Power of Prayer

This evening I want to share with you a brief story rather than encouragement. I like to switch it up. Thursday afternoon at practice I hurt my knee. I thought it was just bad luck, but I was reminded today from a very special friend of mine that it wasn't bad luck, it was simply life. That person also went on to tell me that there really isn't good luck or bad luck, good things and bad things just happen to us and what is most important is what you learn from them. The pain that I felt was unbearable. I wish that I could say it was like a pain that I haven't ever experienced before. But I have. Last summer, and the beginning of last season. I won't get into much detail about my knee because you all could probably care less about what is wrong with it.

The story that I want to share with you is something that happened today. The other day in the dining commons I saw one of my professors from freshmen year. Although I have only had him for one class, he has always been my favorite professor and a man that I have looked up to and admired from the very start because of his love for Christ and love and passion for other people. We happened to be standing in line beside each other waiting for some stir fry. My friend Grant was on the other side of the room. The professor asked me if Grant was going to play this season again because he has been out with multiple concussions for most of the year. I told him that I was not sure and that I hoped he would be. The professor then recommended to me that I bring Grant up to his office some day soon and that we would anoint him and lay our hands over him and pray. I was totally up for this idea. The very next day I get hurt in practice. It's hard sometimes for me to ask others to pray for me because I do not like drawing attention to myself but I felt God getting a hold of me and urging me to contact this professor. So I emailed him, got a time and date all set up and that was today at 11. I went up to his office and he asked me what was going on and I explained it to him. Then he asked where I was at spiritually and then had some scripture for me. It was James 5 and right before he began to read he said, "here is a passage that I am sure you are familiar with." I was definitely familiar with it because I had just read it last week....

( James 5:13-20 ) Is anyone among you in trouble? Let them pray. Is anyone happy? Let them sing songs of praise. Is anyone among you sick? Let them call the elders of the church to pray over them and anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise them up. If they have sinned, they will be forgiven. Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective. Elijah was a human being, even as we are. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years. Again he prayed, and the heavens gave rain, and the earth produced its crops. My brothers and sisters, if one of you should wander from the truth and someone should bring it back, remember this: Whoever turns a sinner from the error of their way will save them from death and cover over a multitude of sins.

The professor read through that and after he finished he asked me if I had any sins that I have not confessed to the Lord and I told him that I have confessed all my sins. He game me a deep and sincere smile and then proceeded to ask if I have ever been anointed before. I had told him that I hadn't been. (Maybe when I was a newborn but I don't remember.) He explained to me that he was going to rub some oil on my knee as he prayed a prayer of faith. Before that he had me open up in prayer and he told me to pray to God what I wanted him to do to. I was like okay, awesome! Before he prayed he reminded me that it might not work and that whatever was going to happen was God's plan. Maybe he wanted to heal it right there in that room, and maybe he wanted to wait a little bit. After I prayed, he rubbed the oil on my knee and began praying. It was one of the most powerful prayers that I had ever experienced. From beginning to end you could feel the Holy Spirit's presence in that room. As he was praying I was experiencing a feeling that I had never experienced in my life. I felt a tingling sensation in my knee and it was like I could see and feel Jesus rubbing his hand over my knee healing it. It was a moment that I will never forget and something that I want to do for people whenever I can. It was so powerful and I am really at a loss for words talking about it. I wish I could say that I got up and walked back to my room free of pain and then went to practice and was healed completely, but I wasn't. I am fine with that too because I know that we serve a patient God and to serve a patient God we have to be patient ourselves. I can say for a fact that he is healing it right now and is in the process. I was able to do a very little amount of practice and was able to get a 15 minute basketball workout in. It was incredible. Yeah it hurt and sucked, but I got to do it. The power of prayer has no limits and I hope that you never underestimate it.

TODAY

Today is the day. How many of you in your faith walk think that if you are obedient in the long run that you will have a stronger relationship with Christ? I have some news for you today. Forget the vision and focus on today. Constant obedience everyday will lead you to your vision. What I am talking about today is from the sermon yesterday at church.


1.) Make Today Count

Do you not know that in a race all runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. Therefore I do not run like someone running aimlessly; I do not fight like a boxer beating the air. No, I strike a blow to my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize. ( 1 Corinthians 9:24-27 )

2.) Today, DECIDE 

But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord. ( Joshua 24:15 )

3. Today, Work With What You Have

Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Jesus Christ you are serving. Anyone who does wrong will be repaid for their wrongs and there is no favoritism.   ( Colossians 3:23-25 ) 

4. Today, Seek Him & His Righteousness

Look to the Lord and his strength, seek his face always. ( 1 Chronicles 16:11)

5. Today, Do It All In Love

Do everything in love. ( 1 Corinthians 16:14 )

6. Today, Keep His Words & Do Them

Carefully follow the terms of this covenant, so that you may prosper in everything you do.                  ( Deuteronomy 29:9 ) 

