Unity in the body

The body of Christ, is much like the human body. 

Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ. (1 Corinthians 12:12)

Each part of our bodies has a specific function that is necessary to the body as a whole. The parts are different for a purpose, and in their differences they must work together. 

Christians must avoid two common errors: (1) being too proud of their abilities, or (2) thinking they have nothing to give to the body of believers. 

Instead of comparing ourselves to one another, we should use our different gifts, together, to spread the Good News of the salvation. 

I know for a fact that there are people out there who needed to hear that this morning. In a time where it's so easy to compare ourselves to others through their "perfect" lives on social media, we need to understand more than ever how important each, and every single person is. We all have our own special gifts to use together.

Just imagine, living in harmony like that. Everyone using their special gifts together to spread the Good News of the salvation. That is what we live for...spreading the good news...even though so many other things seem to be more important, we can't forget why we are here. 

Going into 2021, my prayer for you, whether you know what your gifts are or not, is that you be entirely you, and understand that you are a gift.  God made every person different and extremely special. Be proud of who you are and use your gifts to glorify him. 

submission

We serve God in our relationships by willingly submitting to others.

But I want you to realize that the head of every man is Christ, and the head of woman is man, and the head of Christ is God. (1 Corinthians 11:3)

I believe there is a common misconception about what it means to submit to somebody. I believe it's a word that is continuing to develop a negative connotation as the world continues to change. I view submission as completely necessary to how we as humans should live our lives on earth. 

Submission is a key element in the smooth functioning of any business, government, or family. God ordained submission in certain relationships to prevent chaos. It is essential to understand that submission is not surrender, withdrawn, or apathy. It does not mean inferiority, because God created all people in his image and because all have equal value. Submission is mutual commitment and cooperation. 

God calls for submission among equals. He did not make the man superior; he made a way for the man and woman to work together. Jesus Christ, although equal with God the Father, submitted to him to carry out the plan for salvation. 

Likewise, although equal to man under God, the wife should submit to her husband for the sake of their marriage and family. Submission between equals is submission by choice, not force. We serve God in these relationships by willingly submitting to others in our church, to our spouse, and to our government leaders. 

the meat market

God has given us all things to enjoy. I know that it's easy to go looking for problems. Even when things are better than they have ever been, we still go and look for problems.

We simply shouldn't ask questions.

Eat anything sold in the meat market without raising questions of conscience, for, "The earth is the Lord's and everything in it." If an unbeliever invites you to a meal and you want to go in, eat whatever is put before you without raising questions of conscience. (1 Corinthians 10:25-27)

In the summer of both 2017 and 2018, I had the opportunity to travel to China for a mission trip with Athletes in Action. Oftentimes, as we traveled from city to city, or village to village, we would be invited into these local restaurants. Each restaurant we attended was the restaurant in town that served the best local food. It was recommended that we ate whatever food was served as a sign of respect to the Chinese people who served us and prepared the food. We were simply told not to ask questions, because everything that in front of us was good. 

I believe that is the perfect example of the scripture above. Sure, I know I probably ate things I would never think about eating, but all was good because that is what we believed. We didn't ask questions. We ate and showed tremendous respect. 

Paul gives an answer to the delema as well. Paul urges us to buy whatever meat is sold at the market without asking whether it was offered to idols. It doesn't matter anyway, and no one's conscience would be troubled. When we become too worried about our every action, we become legalistic and cannot enjoy life. 

Everything belongs to God, and he has given us all things to enjoy. If we know something is a problem, then we can deal with it, but we don't need to go looking for problems. 

As we begin another week, let us attack it with that mindset. Everything belongs to God, and he has given us all things to enjoy. 

purpose and discipline

There is a very strong need for self-discipline.

Anybody can become motivated, have a desire to work hard and be successful, but any of that is hard without self-discipline. 

December 1st, I set a goal for myself that I would run 100 miles in December leading up to my wedding day. (1/2/21) That's a pretty hearty goal for me considering I am not much of a runner and have never done anything like that before. I have been running 4 miles a day and knew that if I did not skip a single day that I could actually complete the mark a week early. I have officially ran just over 4 miles every day of the month and know that I will be able to run 124 miles this month. For me, it's a big achievement. For me to accomplish this like I have, I had to be incredibly self-disciplined. Heck, it's December. There have been days where it's been snowing, raining, and freezing cold and I couldn't let myself not run. I am also a big morning person, and needed to do these runs in the morning. So there were nights were I would get 5 hours of sleep and still get up and do it. 

