30
Jan '18
Destination Disease
30
Jan '18
January 30, 2018
Too many people suffer from Destination Disease. They reach a certain level in life … and then they just coast.
Studies show that 50 percent of high school graduates never read another book their entire life. One reason may be that they see learning as something you do in school – just something you do for a period of your life, instead of as a way of life.
On the other hand, exceptional people – exceptional people like you – never stop learning. God did not create you to reach one level, then stop. Whether you’re nine years old or ninety years old, you should be constantly learning, constantly improving your skills, constantly getting better at what you do.
Let me tell you something else: You have to take responsibility for your own growth. Growth is not automatic.
My question for you is this: Are you doing anything strategic and intentional to keep growing? If not, you can start right now. Come up with a personal growth plan. It can be something simple like: “I will get up every morning and spend the first twenty minutes reading and making notes in my Bible.” Or: “I will listen to a teaching CD every day during my lunch break.” Or: “I meet with a mentor twice a month.” Or: “I will be in church every week.”
That’s a definite plan. And listen! When you take responsibility for your growth, God will honor your efforts.
I’ll tell you what I’m thinking …
Promotion, good breaks, good business opportunities, and good connections are in your future. But now is the time to prepare.
Don’t get caught in the Destination Disease.
There is treasure in you, just waiting to be developed. Make a decision to grow in some way every day.
Because you are prepared, I believe that God will open doors for you that no man can shut. You will go farther than you can imagine and you will become the exceptional person He’s created you to be.
So, reach deep in your heart today, and say …
“I CAN, I WILL.”
24
Jan '18
Attitude of Excellence
24
Jan '18
January 24, 2018
Other people may complain about their job. They may go around doing sloppy work and cutting corners. Don’t sink to that level. Everyone else may grumble and gripe at work. But here’s the key: You are not everyone else. You are a cut above. You are called to excellence. God wants you to set the highest standard.
You should be the model employee for your company. Your boss and your supervisors should be able to say to the new hires, “Watch him. Learn from her. Pick up the same habits. Develop the same skills. This person is the cream of the crop, great attitude, doing more than what is required.”
Think about this: When you have an excellent attitude like that, you’re not only more likely to get promoted, but you are honoring God.
Some people think, “I go to church to honor God. I read my Bible to honor God.” And, yes, that’s important. But it honors God just as much to get to work on time. It honors God to be productive. It honors God to look your best each day.
When you are excellent, your whole life gives praise to God. That’s one of the best ways to give witness to your faith.
Some people will never go to church. They will never listen to a sermon. They’re not reading the Bible. Instead, they’re reading you. They’re watching how you live. You should be so full of excellence that other people want what you have.
Believe me, when you go the extra mile and give it your all, you’ll get noticed. And people who get noticed … get promoted. You will bring honor to yourself and you will bring glory to your God.
19
Jan '18
Keep the Right Perspective
19
Jan '18
January 19, 2018
You say, “Oh boy, Jeff, I’ve got problems.”
Do you know what? Some people would love to have your problems. They would gladly trade places with you. They would love to have that job that frustrates you. They would love to sit in traffic in that car you’re not crazy about. They would love to live in that house that you think is too small. They would even love to have your husband, who gets on your nerves.
You may be thinking, “If I could just get out of this neighborhood, then I’d be happy.” Instead, why don’t you choose to be happy right where you are? Choose to have a good attitude without thinking about what you have or don’t have.
The truth is, your happiness is all about your approach to life. One man gets up and says, “Good morning, Lord.” Another man gets up and says, “Good Lord, it’s morning!” Which person are you?
You control the kind of day you’re having. It’s not your circumstances that keep you unhappy. It’s how you respond to your circumstances.
That’s why the Bible says: “Set your mind on the higher things and keep it set.” (Colossians 3:2) The higher things are the positive things, the things that relate to God. There’s nothing negative about God! God is all about goodness and love and blessing.
Too many people say, “Yeah, I believe in God. I’m His child. He loves me. God is guiding my steps every day.” (Make the sign of the cross.) Then they go through the day expecting disaster, unhappiness, bad breaks. They expect to barely get by and be mistreated. Whaat? What are they doing?