7. Today, Commit Your Work To Him

Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and he will establish your plans. ( Proverbs 16:3 )

8. Today, Ask...Seek...&...Knock

"Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find, knock and the door will be opened to you.
( Matthew 7:7 ) 

9. Today, Bear Fruit

The end of all things is near. Therefore be alert and of sober mind so that you may pray. Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins. Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling. Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God's grace in its various forms. If anyone speaks, they should do so as one who speaks the very words of God. If anyone serves, they should do so with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To him be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen. ( 1 Peter 4:7-11 ) 

If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. This is to my Father's glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples. ( John 15:7-8 ) 


I encourage you to start looking at today differently. If you start looking at today differently, your life will change. It's a difficult thing to start doing, but I hope and pray that we can do it together. Remember that you are loved and will always be loved. Make a decision that today will be different and have that mindset every single day.

The Secret Ingredient

Happy Sunday! Do you ever feel like you have the recipe to life because of the things you learned and the things you have been through but you seem like you need one more ingredient? I hope that after reading this post that you know that the secret ingredient is all about your mindset and what you are thinking about.

The last couple of Sundays I have made very long posts and this Sunday I will not do that. I want you to know that in Philippians 4, there is more in that chapter rather than verse 13. If you don't know that verse, here it is, "I can do all things through him who gives me strength." That seems to be a favorite verse for a lot of people. That's not what I want to focus on though. I want to take a quick look at the verses before that famous verse.

Philippians 4:4-9 Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable-if anything is excellent or praiseworthy-think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me-put into practice. And the God of peace will be with you. 

Why did that passage stick out to me? It stuck out to me because the key to winning to mental battle over everything is right in that passage. Every single day you fight negative thoughts and positive thoughts, just like you make decisions between right and wrong. Although we know the differences between the good and the bad and the right and the wrong it is still a battle for us because we are constantly being deceived. If you think about, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable, whatever is excellent, and whatever is praiseworthy, you can conquer anything! Imagine having that mindset all of the time. It sounds like a recipe of success to me. You become unstoppable. Imagine the what you could conquer. I wish I could say it's easy but we all mess up, it's not easy, we all battle with it everyday. God still loves you no matter what your mindset is. Remember that.

I hope that I provided you with a secret ingredient from Philippians 4. I hope that you can use that mindset to further the kingdom and love others every whenever you can.

Do Everything Without Grumbling

Do Everything Without Grumbling

Have many people do you know that complain all the time? Or know people who are just so negative. Things never seem to or want to go their way and they make it known by the way to act and react to everything. Now think about people who don’t complain when things get tough or when they are asked to do something, and they are willing do it. The differences between the two are crazy. I don’t know about you, but I want to be around people like that. People who never complain about doing anything.

Here is a story to explain what I mean. If you have ever been on a mission trip or have done any type of service for other people you know what I am talking about. Whenever I have been on trips like that nobody complains. Which is amazing because there are some pretty crazy things that happen. What If our hearts were like that all the time. Imagine doing everything you do out of the goodness for your heart and for the kingdom. When I think about crazy mission trip stories, that would cause anybody back home to complain if they were put in that situation on U.S. soil. In China, they don’t have toilets. They have squatty potties which are little holes in the floors. In China, the Dominican Republic, and Costa Rica you cannot drink any water the comes from a faucet. The only water you drink comes from bottles. Even transportation is so different. We pack into small vans or busses and a majority of the time there is no air conditioning, in those counties, the things we did were so exhausting, but God always gave us the strength that we needed and that he provides. I share those examples/stories because every time I have been on those trips, nobody ever complains. It’s unfortunate that it takes us being away from our country to do everything without grumbling. I know that there are people around you that you know who have a “do everything without grumbling mindset.” Those are the best people to be around.

(Philippians 2:12-18) Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed-not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence-continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose. Do everything without grumbling or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, “children of God without fault in a warmed and crooked generation.” Then you will shine among them like starts in the sky as you hold firmly to the word of life. And then I will be able to boast on the day of Christ that I did not run or labor in vain. But even if I am being poured out like a drink offering on the sacrifice and service coming from your faith, I am glad and rejoice with all of you. So, you too should be glad and rejoice with me.

I encourage you that next time someone asks you to do something that you might not want to do, don’t complain and do it for God. Don’t argue about it, just do it. I promise that having a mindset like that will change your life and the people who are around you. Be a world charger.

Jim Valvano Speech (Video)

I really enjoyed sharing a video with you all last Friday, and I wanted to do the same today. If you are familiar with the sports world I am sure that you have heard of Jimmy V. He was a legendary basketball coach and cancer took his life. His 'Never Give Up' speech at the ESPY's is one of the most inspirational of all time. I hope that you take the 11 minutes to watch it all the way through.

There are couple of things that he says that I want to point out.

There are three things you should do everyday.

1. Laugh
2. Think
3. Cry (have emotion) 

Never forget about where you started and where you are now.

