Posts Tagged ‘God’

Why can’t Life be easy?…revisited

Posted: November 30, 2014 in Inspirational
Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
0

why-cant-life-be-easy-162464

Four years ago, I wrote a blog post simply called Why cant life be easy? Because it kind of fit where I was at that point. Well today, 4 years later, I have reached into the archives because it seems to fit yet again for me. Sometimes none of us can understand the ebb and flow of life’s changes both personally or collectively as a family and how they affect us. Waves roll in and out with some being just annoyances while others knock us off our feet completely. This post is just to serve as a beacon along your journey to NOT give up. Stay the course and stay strong for the people who love you. I hope you enjoy the new and improved version of Why can’t life be easy…

 

Have you ever wondered why God allows or even requires the Christian journey to be filled with pain, problems, unhappiness and sometimes misery? Because I have… Why does God put so much emphasis on perseverance, or striving for the prize and winning the race like it says in Philippians?

I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. Philippians 3:14

Why cant the Christian walk be more like a Sprint instead of a Marathon?

I believe that all the lessons and experiences we learn through life; the “Iron Sharpening Iron” moments like we read in Proverbs 27:17; the falling down and getting back up opportunities, but most importantly and through the adversity, is our ability to keep our eyes focused on Him in spite of whatever is set against us…

Because the reason why the Christian walk is a marathon and NOT a sprint is because God intended life to be truly ALL about the journey.

God watches how WE handle the problems we face in this world…are we the kind of guy who gives up and just walks away? Or do we get back up on our feet and keep forging ahead?

Guys, listen to me here because I truly believe that the ones that can pick themselves up from the problem and still keep their eyes on Him…They are the ones that I firmly believe God has chosen to surround Himself in eternity.

 

Life is hard…there I said it…but don’t just give up and let it overwhelm you! Fight back…

 

One of my favorite warriors of the Bible was David who wrestled with these very same questions. Look at what he says to God in Psalms:

Why, O Lord, do you stand far off? Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble? Psalms 10:1

The reality is that David, one of the greatest men in the Bible, struggled just like us. He wrestled with pain and suffering and he cried out to God continuously…and do you know what?

God did NOT forsake him.

The Lord is a refuge for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble. Those who know your name will trust in you, Lord, for you have never forsaken those who seek you. Psalms 9:9-10

Guys, this post is titled, Why can life be easy because many times we cant help but ask that question. I encourage you today, as we move into the holiday season to remember that God hasn’t left you during these times of difficulty but rather He is right there next to you lifting you up. Just hang on and trust because someday here is what we, the ones who have persevered, have to look forward to:

And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Now the dwelling of God is with men, and He will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away. He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new!” Then he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.” Revelation 21: 3-5

Guys, enjoy the journey that you are on and keep the faith because ultimately you will overcome.

 

Until next time Guys…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Is Ignorance really Bliss?

Posted: October 25, 2014 in Something to think about
Tags: , , , , , , , ,
0

ignorance-in-business-unethical

Did you know that God keeps a record of our sorrows and He records our tears?

Record my misery; list my tears on your scroll, are they not in your record?

Psalm 56:8

Did you know that God keeps a record of those who fear him and honor his name?

Then those who feared the Lord talked with each other, and the Lord listened and heard. A scroll of remembrance was written in his presence concerning those who feared the Lord and honored his name. Malachi 3:16

 

Did you know that God judges our secrets?

On that day when, according to my gospel, God judges the secrets of men by Christ Jesus. Romans 2:16

Did you know that God knows the number of hairs on your head?

Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? Yet not one of them is forgotten by God.  Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows. Luke 12:7

OK…so maybe I went a bit overboard with scriptures on this post but only because these particular verses hit a little closer to home than most do because many of us are just going about our lives living in our own bliss right? Why do I say it this way? Because if any of us actually think we are going to skate underneath Gods radar because we consider ourselves good guys and we never really get into trouble or create problems? If you are someone who thinks because of that you will get to cruise right up into heaven?

I have some bad news for you…

For a man’s ways are in full view of the Lord, and He examines all of his paths. The evil deeds of a wicked man ensnare him; the cords of his sin hold him fast. He will die for lack of discipline, led astray by his own great folly.

