully accept Him. In order to produce the good fruit He wants us to produce, we must fully accept Him and live for Him. At that point, we become the good tree, not because of ourselves but because Jesus is filling us with His Spirit.

I pray each one of us will see the fruit we are producing and decide we need Jesus. I pray all of us will accept Jesus fully into our lives. I pray we follow God’s plan for our lives. Recognize Jesus’ outstretched hand and take it. See that you need Him. Decide to accept and follow Him fully. Trust Jesus.

Matthew 12:33 “Make a tree good and its fruit will be good, or make a tree bad and its fruit will be bad, for a tree is recognized by its fruit.”