Always have these things.

1. Enthusiasm
2. Dreams
3. Goals 

"Don't give up, don't ever give up."

"Remember, your heart, mind, and soul last forever, those things can never be taken away from you."

I hope that you enjoy the video.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rNuCS5ZtPJg

Fit for the Job?

Do you ever struggle with feeling that you aren't equipped for the job? I felt that way two summers ago when I began working in a factory. If you know very well at all you know that is not the type of environment for me. I love doing things outdoors and I always have. I am not a handyman though and have never really been one. The factory was a wood working factory that is known world wide in my small hometown of Archbold, Ohio. I was going to work there so that I could make a decent amount of money and so that I could be taught a valuable lesson about how much of a blessing college is. I am not going to get into much detail about what I did there, but it was 45-50 hours a week of running a flat press/glue press machine with a fellow employee. Not my element at all. Just because it wasn't my element when it came to physical talents and traits doesn't seem that I was equipped either. As it turns out I was fully equipped for the job. God had given me a certain perspective and energy that I could bring to work everyday. Because of those things, I was able to make it through the summer and every day at work. It all came down to my mindset and the reason for doing things. I tried to get it engraved in my mind that working there was not bad and that I enjoyed making the amount of money that I made despite the work. Every morning when I woke up around 4:15 a.m. I would try to have the best attitude that I possibly could. I also had to remember why I was doing what I did. Even though I was running two machines all day, I had a reason to do it and that was to glorify God. I was going to glorify Him by how hard I worked every day. It wasn't about how good or but I did things but the effort I put it. I believe that is how it is in all walks of life. If you work as hard as you can and give it your all, you will get results.

I shared that story because I was reading in 2 Peter toady about conforming one's calling and I thought that story related fairly well.

2 Peter 1:3-11 His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature, having escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires. For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, mural affection; and to mutual affection, love. For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. But whoever does not have then is nearsighted and blind, forgetting that they have been cleansed from their past sins. Therefore, my brothers and sisters, make every effort to confirm your calling and election. For if you do these things, you will never stumble, and you will receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

I didn't share that story about a factory to tell you that you can get through a summer job. I shared it because it was small example. I want you to know that you can get though anything in life with His divine power. Through God's promises we get to participate in his divine nature, having escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires. What I highlighted was what I believed were the most important verses in the passage. Here is it again. For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, mural affection; and to mutual affection, love. I love that because you just keep adding awesome traits to awesome traits. If that makes sense. I imagine playing Mario Kart and you keep getting all the boxes and the entire race you are in first place and every single box you get, it's the bullet. Nobody stands a chance at beating you in Mario Kart if that is the case. Same way with life. If we make the effort to add all of those good things together the evil desires of the world do not stand a chance. Apart from the world not standing a chance, I believe what is said after the verse is more important. After the verse it says, "For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ." If you have those traits and put in the effort to better them every day, you are going to have an effect on people and you are going to be so productive in all walks of life. Knowledge is the beginning of all things and imagine being effective and productive in that area. I think that is the most important part.

I want to end with this. "Make every effort to confirm your calling and election. For if you do these things, you will never stumble, and you will receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ." Make every effort my friends. I don't know about you but I would love a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ someday. Never feel like you are not fit for the job. We all are as long we put in the effort. If you think about it there is one true eternally important job and that is advancing the kingdom, loving Jesus and loving others. God has given you everything you in order to do that.

Easily Forgotten

There are a couple of things that I believe are so easily forgotten. That is why I titled this post 'Easily Forgotten." To be honest, I think that we forget too much too easily. Do you remember what the last thing you read in your Bible was about? I struggle with remembering things that I read just as much. It's tough. We all go through it. We spend a lone time digging into the Word and as soon as we are done, we are immediately consumed by things of this world. We are ambushed with things that Satan uses to get our minds off of God and the things that we are learning. As I mentioned in my post yesterday, I have began reading the book of 1 Peter and there are three topics that I want to touch on and refresh your memory with and hopefully I can relate it to our lives and the things we go through on a daily basis. The three topics are; Suffering for Doing Good, Living for God, and Suffering for being a Christian.

Suffering for Doing Good. 

Do ever feel a little cautious about doing something that is right? The feeling that I am talking about isn't a feeling about being right or wrong it's more of a conscious conflict. I think that we understand that the right opportunities are in front of us but there are things that hold us back. One of them being what other people think. A story that comes to mind is of course in area where I messed up. I was sitting in the dining commons eating lunch with my buddies one afternoon as we usually do. We were eating and carrying along with our conversations and a lady with a full tray of food was getting a drink and she dropped her tray all over the floor. I could tell she was embarrassed because I know that I would've been. As I sat there in the midst of making a decision on whether or not to help her, the 30 seconds it took to make a decision seemed liked it lasted an eternity. I told myself that I needed to help her and I thought that it was the right thing. Unfortunately another voice was deceiving me telling me that I shouldn't help her and that someone else was. Well, I was deceived and sat there and watched. It was terrible. My gut hurt and I felt terrible that I didn't help her. What made it even worse was that nobody helped her. I don't really want to say that worrying about what other people say is suffering but for some people it is. We as Christinas, who are supposed to love one another are going to suffer in order to do good things.