They aren’t living by God’s Law; they are living by Murphy’s Law! Murphy’s Law: “If anything can go wrong, it will, and at the worst possible time.” Our motto should be: “If anything can go right, it will – and at the best possible time.”
Why? Because you are much loved by God. God is just looking for ways to bless you. God is just looking for opportunities to be good to you. Let me tell you something: God will give you all the blessings you can handle. He is always searching for ways to give you more.
05
Jan '18
Be True to Who God Wants You to Be
05
Jan '18
January 5, 2018
Be true to who God wants you to be.
We spend too much time trying to impress people, trying to gain their approval, wondering what they’re going to think if we try something new.
Instead of being true to who God wants us to be, we often make decisions based on superficial things. I heard somebody say: At 20 years old, I worried about what everybody thought about me … at 40 years old, I didn’t care what anybody thought … then, at 60, I realized nobody was thinking about me.
What I’m saying is: Don’t worry about what other people think. Be true to who God wants you to be.
I read an interesting report from a hospice nurse. She asked hundreds of people facing death what their biggest regrets were. The number one regret was: “I wish I had been true to myself and not just lived to meet the expectations of others.”
How many people today are not being true to themselves because they’re afraid they may disappoint someone, they may fall out of their good graces, they might not be accepted? I say this respectfully, but you can’t live the life God wants for you … if you are trying to be who your friends want you to be … who the kids at school want you to be … who the guys at work want you to be. You have to be true to who God made you to be.
One day I saw a Bible verse about King David in the Bible. It said, “David fulfilled God’s purpose for his generation.” (Acts 13:36) God made you who you are … to fulfill your purpose in this time, this generation. How can you fulfill God’s purpose for your generation if you let other people squeeze you into their mold?
And, hey, take it from me, you can’t please everybody anyway! It’s like the old country grandpa I heard about. One day he took his grandson into town on a donkey. He started off down the old dirt road letting his grandson ride the donkey – and he walked alongside. Somebody passed by and said, “Look at that selfish boy making that old man walk.”
So he took the boy off. He rode the donkey – and his grandson walked. Somebody came along and said, “Look at that grown man making that little boy walk while he rides.”
So grandpa pulled the boy up with him – and they both started riding the donkey. A few minutes later, another person said, “How cruel of you to place such a heavy load on the donkey.”
By the time they got to town, the grandfather and grandson – were carrying the donkey!
The point is, no matter what you do, you’ll never please everyone. You may as well accept the fact that, even when you do the best you can, someone will find fault with you – and that’s okay. What I always say is: They have a right to their opinion – and I have a right to ignore them. Just be true to who God made you to be.
20
Dec '17
A Pageant Lesson
20
Dec '17
December 20, 2017
Nicholas was 6 years old and it was the most exciting day of his entire life! He was in Kindergarten and today was the day of his very first “Winter Pageant.” (This is what they called the Christmas Pageant in the public school system: The Winter Pageant.) Every seat in the auditorium was filled. So it was an exciting moment when the Kindergarten class rose to sing the first song.
Nicholas and all his classmates were wearing fuzzy mittens, red scarves, and Santa caps upon their heads. The children began to sing and hold up big letters, one by one, to spell out the title of the song.
One girl held up a big, sparkly “C” and they all sang, “C is for Candy Canes.” Then a little boy held up the letter “H” and they all sang, “H is for Happiness.” On and on it went, until it would eventually spell out the complete message, “CHRISTMAS LOVE.”
The performance was going smoothly … until it came to Nicholas. He was to hold up the letter “M” in the word “Christmas,” but he was holding it upside down – totally unaware his letter “M” now appeared as a “W.” The audience snickered at this little fellow’s mistake. He had no idea why they were laughing at him, so he stood tall, proudly holding up that “W.”
Although the teachers tried to shush the children, the laughter continued until the last letter was raised … and, suddenly, a silence spread through that auditorium. A hush fell over the audience as they all saw it together, at the same time, and their eyes began to widen.
In that instant, everyone understood the reason they were there, why they celebrated the holiday in the first place, why even in the busyness and chaos, there was a purpose to it all. For when the last letter was held high, the message read loud and clear: “CHRISTWAS LOVE”
“CHRIST WAS LOVE.” Christ is love. And it is with love that He is reaching out to you today.