Proverbs 5: 21-23

Guys, simply put…Ignorance is not bliss…just because you may NOT spend time thinking about God doesn’t mean He isn’t thinking about you. He pays attention to everything you do, everything you think and everything you say and for anyone to think otherwise is foolish…or at least living in ignorance. He made you in His image and because He is God, He is completely in touch and connected to everything about you…EVEN IF YOU DON’T THINK SO.

Your secrets are NOT secrets to God.

You are NOT the only one who knows your deep personal thoughts.                                             ignorance-is-bliss

God knows them too…

I hope this post is not the first time you are hearing that God knows what you are and who you are? Because if it is…well…that knowledge does tend to change the way you handle what you are thinking about and your deep secrets…or at least it should.

My point is this: because there is a God is out there who actually cares enough to number the hairs on your head, or who pays attention to just you, or keeps a record of your tears…Honestly guys, that is the kind of God you should look into further. Where else on this earth would anyone care like that? Short answer…nowhere. No one on this earth can know as much about YOU as He does…

Please don’t ignore what I am telling you today.

My simple recommendation…instead of living in denial that He doesn’t know anything about you or that all of the verses I quoted above don’t apply to you…

Instead…try calling upon His name, Jesus Christ, in order to change your direction.

Trust me on this one guys.

In the end, Ignorance of God and His ways will NOT be bliss…

Until next time guys…

Perseverance

Posted: September 5, 2014 in Inspirational
Tags: , , , , , , ,
0

perseverence

I was walking through our plant the other day and noticed an employee really struggling with a machine he was trying to operate. This guy was working hard, sweating and really under some pressure but what I found strange was his boss was nowhere to be found? As I surveyed the area closely, my eye came across his supervisor far off in a corner…almost hidden. When I went to see what he was doing, he told me he had his eye on this guy from a distance and he wanted to see how this young man would handle this equipment problem on his own. I turned around and looked back at the employee again with his head underneath the machine trying desperately to get the thing to run right and then I looked back at the supervisor…Clearly he noticed the look on my face and he said, “this is the kind of problem that can produce perseverance in someone”. I said, “perseverance?” where did that come from?” He said, “I have been doing this a long time…In my younger days, I would run right over right and help the newbies every time they needed help…but I learned over time, this method really didn’t help them…What they needed was to persevere through the problem until they figured out the solution on their own, then they became the kind of operator I wanted working for me”. I said, “Very impressive…and I agree with you”. But of course, that got me thinking about his lesson to this young man. So I went to the dictionary and I found the word; perseverance:

Continued effort to do or achieve something despite difficulties, failure, or opposition.

Wow…I know the word and I use the word all the time but when I saw what it meant, I was kind of shocked. Perseverance was the word that was meant for our Iron Sharpens Iron blog audience…this is the foundation we are built upon because perseverance is exactly what God wants Christian men to have…a little fortitude…a little toughness and a whole lot of perseverance.

Even more important, God has something to say on this subject and I found the scripture to back this up for us:

Consider it pure joy my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.

James 1:2-4

So now it makes perfect sense right? Do you remember that poor guy at the beginning of my post that was struggling mightily to get that piece of equipment to run? Well ultimately… he was successful and that success has made him a better employee…all because of the simple test his boss put him through…but I will point out one key point here…

HE DID NOT GIVE UP…He kept at it, even though it was hard…

And that is why God tells us that the testing of our faith produces perseverance. He already knew before you were made all of the various predicaments you were going to find yourself in that ultimately would be opportunities to show that you can “get up off of the mat” when you are knocked down. So don’t just lay there…get up!

If you are a Christian, you will be tested. If you are tested, then hang in there because you just read a few lines ago that this same testing and adversity will produce a character quality that is huge for you…perseverance…

Because when you finally achieve the ability to keep on, keeping on, in other words, perseverance. God will truly look down from heaven and smile on you…why?

Because He understands everything YOU went through to get there and He admires the person you became as a result…

Let me leave you with this verse:

Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him.

James 1:12

Until next time Guys…

Hidden Christians

Posted: September 1, 2014 in Something to think about
Tags: , , , , , , ,
0

HIDING_toppick_crop

I recently watched the major motion picture “Gods Not Dead” where the plot was a bitter college professor who tried to push all of his freshman students to proclaim that God is dead before his class would begin each semester. He asked that each of them write, “God is dead” on a sheet of paper, then sign it, and turn it into him. In the story, one of his incoming freshman students could not do this because of his faith, which prompted this angry professor to challenge him to prove the existence of God.