1 Peter 3:13-18 Who his going to harm you if you are eager to do good? But even if you should suffer for what is right, you are blessed. "Do not fear their threats; do not be frightened." But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reasons for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander. For it is better, if it is God's will, to suffer for doing good than for doing evil. For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive in the Spirit.

Nobody will ever harm you for doing good. When you do good and other people just happen to see you doing that, it will/should encourage other people to do good as well. It's like a cause and effect situation. One thing that really sticks out to me from that passage is the verse that says, "always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reasons for the hope you have." I think that is such a great reminder. If you are doing good and people see you, they're going to wonder why you did what you did. More than it being the right thing to do. One thing that encourages me to do good is knowing the suffering that Christ went though when he was doing good for God. He was embarrassed and mocked in front of so many people and he trusted God's will. Without Christ's suffering we would not be here today. Without us doing good, and sharing Christ's love, we cannot advance the kingdom the way that God wants it to be.

Living for God

What does living for God look like to you? For me a big part of that is showing his love. If your strong suit ins't speaking to people about God's love you can fully show God's love and presence through the things that you do. When I was in China this past summer that is what we had to do. Being in a closed country where you can't say words like; Jesus, God, Lord, Christ, Prayer, Holy Spirit, Christians, etc. we had to show his love though the way we loved his people. The Chinese people are amazing. Although we met very few who spoke English, they showed love and respect to us in a country where they hardly know who God is. Since we couldn't speak of Jesus we showed Jesus through our love. Through that situation the Spirit taught me one of the most important lessons that I have ever learned. I was taught not to take talking about God for granted. All I wanted to do was say all of those words we were not allowed to say so that we could witness to people. I want to see the people we interacted with in heaven some day. It will forever amaze me that when those words we often hesitate to talk about here get taken away from us, I so badly wanted to use them.  We are fully able to live for God through the things we say and the things that we do.

1 Peter 4:7-11 They end of all things is near. Therefore be alerted and of sober mind mind so that you may pray. Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins. Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling. Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God's grace in its various farms. If anyone speaks, they should do so as one who speaks the very words of God. If anyone serves, they should do so with strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To him be the glory and power for ever and ever. Amen.

There are a couple of things that stick out to me. We are reminded to pray at all times and to love each other deeply. Living for God is simply loving others. That is the greatest commandment and when we love He is pleased. I want to remind you that we all have gifts. We were given those gifts so that we may glorify God through those things. God blessed me with the ability to play basketball and I believe he used that gift to lead me on a trip to China in order to glorify him through the my gifts. Never forget that God gives you the strength to do all things. When you think it's hard or tough to live for him. Remember that He has given you the strength and everything that you need in order to do so.

Suffering for Being a Christian

As Christians we suffer. Sometimes more than others and at some times more than we do at other times. It's just a thing that we go through. I know that I do, and I am sure that you do too. I go through states where I feel am isolated just like Jesus was isolated. I believe that happens when you have a very disciplined relationship with God. When I feel isolated it's because I feel like my heart is in a different place than the people I am close to. I am still trying to understand that feeling. It's happened a couple of times over this year. The first time I remember talking to my coach about the way I was feeling and he reminded me that Jesus also isolated himself and that it was not a bad thing at all. I will never forget him telling me that because it was very encouraging. If you have not felt the suffering you feel for being a Christian, than can you even call yourself a Christian? Maybe that is a little cynical to say, but I think it's a valid.

1 Peter 4:12-19 Dear friends, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal that has come on you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice inasmuch as you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed. If you are insulted because of the name of Christ, you are blessed, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you. If you suffer, it should not be as a murderer of thief or any other kind of criminal, or even as a meddler. However, if you suffer as a Christian, do not be ashamed, but praise God that you bear that name. For it is time for judgment to begin with God's household; and if it begins with us, what will the outcome be for those who do not obey the gospel of God? And, "If it is hard for the righteous to be saved, what will become of the ungodly and the sinner?" So then, those who suffer according to God's will should commit themselves to their faithful Creator and continue to do good.

What sticks out to be in that passage the most is that we are supposed to rejoice inasmuch as you participate in the suffering of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when the glory of God is revealed. So when you suffer, rejoice!!! It is a blessing to bear the name of Christ and we should never be ashamed about it. As a Christian you will suffer, endure the suffering, and be thankful that you are suffering. Because some day, all the glory of God will be revealed and it will be the most amazing thing that I cannot even begin to describe.