05
Dec '17
A Divine Portion
05
Dec '17
December 5, 2017
Go back with me in your mind to the Garden of Eden. Adam and Eve are in this perfect environment. The place is amazing. I mean, amazing! God says, “Look around. Enjoy the garden. Have a blast!” “But,” he said, “but … there’s this one tree I don’t want you to mess with. See that one tree … that one right there, in the center of the garden? That’s Mine. That belongs to Me. That’s My little portion of the garden. Have a blast with everything else. But don’t mess with that tree.”
Adam’s like, “Gotcha.”
Eve’s like, “Gotcha.”
But one day the evil one slithered up to Eve – I’m just saying picture it – the evil one slides on up. And he doesn’t say, “Let’s run far away from God and build our own treehouse on the other side of the garden.” No, no, that would be too obvious. What did he say? He pointed to God’s divine portion. He said, “Eat from that tree.”
Very important! She ate the divine portion, and because she ate the divine portion, what happened? She was cursed. Adam and Eve were cursed. They chose to be cursed. I thought that was fascinating.
The point is, from the beginning of time, God always keeps something for Himself: a divine portion. This is the way God always, always deals with human beings. Why? Because He wants to form a partnership with us. A partnership between you and God.
Let me put this in terms you can understand. Bill Gates. Microsoft. You know who I’m talking about, right? The guy is amazingly wealthy. What if Bill Gates came up to you and said, “What’s up, Bob? How’re you doing? Bob, I like you. You’re my man. You look good. You smell good. Bob, I want to do something for you, brother. I want to form a partnership with you. Here’s how it works. I’m going to give you 90% of my wealth, 90% of Microsoft. Just give me 10%. That’s my portion.”
Would you turn down that deal? Would anyone refuse that? I’d be like, “I’ll do that deal!” I’d be doing somersaults and stuff.
Well, that’s exactly the deal that God made with Adam and Eve. And, folks, that’s exactly the deal God wants to make with you and me. Same deal. God says, “I created this great, big, beautiful world for you. It’s all for you! Have a blast! But there’s this one little part – it’s the divine portion. Don’t mess around with it. It’s mine.”
Well, that’s exactly the deal that God made with Adam and Eve. And, folks, that’s exactly the deal God wants to make with you and me. Same deal. God says, “I created this great, big, beautiful world for you. It’s all for you! Have a blast! But there’s this one little part – it’s the divine portion. Don’t mess around with it. It’s mine.”
If I had ten apples in front of me, these apples would represent the dollars I make. The Bible says this: Out of every ten apples I get, I give one back to God. How many? One. That’s called a tithe. A tithe is a tenth. The Bible says this: Out of every ten apples I get, I give one back to God. A tithe.
Why? Because God’s my partner. That’s His share. That’s the divine portion.
Now, of course, in order for this whole partnership to work … Trust is a must.
You say, “But I need that apple. I want all ten for myself!”
God says, “Trust Me. If you hand it to Me, I’ll give you back even more. Trust is a must.”
One Bible verse I tell myself every single day goes like this: Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight. (Proverbs 3:5-6) Make your paths straight means get you where you need to go straightaway.
So, look at that verse. What’s our part? Look at that verse again. What’s our part? Trust! Our part is to say, “Okay, God, I don’t know how this is all going to work, but I trust You.”
What’s God’s part? Keep my path straight. Get me where I need to go.
What’s the quickest way between Point A and Point B? A straight line. But when I lean on my own understanding, I have a tendency to wander over here, and, Oh! Something shiny! I run over there. And I tend to get way, way, way, way off course …
Now, why does God want me to trust? This is the exciting part, the part that gets me fired up. It’s all about love. God wants to bless me. God wants the best for me. The Bible again. Proverbs 16:20: Blessed is the man or the woman who trusts the Lord.
What does it mean to be blessed? To be on the receiving end.
And we will be, because of this amazing promise:
“Test Me in this,” says the Lord Almighty, “and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room for it.” (Malachi 3:10)
10
Nov '17
Be a Hope Dealer
10
Nov '17
November 10, 2107
Hope with an H. Don’t want you reaching for your phone to dial the police department.