From a Christian perspective, I thought the apologetics were very powerful in the movie and frankly refreshing to hear. Moreover, to understand that this was a movie released to the masses in secular theaters was very exciting to see in this current day. But if you know me and have read this blog, you know that something stood out above all else when I watched this film…and that was the verses quoted below from Matthew 10:32-33 in which Christ said,

“Whoever acknowledges me before others, I will also acknowledge before my Father in heaven. But whoever disowns me before others, I will disown before my Father in heaven.”

Guys, this one hit me like a brick in the head because I know, like you, I am surrounded by hidden Christians who never say anything to anyone about their faith. For those of you who are a light in this world, this post isn’t for you. This particular one is for the rest of us Christian guys who exist in silence before one another and before the almighty God. I am speaking to those who go about their days focused on their “busy-ness” with the light that is supposedly inside of them, is hidden deep inside where no one can see.

My point is that our God is real, no matter how you and I feel about Him, and in my mind I believe that as each day passes, is one more day we will never get back again. For Christians, God continually places opportunities in front of us to share and be an influence for Him…no matter where we are…These are chances just for us. For you and me. They can be opportunities to just say an encouraging word or something more…

Guys…God never intended for you to be undercover. You are not a spy for Christ in this world; you are one of His disciples and its time for you to be a voice for Him rather than silent. I am NOT trying to guilt you or scare you but Christ’s words are very clear in the verse above… But whoever disowns me before others, I will disown before my Father in heaven.

Please…please think about those words. They are for you and for me…Do not find yourself in that position someday…

Until next time Guys…

Sins Destructive Purpose

Posted: August 23, 2014 in Something to think about
Tags: , , , , , , , , , ,
0

Sin-archery

All of us have had friends or even family that chose to go a different way other than Christianity and for those people in our lives, we continue to pray that they will someday soon, see the light that is waiting for them…In today’s post, I want you to focus on that choice they made and why they made it? Here is what I mean; what was so attractive about sin that made them change their course in life and move towards it, rather than Christ? Now you say, “they didn’t choose sin, they chose (insert choice here)” In reality though, if you did not choose Christ, then you did choose sin. Here is why I think that way…

I have titled today’s post Sins Destructive Purpose because I wanted you to have a better understanding through symbolism, of what sin is and what sin does…

What Sin is:

Sin is dark, Sin is thick, and Sin is dense

In my real life, I work with ink in the printing world and there we have what we call regular black ink we use all the time, but we also have something called dense black for specific applications. Dense black is filled with an overabundance of black pigment to make it ultra-black and highly opaque. You cannot see through dense black and therefore, light cannot pass through. One more point, if you get dense black on your hands, it doesn’t clean off…it takes several times of cleaning to lose the severe stain it leaves.

Please understand that sin is the same way, it’s filled with the darkness of the worst kind and it has a disgusting ability to stick to us. In fact, it’s like dense black like I mentioned above, because even when just a small amount gets on you, sin just doesn’t come off.

Sin has an Odor

Without being completely disgusting, you can think of the worst experience you have ever had that involves smell…road kill, skunk, changing a diaper…the smell of sin is far beyond our ability to imagine. It infects, permeates, and overwhelms an environment like nothing else. Sin is a “senses overwhelming” experience…that CANNOT be hidden. If sin is near, and you are tuned into its presence as a Christian, it cannot hide. However, believe this or not, the stink of sin is attractive at some point…otherwise why would so many people go that way?

What Sin does:

Sin is Alive

Sin is a disease that understands you…and you are a fool if you think otherwise…sin is driven to destroy. Sin’s only purpose is destruction. Satan is behind sin…he controls its desire to seek, hunt, and attack and YOU are in his crosshairs. When you move, it moves. When you think…it stops to wait to see what you are going to do…then it reacts. Sin is the ultimate in negative interactivity…

Guys, After reading the above, you probably feel like you need to take a shower but I felt impressed today to share the reality of what sin really is so you are prepared for defense. The bottom line is right now, you have the same sin as I described above, in you or on you and if you don’t do something about it, well, I think you know what ultimately will happen.