I want to leave you with this. As a Christian, you are going to suffer for doing good and you are going to suffer for being a Christian. Never ever be discouraged by that. Be encouraged because it is a blessing to bear the name of Christ Jesus our Lord. Never forget to love. Love one other, and live for God and only for him. The things of the world are temporary and our God is eternal. Focus on what lasts for ever.

Praise to God for a Living Hope

I began reading 1 Peter this morning and for those of you who don't know what the book of 1 Peter is about, it's about 'Walking the Talk." Transformation-the process of becoming holy-begins in your mind. In this book, Peter shows us how to begin to think differently, which will affect your behavior. We all make split-second decisions to do right or wrong in any given moment. To choose right, we must learn to be obedient to God, which will give us an appetite for being good. This kind of obedience will create radical changes in your relationships.

Today I want to give you hope. I want to give you hope through the scripture. Not through what I say. I think hope is something that we must always have. I can't imagine living my life and not having any type of hope on a daily basis. It's that time of year when we all need to be reminded of hope. For a lot of people, you might be hanging to the edge of your New Years resolutions. You might need hope to get through it. It's also the time of year where everything might seem a little gray. It's the start of a new semester and it's difficult to get into a solid flow of things. The weather is also a little gray. At this time of year it's either a blizzard and freezing cold or cloudy and rainy. I hope that this scripture from 1 Peter that I am about to share can get you in the 'transformation,' mindset. I hope that it reminds you off what our hope should be in and that hope is in God and our salvation.

1 Peter 1:3-9: Prasie be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us a new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God's power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trails. These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith-of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire-may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the end result of your faith, the salvation of your souls. 

Praise be to God! He is so good! In his mercy he gave us a new new living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. Our inheritance because of that can never perish, spoil, or fade. Have hope in that this morning. Our inheritance is kept in heaven for you. I really like this part. "Through faith, we are shielded by God's power until the coming of the salvation that God will reveal." While on earth we suffer trails every single day, those have some so that we can prove the genuineness of our faith. Verses 8 & 9 are in bold because of how important those are.

I hope and pray that you were encouraged by this scripture today and that it challenged you to transform your mind. You are loved!

The Prayer of Faith

I finished James 5 tonight and I wanted to share with you, "The Prayer of Faith." Before I get to that, if you are looking for a nice and understandable book of the Bible to read, try reading James. It's 5 short chapters that are about living the Christian Life 24/7. What does a real relationship with Jesus look like day-in and day-out? It explores spiritual maturity and how to grow up in the faith. Every verse is easy to understand but not at all easy to implement. The book teaches you about real faith through God's word.

The Prayer of Faith

James 5:13-16

Is anyone among you in trouble? Let them pray. Is anyone happy? Let them sing songs of praise. Is anyone among you sick? Let them call the elders of the church to pray over them and anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise them up. If they have sinned, they will be forgiven. Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.

I know that this isn't much but I hope that it encourages you to pray with faith...not only tonight but at all times. Have faith that God will answer your prayers. I believe that having faith in God relates to righteousness. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective. Remember that!

Run in such a way to get the prize.

This topic is a topic that is really on my heart right now. It's amazing how the Holy Spirit works. At church this morning the message was about what you do with your time can change the world and then I read James 4 and a passage in that chapter is about how we shouldn't boast about tomorrow. It's amazing how those two things and the importance of both relate.

Run in such a way to get the prize. Have that thought that in the back on your mind as your read this post.

James 4:13-16 Now listen, you who say, "Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money." Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. Instead you ought to say, "If it is the Lord's will live and do this or that." As it is, you boast in your arrogant schemes. All such boasting is evil. If anyone, then, knows the good they ought to do and doesn't do it, it is sin for them.

How many of you are already thinking of the things you have to do this week? I would guess all of you because I woke up and thought the same thing. It's very convicting. I realized that when I woke up this morning, the first think I thought about was things I have to do the rest of the day to get prepared for the week. What I should've been thankful for is that God woke me up this morning for another amazing day full of opportunities and blessings. I think we have all become creatures of habit to the idea of thinking too far ahead. After our game yesterday afternoon, I immediately started thinking about our game on Tuesday and the things that I myself need to do in order to get my mind and body ready. The Spirit caught me in the act though. When the Spirit is doing work it's a feeling like no other, it's indescribable. As I was sitting in the locker room thinking about the loss, and already thinking about Tuesday it hit me. I needed to enjoy and trust the moment that I was in. Yeah we may have lost, but we played our tails off and worked extremely hard all 40 minutes of the game. There are so many more things in life that are more important than winning or losing a basketball game. (I hate to lose) I came to the realization of the moment that I was in. I had my family in the stands waiting to talk to me. One of my best friends from high school was waiting to see me. My aunt and her friend drove all the way from Columbus to see me and cheer on the pilots. In a situation that had the outcome we didn't want, there were still so many blessings that came from it. Those blessings weren't just my family being there, it was coming out of that locker room and seeing parents and loved ones from all my teammates who loved each and every one of us unconditionally. How you mentally think with the time you have is so important.