So you want to be a hope dealer? Check this out. The Apostle Paul said: May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him … why? … so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. (Romans 15:13) Man, that Paul guy was big time hope dealer. Right? Any time he’d speak, any time he’d write, he wasn’t going to tear people down, he was going to build them up.
I want to be like that. Why? Because that’s the way Jesus was. And I want to be like Jesus.
One time there was a woman caught in adultery. I mean, caught in the act. Awkward. This group of men called the Pharisees barged into her home and kind of did a citizen’s arrest.
Who were the Pharisees? The Pharisees were the super strict, super legalistic, super holier-than-thou type. They didn’t like Jesus. Jesus was all about bringing life and love and hope to people. He was all about second chances. Not the Pharisees. No way.
They gang up on this poor woman and drag her out onto the street. By the way, if she was caught in the act, I always wonder: Where was Mr. Loverboy? I don’t know. Probably took it like a man – by that I mean he grabbed his clothes and jumped out the back window.
Anyway, the Pharisees are going to stone this woman – not like Grateful Dead stoned, like totally dead stoned. They grab her. It’s like 30 men … against this one poor woman. They circle around her, rocks in their hands, hatred in their hearts.
Jesus steps into the circle. Stands with her. Doesn’t say a word. He just bends down and starts writing with his finger in the sand.
You say, “What did He write?” I don’t know. No one knows. I kind of think he started listing the sins those Pharisees were guilty of.
He looks up … straight into the eyes of the Pharisees … says: “If any one of you has never sinned – you can throw the first stone.”
Silence … Silence … All of a sudden you hear a thud. The oldest guy there drops his stone and walks away. Then another thud. Thud. Thud. One by one, everyone just turns their back and walks away.
Jesus looks at the woman … He looks at the woman … and there’s such love in His eyes. Love so deep, you could get lost in His eyes. He says, “Dear woman, where are all your accusers?”
She says, her voice barely above a whisper, “They’re … they’re all gone.”
Jesus’ voice is now gentle – as soft and quiet as a rose petal falling to the ground. “Then neither do I condemn you,” He says.
Her face is red, her eyes are bloodshot. The tears fill her eyes and spill down her cheeks.
“Go,” he says. “Go. But don’t do this anymore. This isn’t who you are. You’re better than this. You can find real love.”
That was Jesus … that was Jesus for you. The way He really was. He was like love incarnate. That’s why we love Him so much.
24
Oct '17
Leave a Legacy
24
Oct '17
October 24, 2017
Actually, you will leave two legacies.
One on earth – and one in heaven.
The one on earth isn’t going to last very long. According to research, after about two generations, everybody forgets you. Given enough time, all your trophies are going to be trashed. All the things you think are so cool right now, in two generations nobody will even care. You may even get your name on a building. So what? In a generation young kids will walk through those doors, with your name over top, and they won’t even stop and ask, “Who was that person?” But the rewards you get in eternity are going to go on and on, forever and ever, never ending.
What will your legacy be? The Bible says, “Good people – people like you – will be remembered as a blessing.” (Proverbs 10:7)
Let me ask you: What are you going to be remembered for? If you were to die tomorrow, would people say: “That guy was a real blessing! He really lived for other people. He was thoughtful. He was generous. He’d give you the shirt off his back.” Or would they say: “Well, he was pretty self-centered. He really didn’t care about anybody else. He was never really there for his family. He just did his thing and did whatever he wanted.” What do you want to be remembered for?
Good people will be remembered as a blessing.
The truth is, everybody wants their life to count. Deep down inside, you want your life to have significance. You want your life to have meaning. You want to do something great with your life.
So, tomorrow morning, just look in that mirror and put a big smile on your face … and say these words, “I was born to be a blessing!”
Closing Prayer
Father, I was born to be a blessing – a blessing to so many people. And I never even realized it. Now, when I look in the mirror, I know who I really am. I am a blessing. I am a gift to this world – a gift to my family, my friends, my church.
I know that this new way of seeing myself can be life transforming. Many people don’t even realize how transforming it could be. It could change their lives. In fact, it could change eternity.