Let me briefly share with you an experience that Christ had and how it moved him when he encountered sin. There is a story in the New Testament about a friend of Christ that was ill and then died shortly after that. His name was Lazarus. Jesus was in another city and when he got word of his friend’s illness, he delayed another two days before leaving (you will have to read the story to understand why he did this) but when Jesus did arrive, he encountered a great deal of sadness and weeping people that leads us to the verse I want to share with you:

When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come along with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in spirit and troubled. John 11:33

In this instance, why was Jesus so deeply moved in spirit and troubled? After looking into this further, I found that Jesus was grieved and angered by all the misery resulting from sin, Satan, and death.

The anguish He saw around him saddened him greatly, but it actually made Him angry even more. Jesus hates sin for all of the reasons I showed you above because of what it does to you and me…He hates sin. And guess what? He wants you to hate sin as well…Look at Hebrews 1:9;

You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness; therefore God, your God, has set you above your companions by anointing you with the oil of joy.”

I am not going to leave you hanging though…sin can be defeated through the redeeming power of what Christ did on the cross. All of the nastiness I described above can be wiped away by simply submitting to Christ’s plan for you and most importantly, asking for forgiveness…

Today’s title was Sins Destructive Purpose; which means, God has a plan for you, but so does Satan and for any of us to think otherwise is certain death. Guys, I care about you enough to be truthful to you and to share what I think is important for you in your own spiritual lives. Satan seeks to devour and God seeks to save…is sin really that attractive when you know what happens at the end of life’s story?

You get to make the choice…

I choose to eternal life…what say you?

Until next time guys.

It’s time to hit the Reset Button

Posted: July 19, 2014 in Inspirational
Tags: , , , , , , , , , ,
0

reset_button-scaled500

We recently finished a very successful Little League season that had us advancing to and winning our local city tournament. After a 24-game season and then a tournament where we faced 6 more local teams…to actually win first place, was very gratifying…

But I have to be honest it wasn’t always that way.

This season provided many of the normal low points that most seasons typically do with one exception; as a team, we discovered something we dislike universally…playing badly. But even more important, we discovered a way to stop this team from “falling off the cliff”. Honestly, this one simple moment truly saved us from being one of the worst teams into being one of the best.

I remember the actual game and frankly, the one particular inning where we literally could not do anything right. We could NOT get an out to save ourselves…hit after hit and run after run, we could not stop this train from certain destruction. When we finally hit the 10-run threshold and to many errors to count, I told the other coach “let me go talk to them”…he mumbled something completely incoherent because I honestly think he was in shock.

As I walked to the mound, I called the entire team over for a conversation. As I stared into those 11-12 year old boys faces, I saw tears and I saw anger but most of all I saw hopelessness. They literally had given up the thought they could do anything right. They were so upset and had completely lost their direction…does this sound familiar to anyone?

I told them “Guys, you are so much better than what I see here today. We have practiced these plays over and over again…frankly, to many times to count”.

“Here is what I want you to do, in this game right now…I want you to hit the reset button inside of you. From urlthis point on, we are starting this game over. We are playing from the beginning again…We are resetting”.

They all looked at me like I was crazy. Our shortstop Tyler spoke up and asked, “what do you mean coach?” “How do we reset?” I told him, “When you reset something, it clears the past or the previous from affecting the future”. Everything that has happened in this game is now over. We are each going to reset and focus on the next play, our next at bat and all of us are going to try our hardest to get out of this inning”

Our catcher chimed in at this point, “come on guys, we can do this, we have to reset. We have to hit the reset button”

So here is what I will tell you, we did not win that game. But we did get out of that nasty inning without giving up another run. More importantly however, the next time we had the beginnings of another poor inning, our catcher pulled the infield together and gave them the reset speech…and guess what, it worked…

As you can imagine, that simple life lesson got me thinking about you guys and the painful 10-run bad inning equivalents we have in our own lives. News flash: sometimes life hurts and it does NOT go our way. In fact, I firmly believe there are many of you right now reading this that are having a very hard time for a variety of reasons and frankly are just looking for some hope. Guys, I am not going to insult your intelligence by saying to just hit your internal reset button and everything will magically get better. We all know that is not the way anything in this life works.

What I will tell you though is if you hit the reset button with God…that will work.