That is just a little story about how you need to sometimes open your eyes and really cherish what is in front of you rather than looking towards the future. It's tough because the competitive nature in me and my teammates can take over, because we are hungry for a W on Tuesday and that is where a lot of our focus will be these next couple of days. It can't totally be that way. You have to trust the process and you have to trust time. There is a ton of preparation that we all put into the things that we do everyday. Whether it's basketball, school work, music, etc. In order to be successful you put in a ton of work, and endure a lot of things because mediocrity is not really acceptable. You have to begin to evaluate your days.

What does that look like to you? When you think of your life and things that are important what do you think of? I'm sure words come to mind like, relationships, loving others, etc. But what is a huge part of your life that you can control? Your time. What are you doing with your time. Are you getting caught up things that you shouldn't, are you playing your favorite video games too much? We all say that we don't have time to do things, but we do. We always have time. What we fill of days with is usually what matters most to us. For me, it's time spent with God, time spent going to class and doing homework, time spent working on basketball and my body, and time spent with my friends. That is what a typical day looks like in the day of Luke. There are things I just listed that I don't necessarily control. There are things that I have to do verse things I want to do. School is extremely important but I have to go to class and put a lot of work into my assignments and school work. Basketball is also something that I have to do. But I don't look at it that way. I absolutely love the game and love the grind every single day. I get to spend up to 4 hours dedicating my mind, body, and heart to the game nearly everyday. Another blessing, is that I get to spend time with my friends. One of the reasons I love college is that I have been blessed with life long friends. I get to spend everyday with the greatest friends that I have ever had. Being able to wake up and go to sleep in the same room as three of your best friends is one of the best feelings in the world. Sure they get annoying sometimes and I have to put up with them but I'll always love them no matter what.

Now this last thing is the most important and that is why I saved it for last. This is what has changed my life. Time spent with God. I am not trying to say that I live the perfect life and that I am a perfect Christian just because I spend time with God everyday. I mess up and sin just like everyone else. What you do with the time you have is so important! What you do with your time is how you will advance the kingdom of heaven. Be different, give your time, your heart, and your soul to God. You can do that in so many ways. Read your Bible, journal, read a devotional, pray, meditate, whatever it is give your time to him. God has blessed each and every one of you with talents and a purpose. How are you going to use those things God has blessed you with to honor and praise Him?  We will all stand before God someday and He is going to ask that question. "What did you do with what I gave you." I hope that you can have an answer for that and not just be like "Oh crap." (Justin Maust) Make that a goal for yourself, that you can answer that question. I don't know about you, but someday I long to hear the words, "Well done, good and faithful servant." I know that if God asked me that question right now that I would tell him that I have used the talents he has given me in basketball as a platform to spread and share his love. I am not trying to say I am popular, but I believe that there are many people who know me because I play basketball, and because of that I hope that they can see my heart and what the number one thing in there is. That is a relationship with Jesus Christ and the love I have for Him. I use my time to read my bible, journal, and write blogs in order to encourage as many people as I can. Heck if one person is encouraged by this post, I will be happy and I know that God will be as well. God has blessed you all more than you could ever imagine. How are you using those blessings to advance the kingdom.

Next time you start thinking about tomorrow, don't do it. Think about what you can do with today. If you have a mindset to conquer every day, and give all you have to God everyday you will change this world in more ways than one. I encourage you to get the point where you know that what you are doing is God's will for you. Once you figure that out there is no limit to what you can accomplish. If none of this made sense (which I hope it did) remember that neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, can separate you from God's loving presence. 

Don't boast about tomorrow, get to work today.

Do It Again: Video

What better way to finish your week with an uplifting and encouraging video? Every time I watch this video it uplifts my spirit. I hope that it uplifts yours today too.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FAD7_Dq-7xY&t=90s

The High Road

If you keep up with anything that I post you know that I will occasionally post a devotional from the Jesus Calling book. That is what I am going to share with you today. It was difficult to chose a topic this morning. I am reading James and Joshua. I read James 2 and the chapter was about favoritism and faith, and then Joshua chapters 19 and 20. If you have ever read the book of Joshua I think that it is a very difficult book to read.

The High Road - Jesus Calling 

"I am leading you along the high road, but there are descents as well as ascents. In the distance you see the snow-covered peaks glistening in brilliant sunlight. Your longing to reach those peaks is good, but you must not take shortcuts. Your assignment is to follow Me, allowing Me to direct your path. Let the heights beckon you onward, but stay close to Me."

"Learn to trust Me when things go "wrong." Disruptions to your routine highlight your dependence on Me. Trusting acceptance of trails brings blessings that far outweigh them all. Walk hand in hand with Me through this day. I have lovingly planned every inch of the way. Trust does not falter when the path becomes rocky and steps. Breathe deep draughts of My presence, and hold tightly to My hand. Together we can make it."

John 21:19: Jesus said this to indicate the kind of death by which Peter would glorify GOd. Then he said to him, "Follow me!"