Father, I know that there are infinite possibilities in just small steps when You’re in them. A small step taken today could lead to a far better life than we ever imagined. So I pray two things for these dear people.
First, I pray that when Satan whispers in the shadows of their mind – when he gives them an out, an excuse – they’ll reject that thought. I know how badly he wants to keep them in the dark and get them to reject Your call.
Second, I pray that You’ll give us an open mind – to not be afraid and to be open to all the ways You might want to use us.
Father, help us be unselfish like Jesus. And, if you’ve never invited Jesus into your life, just say: Jesus, come into my life right now. Make Yourself real to me. I want to learn how to love you. Or: Jesus, I rededicate my life to serving You. In Your Name I pray. Amen.
17
Oct '17
Mushrooms and Oak Trees
17
Oct '17
October 17, 2017
Be patient.
Life’s a marathon, so you’ve got to pace yourself. The Bible says, “Let us run with patience the particular race that God has set out before us.” (Hebrews 12:1) Patience – That’s why each week I always give you one or two baby steps to take. I always make sure you can take the message and apply it in a practical way. Why? Because if every week you take one or two baby steps, at the end of the year you’re much further down the road than you thought you’d be.
When God wants to grow a mushroom, it takes Him six hours. When God wants to grow an oak tree, it takes Him sixty years. What do you want to be? A mushroom or a mighty oak? I want to be solid like an oak tree. I want my life deeply rooted. I want to be strong, stable, and secure, so that when the storms of life pound me … and when I get pounded by problems, and pressures, and poor health, and financial setbacks … whatever it is … it doesn’t blow me away, because I’m as solid as an oak.
Don’t get impatient. Don’t get in a hurry. Just keep taking baby steps in the right direction. And spend time focusing on Jesus every day.
Spend a little bit of time – I’m not talking about two hours, three hours. Start with five minutes. Ten minutes. Fifteen minutes. We call this a “quiet time.” I don’t care when you do it. The best time I think is in the morning. Get up and you find your favorite chair and you sit down and spend some time. You read the Bible for five minutes or maybe a daily devotional book. Then you talk to God about the stuff that’s on your heart –
“Lord, here’s the stuff I’m worried about. Lord, here’s the stuff that’s bugging me. Here’s my schedule today. I’m really stressed out; I need Your help.”
Here’s the thing. The more time you spend with Jesus, the more you’re going to become like Jesus. The more time you spend reading the Bible, the more you’re going to learn about His peace, His patience, His character in your life.
04
Oct '17
Let God Love You
04
Oct '17
October 4, 2017
Your number one calling in life is not to do something. You number one calling is to receive something. Let God love you.
The Bible says this in Ephesians 3: “I pray … and, as your pastor, this is my prayer for you during these six weeks … that Jesus Christ will be more and more at home in your hearts as you trust in Him. May your roots go down deep into the soil of God’s marvelous love and may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep His love really is. And may you experience the love of Christ … not just know it intellectually, experience it, experience it in every fiber of your being! … though it is so great you will never fully understand it.” (Ephesians 3:17-19)
It’s like an ant trying to understand the internet. Your brain doesn’t have the capacity to understand how much God loves you. But the Bible says, “Just go ahead and try, just try to wrap your mind around how wide, how long, how high, and how deep God’s love for you really is.”
Think of this … One-hundred billion years ago – before anything existed – God already thought about you. And, as He thought of you, He loved you. And God has been waiting your entire life for this moment, where He can get you to sit still for just a moment, and He could say this to you:
“My son, My daughter … You have no idea how much I love you. I have always loved you. There has never been a moment of your existence when I didn’t love you. I was the one who planned your birth. I allowed that fertilization and conception. I wanted you alive so I could love you. I saw you formed in your mother’s womb. I saw you take your first breath. I heard your first cry. There’s been no moment of your life when I turned my back on you, that I turned my eyes away from you, that I didn’t listen to you. I saw every pain you went through, every sin you’ve ever done, the celebrations and the sadness, the happy times and the sad times, the pain and the exhilaration. I’ve been there every moment. And, whether you realize it or not, I was gazing on you in love … because I made you to love you … because I made you to love you” … So it’s time to talk to God about it. This is your moment.