Right now, God is patiently waiting for you to run to Him. He is not the God who will write in the sky, “Hey (your name here)…call me now and let’s fix this” we know He doesn’t work that way. Our God has a still, soft voice that is always calling…we are just too loud or too busy to hear Him.

Guys…today…take my challenge to you…

Hit the reset button with God by praying this prayer right now:

“God…things are not going well right now and I need you to help. Humbly I ask that you take over my life and cause me to reset my relationship with you. I can’t do this on my own. I need you to direct my steps and make my paths straight.

God, I trust in you and I believe in you and no matter what happens, I know you are in control. Please use your Holy Spirit to help guide me during difficult times and thank you for what you are doing for me right now”…

If you prayed that prayer and believe you hit the reset button with Him, I could not be any happier…congratulations. I would also ask that you leave me a note on this blog if you prayed that prayer. This blog has always been about encouragement and knowing you hit your reset with Him is very encouraging to me…

Until next time guys…

Make Serving God…Your Resolve

Posted: June 25, 2014 in Inspirational
Tags: , , , , , , ,
0

resolveSometimes I find myself sometimes frustrated with people who struggle with making what I call “simple decisions”. Have you ever been in a line behind someone who can’t decide what kind of coffee they would like or whether to use paper or plastic bags? I often wonder how indecisive people make it through life when basic decisions seem to elude them. Now please don’t misunderstand me, I am not picking on anyone here, I am just very different about things like that.

With that said, I have found the same to be true when people choose religion or a god based upon that lifestyle. For some, they pick gods that are very similar to themselves in that there are very few rules or guardrails to worry about which means they can do what they want…no real decisions or commitments to make but the best part is, they can opt out at any time.

Other people go down a completely opposite path where they decide to commit totally and give up huge portions of their time and money to stay connected to their god. Some even commit their families and give up personal opportunities all in the name of religion…On this side, opting out is far more difficult.

Now again, please don’t misunderstand me here, I am just trying to point out the vast differences between how and what my observations are when I watch people and the great differences in what I would call resolve.

In the dictionary it says about resolve:

To come to a definite or earnest decision about; determine (to do something): I have 

resolved that I shall live to the full.

Resolve is a strong word in my mind because it connects directly to making a decision and being determined to stay the course. When it comes to becoming a Christian, it takes great resolve to make that first step and move forward in young faith and I admire the ones that do. Many times however, like other things in our lives, the “new” can wear off and frankly, that is where your resolve comes in. Only because I have been a Christian for many years do I see this more in my own life. Honestly, sometimes I have to “make up my mind” that will not deviate from the path I am on even though it may be tiring or NOT the path of least resistance. I have determined for my own life that I am choosing God and where He takes me I do not know…but I do know that on this journey, I will not stop holding onto Him. Determined. Resolve. Anchor.

Have you made up your mind to do something and then resolved to stick with it until theI-resolve end? Maybe your marriage is on rocky ground but you are resolved to continue to work things out? Maybe your job stinks but you are determined to bloom right where you are? Sometimes we choose “resolve” in these areas because we don’t think there is any other way but to be truthful, there is. We can also choose to change or even improve these areas with effort…but when it comes to your God…it takes all the resolve you can muster…why? Because God has never promised an easy road for you or me. Your road as a Christian will probably be a rocky one not because you are a Christian, but because you have CHOSEN to be a Christian. Because of your choice, that puts you in a different category in the eyes of Satan. It will take all of your resolve to stay committed…because you are under attack.

Remember this for your dose of encouragement:

“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” John 16:33

The purpose of this post is NOT to convince you to have resolve in your journey but to encourage you to KEEP your resolve. Guys…make your choice and then move on…be consistent, push forward, and know that God will not leave you hanging out there alone…He will be right there at your side honoring your resolve to serve Him.

Guys, today I encourage you to make serving God your resolve.

Make your choice…

Stay determined…

Live for Him…

 

Until next time guys…

 

In God we Trust

Posted: March 2, 2014 in Something to think about
Tags: , , , , ,
0

penny-on-sidewalk

I found this story recently and I enjoyed it because it is a simple reminder for all of us to Trust God. I have written a great deal on IronManStrength blog about keeping our eyes focused on Him while in the midst of our storm. We have to trust in Him, no matter what we see going on around us…and as you will see from this simple story, sometimes God uses small, insignificant things to remind us to do just that…trust in Him. I don’t know who wrote this and it does appear to be a few years old, but I hope you receive its message as I did…

Several years ago, a friend of mine, and her husband were invited to spend the weekend at her husband’s employers home. My friend, Claudia, was nervous about the weekend because the boss was very wealthy with a very large home on the river as well as cars that cost more than her house.