2 Corinthians 4:17: For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.

Habakkuk 3:19: The Sovereign Lord is my strength; he makes my feet like the feet of a deer, he enables me to tread on the heights.

Trials and Temptations

Our lives are chaotic. Think about your day today from the very first thing you did to whatever it is you are doing right now. I bet it's difficult to remember exactly what you did throughout the days. If I was a betting man I would say that the things you remembered throughout your day were the best things and the negative things. With the business of our lives we automatically categorize our days based on the positives and negatives. What matters most when you look at the positives and the negatives? What's important is how you handle the trails and the temptations you go through everyday...or more easily worded...the bad things. As I share some scripture with you in this post I really challenge you to dig deep and really evaluate how you are handling trials and temptations.

James 1:2-16: Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trails of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work is that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who give generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you. But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. Such a person is double-minded and unstable in all they do. Believers in humble circumstances ought to take pride in their high position. But the rich should take pride in their humiliation-since they will pass away like a wild flower. For the sun rises with scorching heat and withers the plant; it's blossom falls and its beauty is destroyed. In the same way, the rich will fade away even while they go about their business. Blessed is the one who perseveres under trail because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him. When tempted, no one should say, "God is tempting me." For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor dose he tempt anyone; but each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed. Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death. Don't be deceived, my dear brothers and sisters. Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. He chose to give us brith through the word of truth, that we might be a kind of first fruits of all he created.

The parts in bold are the words or phrases that I really like and want you to be encouraged by. I will list them again because they are so important!

- consider it pure joy whenever you face trails on many kinds
- you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance
- mature and complete
- if you lack wisdom you should ask God
- you must believe and have no doubt
- the rich will fade away
- 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.
- for God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone
- don't be deceived
- every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows

There are a lot of words or phrases that I pointed out that are self-explanatory. I hope that you can be encouraged by this scripture to embrace the trails that we go through. If you embrace them you will become mature and complete. You will also receive the crown that the Lord has promised to those who love him. Trust the process. Embrace everything you go through every day, both the good things and the bad. The light is always brighter at the end of the tunnel. Think about it, when you go through trials, what are you drawn towards? God. Very good! God uses those trials to make us more and more like him.

As you finish reading this post, think about your day one last time. Think about a trial you faced. Did you embrace it? Or were you deceived and let the world score one on you? I hope that you were encouraged as much by this scripture is as I was this evening.

Step Outside of Your Own Life

Step outside of your own life and dig into someone else's. Two days ago I posted about living a simple life and by doing that you simply love the Lord your God with all of your heart, with all of your soul, and with all of your strength. The simple life is also achieved when you love your neighbor as yourself. Those are the two greatest commandments. One thing you need to do in order to love is to step outside of your own 'perfect' life. Quit worrying about yourself and the things that you have to get done today. Stop caring for yourself and what is best only for you. Think about it, how selfish are our everyday lives. We don't want to do things for other people, we save or strength and all of our energy for ourselves and we give the leftovers to God and other people. Our culture has brain washed us to live for self glorification. Look at social media. Everything that you put on there gives your follower the option to like it. What happens when you put something on there and it doesn't get a lot of likes? It probably will get deleted. I am not saying that social media is bad by any means. Many people use it for uplifting others and encouraging others because most of the time the media consist of negative things. I just want you to know, I am not perfect when it comes to social media either. I have had my fair share of slip ups. To be perfectly honest with you, I have deleted tweets in the past when they haven't gotten likes. While I sit here and think about it, that was so childish. I would love to sit here and say that social media doesn't really matter but our culture is changing so much and it's becoming more and more important. Self-glorification...it's everywhere. Do you have to have the newest devices and newest clothing? I know I want the newest things sometimes. Think about how your minds work, we want the newest things to make ourselves look good? What about other people? There are so many people out there who need love. There are so many people out there who need encouragement. There are so many people out there who need someone to talk too. 

So what is the point of everything I just said? The point is that there are people out there who are going through so much and you will never know how to encourage them or pray for them if you are not semi-involved in their lives. Here is a timeline of events that have happened this week to people that I am close with. (remember...it's only Tuesday) Over the weekend I got a text from one of my best friends. The mother is a recovering alcoholic and was tested for cancer on Friday morning. Over the weekend she was put on life support and is still on it this morning too. Sunday night, I get a text from one of my closest friends and she tells me that her grandmother passed away that night. Last night I am texting back and forth with of my friends who deals with a lot of health issues and was told at an appointment yesterday that there could be a possible brain tumor. Those are three serious life circumstances to go through. I am thankful to be invested in those peoples lives because They need someone to be there for them more than ever. To clarify, I am not self-glorifying myself by saying I did this perfect. When I reach out to them, I try to encourage them in such a way that points to God. Chances are, if you start investing yourself into other peoples lives more, that they won't be going through things that are as serious as my three friends but there is going to be something. Life is crazy and you go through so many things everyday and at this age you feel so much. Having people there for you is one of the greatest feelings. I asked my three friends over and over again if there was anything else I could do to help and all they wanted was prayer. Like that's it. Prayer, of all things that they are going through, all the things that they are feeling, all they wanted was prayer. Reach out to someone today. Text a close friend and ask them how they are. Don't stop at the small talk either. They will more than likely tell you that they are fine. Don't we all though? Ask them how they really are, and maybe what they needed was someone to ask and someone to listen. There are sensitive people out there who need people in their lives to encourage them. 

