The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. John 1:5
Have you ever noticed that when you’re in the dark, everything is confusing? Some things may look closer or farther away than they may be. And many things can’t be distinguished at all. That’s why, when you’re in the darkness, the most instinctive thing to want to do is turn on the light.
And you know, that’s the way so many people are living today in this dark world. They’re stumbling and falling and failing because they’re living in a dark and decaying world and barely managing to get around. And that’s exactly why Jesus told us as his people, “You are the light of the world” (Matthew 5:14).
Jesus has given his people the unique privilege of being his light in the world. But the light that we shine in the darkness is not our own. We, like the moon, reflect the light of a power much greater than ourselves.
As God’s people, you and I are to simply be reflections of God’s light to a dark world. So shine God’s light by living a Christ-filled life to a watching and waiting world. When you do that, you’ll make a significant impact for Christ on the people around you!
SHINE GOD’S LIGHT IN A DARK WORLD BY LETTING OTHERS SEE CHRIST’S CHARACTER IN YOU!
Tuesday, July 12, 2011
Wednesday, July 6, 2011
Scripture
"...and when they had called in the apostles, they beat them and charged them not to speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go. Then they left the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer dishonor for the name." Acts 5:40-41
What do you rejoice about?
What do you rejoice about?
What? Manna Again!
Then the LORD said to Moses, “Behold, I am about to rain bread from heaven for you, and the people shall go out and gather a day's portion every day, that I may test them, whether they will walk in my law or not…” Now the house of Israel called its name manna. It was like coriander seed, white, and the taste of it was like wafers made with honey.
Exodus 16:4, 31
A little Israelite boy wakes up one morning and says, “Mama what’s for breakfast?”
“Manna!”
“What’s for lunch?”
“Manna!”
“What’s for dinner.”
“Manna!”
God was with his people in the desert on their way to the Promised Land, and he saw they were without provision. So God performed a miracle. Every day, he gave bread from heaven and laid it on the ground. And every day, they experienced this same miracle.
It was “manna in the morning, manna in the evening, and manna at the suppertime.” And this manna was a gift of God and proof of his provision. But they got tired of it. It was a miracle of God, placed in their lap day-by-day, but they despised the miracle.
Many Christians have that same attitude today, don’t they? They see God’s provision over and over again, yet they become so accustomed to it that they develop a sense of entitlement. And all of a sudden, God’s provision is no longer good enough for them!
Do you give thanks as you should for God’s provision in your life? Are you content with the direction he’s taking you? Or do you maybe think, “God, this is a little over your head. You better let me take over since I know what’s best.”
God is never in over his head. He knows everything you need to do and every blessing you need to do it. So trust in him to provide for you each day and be thankful when he comes through!
Exodus 16:4, 31
A little Israelite boy wakes up one morning and says, “Mama what’s for breakfast?”
“Manna!”
“What’s for lunch?”
“Manna!”
“What’s for dinner.”
“Manna!”
God was with his people in the desert on their way to the Promised Land, and he saw they were without provision. So God performed a miracle. Every day, he gave bread from heaven and laid it on the ground. And every day, they experienced this same miracle.
It was “manna in the morning, manna in the evening, and manna at the suppertime.” And this manna was a gift of God and proof of his provision. But they got tired of it. It was a miracle of God, placed in their lap day-by-day, but they despised the miracle.
Many Christians have that same attitude today, don’t they? They see God’s provision over and over again, yet they become so accustomed to it that they develop a sense of entitlement. And all of a sudden, God’s provision is no longer good enough for them!
Do you give thanks as you should for God’s provision in your life? Are you content with the direction he’s taking you? Or do you maybe think, “God, this is a little over your head. You better let me take over since I know what’s best.”
God is never in over his head. He knows everything you need to do and every blessing you need to do it. So trust in him to provide for you each day and be thankful when he comes through!
Tuesday, July 5, 2011
Rest
As Christians, we live in a performance-based culture that measures success according to how much you can cram into your life. The more you do, the more you're doing, so to speak. This mentality has, by and large, infiltrated the church, and you don't have to look beyond the church's leadership to see that. Many pastors are over-worked and burned-out, and their families suffer as a result.
This over-commitment is also the reason many pastors are more susceptible to moral failures. A recent study gave each participant either a two-digit number or a seven-digit number to remember. Then, each participant was sent down a hallway, individually, where they were presented with two options: a sensible cup of fruit, or a delicious (but extremely unhealthy) piece of chocolate cake. The participants had to choose which one they would accept.
What the study found was this: The participants who were trying to remember the seven-digit number were TWICE as likely to choose the cake.