The first day and evening went well, and Claudia was very happy to have this rare glimpse into how the very wealthy live. The employer was very generous as a host and took them to only the finest restaurants. Claudia knew she would never have this opportunity to indulge in this type of extravagance again so she was enjoying herself immensely. As the three of them were about to enter an exclusive restaurant that evening, the boss was walking slightly ahead of Claudia and her husband when he stopped suddenly, looking down on the pavement for a long, silent moment. Claudia wondered if she was supposed to pass him because there was nothing on the ground except a single darkened penny that someone had dropped, and a few cigarette butts. Still silent, he reached down and picked up the penny and he held it up and smiled while putting it inside his pocket as if he had found some great treasure. How crazy! What need did this wealthy man have for a single penny? What would he even take the time to stop and pick it up?

Throughout dinner, the entire scene nagged at her and finally she could stand it no longer so she casually mentioned that her daughter had a coin collection and asked if the penny he found had some value?  A smile crept across the man’s face as he reached into his pocket for the penny and held it out for her to see. She had seen many pennies before so what was the point of this?

20111207-PickUpPenny

“Look at it,” he said, “read what it says”

She read the words aloud, “United States of America”

“No, not that read further.”

“One cent?”

“No, keep reading.”

“In God we trust?”

“YES!”

“And?”

“And if I trust in God, the name of God is holy, even on an old coin. You see, whenever I find a coin I see that inscription. It is written on every single United States coin, but we never seem to notice it? God drops a message in front of me telling me to trust Him and who am I to pass it by? When I see a coin, I stop and pray to see if my trust IS in God at that moment. I pick up the coin as a response to God; that I DO trust in Him. For a short time at least, I cherish it as if it were gold. I think it is Gods way of starting a conversation with me…Lucky for me, pennies are plentiful.”

When I was out today, I found a penny on the sidewalk. I stopped and picked it up and realized that I had been worrying over things that I had no control over. I looked down and read the words, “In God we Trust” and began to smile. “Yes God, I get the message!”

I don’t know about you, but it seems like I have been finding an inordinate number of pennies in the last few months…

I am very thankful that God is patient…

 

I hope you enjoyed…Until next time guys…

Christians are Just Hypocrites…

Posted: February 9, 2014 in Something to think about
Tags: , , , ,
0

images

I had a great conversation with a friend of mine recently who was working very hard at making the point with me as to how Christianity can actually work when all Christians are just hypocrites? He pointed out that every time he sees a Christian, they are failing miserably at living out their stated beliefs rather than conforming to more of what Christ is all about and he can’t understand anyone would do that? If Christians are truly committed to Christ, why do they fail?

The objective of this post is to summarize the answer I gave him in order for all of you to see if you agree with me in my breakdown of his question. Any constructive feedback is welcome here.

“First of all”, I stated, “The failure of some people to live according to their stated beliefs does not invalidate Jesus’s claims to be God.” I wanted to first separate the issue…we have Christianity and the claims of Christ and then we have all of us, who are working each day to be more like Him and to his point, failing. Just because some Christians fail to live out Christianity in their personal life does not mean that Christianity and what Jesus claimed was false. Christianity is a personal choice that one makes inside their own heart and the more that person allows God to change them, the more they begin to conform into a more “Christ-like” person. In reality, everyone is different and each Christian, who has allowed God into their lives, has done so at varying degrees and therefore is experiencing God at different levels.

Secondly, the Bible is also very clear that Jesus alone is perfect, and it is honest about the failures and weaknesses of His followers. Remember these were the guys who lived and worked right next to Him. His disciples in the book of Mark were constantly making mistakes and even arguing amongst themselves as to who was the greatest among them. Each and every day, we go about our day working towards perfection but fully knowing we will never reach that goal.

Thirdly, Jesus taught that there will always be false teachers and fakes (Mark 13:6, 21-22) who pretend they are Christians but who are not and this is still true today. There are false teachers among us working to eliminate Christians from the ranks of Christ. False teachers pretend to be something that they are not, and that alone can cause anyone who does not have a strong faith in Christ to fall. Those people aren’t hypocrites, they are Christians with no roots in Christ and the allure of their former life was/is simply too strong for them to resist.