One last thing. I can't finish this post of without sharing this. I have to share this because I feel like my friend has the perfect heart. So my friend who's mom is on life-support has a heart like no other. I was texting back and forth yesterday with her asking how her mom was, asking how she was handling everything etc. Every time I asked if there was anything that I could do she always asked if there was anything that she could do for me? In a time where her mom is on life support. Like I can't even imagine. I really can't put into words how special it is to have a friend who has a heart like that. Losing my parents someday is one of the hardest things to think about and here I have a friend who that might happen too and she is worried about me? If that is not a perfect and selfless heart than I don't know what is. Here is a part of our conversation last night that got me.

me - "If there is anything else I can do, don't hesitate to ask!!!"

friend - "If you ever need anything, you know you can easily text or call! :) " 

me - "Oh, stop it, don't worry about me right now."

friend - "no buddy! hard situations never give me an excuse to not be a good friend to other people." 

What if we all stepped outside of our own perfect lives and had a heart like my friend? Imagine the love that would be going on all the time! Later on that night I texted her again to ask how she was and again, she went straight to asking how I was going. 

I know I didn't put any scripture in here this morning but I hope that I encouraged you to invest into to other peoples lives. You don't even really have to do much besides love and care about other people. Loving and caring is about the greatest investment that there is. How hard is it to love? Love is simple, just like your life will be if you follow two of the greatest commandments. Remember, there is one command, we have one commander and the law is love. Do it. 

I don't like to ask for much but if you read this I know that those three people I talked about and their families need prayer and they need a lot of it. So if you don't mind taking a minute or two to say a little prayer that would mean the world to me. 

If you took time to say a prayer, you're already investing into other people. Keep up the good work!

Martin Luther King Jr. Quotes

Since it's Martin Luther King Jr. day I want to share with you 15 of his most famous quotes. I would really encourage you to do some research on the topic sometime if you get the chance. I have written papers in the past and have seen movies about Martin Luther King Jr. and have really enjoyed learning about him and the incredible impact that he had and still has today.

1. “Freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded by the oppressed.” “Letter from Birmingham City Jail,” 1963
    
2. “Darkness cannot drive out darkness, only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate, only love can do that.” Sermons from his book Strength to Love, 1963
    
3. “A nation that continues year after year to spend more money on military defense than on programs of social uplift is approaching spiritual doom.” From his book Where Do We Go From Here: Chaos or Community?, 1967
    
4. “The true neighbor will risk his position, his prestige and even his life for the welfare of others.” Strength to Love, 1963
    
5. “Many white Americans of good will have never connected bigotry with economic exploitation. They have deplored prejudice but tolerated or ignored economic injustice.” From his book Why We Can’t Wait, 1964
    
6. “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly.” “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” 1963
    
7. “Nothing in the world is more dangerous than sincere ignorance and conscientious stupidity.” Strength to Love, 1963
    
8. “We’ve been in the mountain of war. We’ve been in the mountain of violence. We’ve been in the mountain of hatred long enough. It is necessary to move on now, but only by moving out of this mountain can we move to the promised land of justice and brotherhood and the Kingdom of God. It all boils down to the fact that we must never allow ourselves to become satisfied with unattained goals. We must always maintain a kind of divine discontent.” Sermon at Temple Israel of Hollywood, 1965
    
9. “I believe that unarmed truth and unconditional love will have the final word in reality. That is why right, temporarily defeated, is stronger than evil triumphant.” Nobel Peace Prize acceptance speech, 1964
    
10. “So we have been repeatedly faced with the cruel irony of watching Negro and white boys on TV screens as they kill and die together for a nation that has been unable to seat them together in the same schools.” “Beyond Vietnam” speech, 1967
     
11. “The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.” Strength to Love, 1963
     
12. “Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.” “I Have a Dream” speech, 1963
     
13. “Hatred paralyzes life; love releases it. Hatred confuses life; love harmonizes it. Hatred darkens life; love illuminates it.” Strength to Love, 1963
     
14. “I submit that an individual who breaks a law that conscience tells him is unjust, and who willingly accepts the penalty of imprisonment in order to arouse the conscience of the community over its injustice, is in reality expressing the highest respect for the law.” “Letter from Birmingham City Jail,” 1963
     
15. “True peace is not merely the absence of tension: it is the presence of justice.” “Letter from Birmingham City Jail,” 1963