Why did this happen? According to the scientist who conducted the study, Professor Baba Shiv, "Those extra numbers took up valuable space in the brain—they were a 'cognitive load'—making it that much harder to resist a decadent dessert. In other words, willpower is so weak, and the prefrontal cortex is so overtaxed, that all it takes is five extra bits of information before the brain starts to give in to temptation."
Jonah Lehrer, who authored the book How We Decide and included the above study in his research, summarized the findings saying, "The part of our brain that is most reasonable, rational and do-the-right-thing is easily toppled by the pull of raw sensual appetite, the lure of sweet. Knowing something is the right thing to do takes work—brain work—and our brains aren't always up to that."
In other words, the more we have going on in our brains and in our lives, the more likely we are to make bad decisions. Or at the very least, it clogs our brains in a way that makes consistent, good decision-making difficult.
This study has very real implications for Christians, but especially for leaders. All Christians must bear in mind the consequences of cramming our schedule instead of making time to rest (Ex. 20:8) and be still (Psalm 46:10): We are much more likely to make bad decisions otherwise. But Christian leaders should be especially mindful that their scheduling choices set an example for the rest of their church. When Christian leaders feed into the performance-based, frenetic pace of the surrounding culture, they risk causing their flock to do the same.
Fortunately, we do not measure our schedules according to worldly standards of success. We measure them according to a God who says that rest is good and He designed us to have it. Does your schedule reflect this truth?
This over-commitment is also the reason many pastors are more susceptible to moral failures. A recent study gave each participant either a two-digit number or a seven-digit number to remember. Then, each participant was sent down a hallway, individually, where they were presented with two options: a sensible cup of fruit, or a delicious (but extremely unhealthy) piece of chocolate cake. The participants had to choose which one they would accept.
What the study found was this: The participants who were trying to remember the seven-digit number were TWICE as likely to choose the cake.
Why did this happen? According to the scientist who conducted the study, Professor Baba Shiv, "Those extra numbers took up valuable space in the brain—they were a 'cognitive load'—making it that much harder to resist a decadent dessert. In other words, willpower is so weak, and the prefrontal cortex is so overtaxed, that all it takes is five extra bits of information before the brain starts to give in to temptation."
Jonah Lehrer, who authored the book How We Decide and included the above study in his research, summarized the findings saying, "The part of our brain that is most reasonable, rational and do-the-right-thing is easily toppled by the pull of raw sensual appetite, the lure of sweet. Knowing something is the right thing to do takes work—brain work—and our brains aren't always up to that."
In other words, the more we have going on in our brains and in our lives, the more likely we are to make bad decisions. Or at the very least, it clogs our brains in a way that makes consistent, good decision-making difficult.
This study has very real implications for Christians, but especially for leaders. All Christians must bear in mind the consequences of cramming our schedule instead of making time to rest (Ex. 20:8) and be still (Psalm 46:10): We are much more likely to make bad decisions otherwise. But Christian leaders should be especially mindful that their scheduling choices set an example for the rest of their church. When Christian leaders feed into the performance-based, frenetic pace of the surrounding culture, they risk causing their flock to do the same.
Fortunately, we do not measure our schedules according to worldly standards of success. We measure them according to a God who says that rest is good and He designed us to have it. Does your schedule reflect this truth?
Monday, July 4, 2011
Be Specific
“And I tell you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened.” -- Luke 11:9-10
I was asked to help organize prayer for Love Loud again this year so I've been reading about prayer and special programs people have written to help groups pray. The conclusion I have come to is that we simply need to be more specific.
So often among Christians today, prayer is too general. Some ask, “Lord, bless us. Lord, bless the church. Lord, bless the missionaries. Lord, bless and save the lost. Amen.” Now that’s safe praying because you never know if God answers it.
When you pray that way, you miss out on the joy of seeing your prayers answered. I talk to Christians all the time who can’t name one prayer that God has answered for them. And inevitably, it’s because they aren’t praying for specific things!
But when Jesus taught us to pray, he taught us to pray specifically. As we see in Luke 11:9-10, we aren’t to be timid when it comes to prayer, but to present our requests to God knowing that he is going to do something great. And when you begin to ask God to do specific things in your life, you’ll see him work in amazing ways.
So the next time you pray, make a list with specific prayer points and pray boldly. Then, write the answer down when God gives it! Doing this will not only help you see a clearer picture of God’s faithfulness, it will empower your prayer life as you continue to pray boldly!
If you would like to help with the 2011 Love Loud Prayer please contact Barbara Parker for more information.
I was asked to help organize prayer for Love Loud again this year so I've been reading about prayer and special programs people have written to help groups pray. The conclusion I have come to is that we simply need to be more specific.
So often among Christians today, prayer is too general. Some ask, “Lord, bless us. Lord, bless the church. Lord, bless the missionaries. Lord, bless and save the lost. Amen.” Now that’s safe praying because you never know if God answers it.