Finally, I told him, “Everyone is a hypocrite in some sense”. No matter how hard we try, we are sinners and fall short of the glory of God (Romans 2:23). That fact alone can cause some professed Christians to sometimes be hypocrites…but Jesus calls those who follow Him to change and grow more like Him; that is our responsibility as one who follows Christ. As I told my friend, don’t be discouraged if you have met some Christians who are not yet perfect. They will never be on this side of eternity.

We are all just a work in progress…

Until next time guys…

Humility Looks Good on You…

Posted: January 27, 2014 in Inspirational
Tags: , , , , , ,
0

images

I had the opportunity recently to hear a former major league pitcher speak at a meeting of the Better Men; an organization designed for a similar purpose as this blog, to assist and support men as they walk down the journey of life. Bob Scanlan, who pitched in the 90’s with the Phillies, Cubs and the Brewers talked a little about his career in Baseball, his current one in broadcasting, as well as some great Baseball stories. More importantly, he emphasized a whole lot about being humble. He made the statement that I really liked and will really resonate well with this audience when he said, “there are two kinds of people, those who are humble and those who are about to be”. Coming from a guy who played on one of the biggest stages, that was refreshing to hear.

But it wasn’t always that way, early on he was like many of the guys we see on the court or the field in the professional ranks, he was full of himself and acted as if the entire world revolves around him. As a result, Scanlan went through some real lows early in his career that caused him to change but his biggest change came when he accepted Jesus Christ into his life as his personal savior. The irony was that even after his experience with God, more bad career news followed; he got cut because he wasn’t living up to the expectations that people had in him…poor performance caused him to hit a new low in his life. What’s interesting though is he didn’t give up. He kept on persevering and slowly, over time he became a better pitcher and eventually got his break in the big leagues and he never looked back…

He told a story about a particular Sunday when he was pitching for the Brewers and he was preparing to face a very powerful hitting Indians lineup that included Albert Bell. As the beginning of the game neared, he knew he was ready and put his game face on… however before the game began, it was a Sunday tradition that local little leaguers would accompany the players to their positions for the national anthem. Scanlan was completely focused on the ensuing game and was not paying attention until he noticed the whole stadium had gone quiet. When he looked around to see why, he realized there was a boy in a wheelchair on his way to his mound and was struggling to get over the baselines where the dirt and grass met. When the little boy finally made it to where Scanlan was standing, he looked up with a huge smile on his face. When their eyes met, tears suddenly welled up in Scanlan’s eyes and he turned away from the child during the anthem so no one would see him cry…

When he went to shake the boy’s hand, he told his parents “your son is a blessing” and they both responded “we know”. Then he proceeded to go out and have one of the worst games of his career by giving up multiple runs in the first inning and he was out of the game by the second. Whatever intensity Scanlan had worked up before the game, had been lost as a result of the encounter with the boy.

After the game, Scanlan was angry. He was mad at the Brewers and Little League for having a day like this that screwed up his focus and caused him to fail. He had worked very hard to prepare for that game and he was gone before he had a chance to know what was happening. He struggled with a poor attitude for almost 2 months until it hit him…on that Sunday, that little boy silenced a crowd of over 30,000 people and even made a major league pitcher cry simply by his efforts just to get to the mound. On that day, he realized that life was not about him focusing hard to throw a baseball and win, it was about how he could touch people and impact them. How many of us get caught up in how great WE are and forget about what’s really important. Think about it, nothing you have ever done for YOURSELF has EVER been life changing for anyone else. Personally, nothing I’ve ever done for me has ever made a difference in this world…it’s only what I have done for other people that changed lives.

Guys, do you remember Scanlan’s earlier statement about being humble? “There are two kinds333-310Bk of people, those who are humble and those who are about to be…”

Which one are you? My challenge to you today is to work to get focused on what you can do to make an impact on someone else. It is SO EASY to do things for you, WE DO THAT EVERYDAY…but I am asking you to look around and see what you can do for the guy next to you. Then maybe the next time I see you we can say to each other…

“Hey brother, I just wanted to tell you that humility looks very good on you…”

Until next time guys…

Older Entries
Newer Entries