When you pray that way, you miss out on the joy of seeing your prayers answered. I talk to Christians all the time who can’t name one prayer that God has answered for them. And inevitably, it’s because they aren’t praying for specific things!
But when Jesus taught us to pray, he taught us to pray specifically. As we see in Luke 11:9-10, we aren’t to be timid when it comes to prayer, but to present our requests to God knowing that he is going to do something great. And when you begin to ask God to do specific things in your life, you’ll see him work in amazing ways.
So the next time you pray, make a list with specific prayer points and pray boldly. Then, write the answer down when God gives it! Doing this will not only help you see a clearer picture of God’s faithfulness, it will empower your prayer life as you continue to pray boldly!
If you would like to help with the 2011 Love Loud Prayer please contact Barbara Parker for more information.
Sunday, July 3, 2011
Friday, July 1, 2011
When Patriotism Interferes with Spiritual Growth
I am a patriotic guy. I love the United States of America. I catch myself in long conversations with others about her, where she seems to be going, and what that will mean to all of us and the generations that will follow.
But I am first and foremost a disciple of Jesus Christ. I’m realizing more and more that we sometimes forget that our first allegiance is to God’s Kingdom and that, in the end His Kingdom will prevail. We are “not of this world” and so we are to keep our minds “set on things above not earthly things.” Don’t get me wrong, it’s not a sin to care about elections or to keep up with what’s going on on the political scene. In fact, we should all vote and we should study the issues and the candidates so that we can make an educated decision. But it is downright spiritually debilitating to be more passionate about our country than Jesus Christ.
In your small group you probably have people who could talk politics all day long. Those same people lean forward and the volume rises when discussing the next election or some decision being made by the Executive branch. They’re asking you if you’ve read some blog post or seen in the paper or watched the news so that you are aware of a particular issue being discussed in Washington D.C. You receive emails from them telling you the latest political news or they send petitions your way, petitions they believe “every person who cares about this country” needs to sign. But when you talk about Jesus and His Word they clam up and you seldom if ever get an email with a scripture passage on it or a statement from something they read in their quiet time. It’s obvious that they have given more of their heart to their country than to their Jesus. If they were to do a serious check on their hearts, the cross for them looks much like a donkey or an elephant as they are more passionate about a political party than Jesus Himself. Don’t beat them up, don’t be angry with them, they probably don’t even realize this is true of them. But it may be important to point this out to them. Serving two masters is impossible and a Christian disciple can only follow fully one person, Jesus Christ. Until they have as their deepest passion Jesus and the gospel their spiritual growth will forever be stalled.
You may be asking yourself… Will Howerton shoot off fireworks, celebrate our independence, watch Saving Private Ryan to remember the sacrifices made for this country? I will. I am a patriotic guy, a pretty old-fashioned conservative fella in love with his country, even concerned about his country. But I am learning that I cannot allow my allegiance to Jesus to be interrupted by my passion for my country.
But I am first and foremost a disciple of Jesus Christ. I’m realizing more and more that we sometimes forget that our first allegiance is to God’s Kingdom and that, in the end His Kingdom will prevail. We are “not of this world” and so we are to keep our minds “set on things above not earthly things.” Don’t get me wrong, it’s not a sin to care about elections or to keep up with what’s going on on the political scene. In fact, we should all vote and we should study the issues and the candidates so that we can make an educated decision. But it is downright spiritually debilitating to be more passionate about our country than Jesus Christ.
In your small group you probably have people who could talk politics all day long. Those same people lean forward and the volume rises when discussing the next election or some decision being made by the Executive branch. They’re asking you if you’ve read some blog post or seen in the paper or watched the news so that you are aware of a particular issue being discussed in Washington D.C. You receive emails from them telling you the latest political news or they send petitions your way, petitions they believe “every person who cares about this country” needs to sign. But when you talk about Jesus and His Word they clam up and you seldom if ever get an email with a scripture passage on it or a statement from something they read in their quiet time. It’s obvious that they have given more of their heart to their country than to their Jesus. If they were to do a serious check on their hearts, the cross for them looks much like a donkey or an elephant as they are more passionate about a political party than Jesus Himself. Don’t beat them up, don’t be angry with them, they probably don’t even realize this is true of them. But it may be important to point this out to them. Serving two masters is impossible and a Christian disciple can only follow fully one person, Jesus Christ. Until they have as their deepest passion Jesus and the gospel their spiritual growth will forever be stalled.
You may be asking yourself… Will Howerton shoot off fireworks, celebrate our independence, watch Saving Private Ryan to remember the sacrifices made for this country? I will. I am a patriotic guy, a pretty old-fashioned conservative fella in love with his country, even concerned about his country. But I am learning that I cannot allow my allegiance to Jesus to be interrupted by my passion for my country.
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