I don't share that story brag, but I believe my relationship with Christ is a lot like this. You have to commit to it daily. You have to do things you don't normally feel like doing. You have to have a purpose, and an incredible amount of discipline. 

I will also tell you this, as good as it felt to hit 100 miles, it wasn't about that for me. The most rewarding part was that I developed phenomenal habits, and pushed myself out of my comfort zone. Although this was merely just a physical task, the self-discipline it helped me create carried over to all aspects of my life. 

Do you not know that in a are all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as 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 salve so that after I have preached to others, I myself will be disqualified for the prize. (1 Corinthians 9:24-27)

Winning a race requires purpose and discipline. Paul uses this illustration to outline that the Christian life takes hard work, self-denial, and growling preparation. 

As Christians, we are running toward our heavenly reward. The essential disciplines of prayer, Bible study, and worship equip us to run with vigor and stamina. 

Don't merely observe from the grandstands don't just try out to jog a couple laps each morning. Train diligently - your spiritual progress depends on it. 

We are His

We are God’s creation, and He created us...meaning that we are His.

Know that the Lord is God. 

It is he who made us, and we are his;

we are his people, the sheep of his pasture. 

(Psalm 100:3)

Know that God is our creator; we did not create ourselves. Too often, I feel as if we live in such a way where we are the creator of our own little world. We seem to live with a mindset that everything evolves around us, and the decisions that we make. I mean that’s what it pushed our way right? 

There are both pros and cons to that mindset. The con is that this mind-set often leads to pride, greed, idolatry, and if everything should be taken away, a loss of hope itself.

The pro is that we are still the ones who are mostly in charge of the decisions that we make, but we must learn to trust that everything we do is for God.

When we realize that God crated us and gives us all we have, we will want to give others as God gave us. Then, if all is lost, we still have God and all he gives us. 

The power in understanding that we are His, is knowing what happens when all is lost. If all is lost and we run our world, there is no hope. If we realize that we are His, and all is lost, we still have God and all he gives us. 

Life isn’t easy. I mean look at everything that happened this year. Many people all across the world lost nearly all they had. What are you going to do about it? I know that no matter what happens in my life, as long as I have God and all he gives me, I will be at peace. 

My prayer for us all, going into the new year it to live knowing that we are God’s and that he created us. 

Let yourself be happy

Do you ever think about how many times per day you don't let yourself be happy? It's always on to the next thing, or time to worry and stress about something else. It's an endless cycle..We often contain our happiness/excitement until something big happens, but oftentimes when that happens, it's not even that enjoyable because we immediately start to wonder how we can accomplish the same thing again. 

There was a recent study that was done among the elderly who were slowly passing away, and when asked if they would've changed anything about their lives here on earth, the most popular answer was this: "I wish I would've let myself be happy."

Guys, we have that choice everyday. It's up to us. Are you going to choose to be happy today? 

I will make that commitment. No matter what happens today. I am going to focus on what I can control and work extremely hard, and I am going to choose to be happy because I know that I gave everything that I had. 

The power in this is that regardless of the results, the happiness that we choose to let ourselves feel from working extremely hard will fuel us to do it over, and over, and over again. Ultimately leading to life we want and the success that we dream about. 

Let yourself be happy. 

bought at a price

Did you know that your body belongs to God? 

Many people say they have the right to do whatever they want to with their own bodies. Although they think this is freedom, they are really enslaved to their own desires. 

When we become Christians, the Holy Spirit fills and lives in us. Therefore, we are no longer own our bodies.

"Bought at a price" refers to slaves purchased at auction. Christ's death freed us from sin, but also obligates us to his service. 

It's kind of like the apartment complex I live at it. It's owned by someone else, I live here and pay for it, and I try not to violate the buildings rules. Because our body belongs to God, we must not violate his standard for living. 

Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, who you have received from God? You are not your own, you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies. 

(1 Corinthians 6:19-20)

As we begin this exciting week of Christmas, I hope this inspires you to honor your body. Treat it well, work out, eat well, sleep plenty, and drink lots of water. Let's honor God with how we treat and love our bodies.

 

aligned desires

In my opinion, aligning our desires with Christ is one of the most difficult things to do as a believer. The reason I say that is that our desires our constantly all over the place. It seems as if there are days where mine are completely aligned with God's and other days where it's the complete opposite. 

Whenever my desires are aligned with Christ's I always feel the most fulfilled. No matter what noise is being made in every other aspect of my life, if I am aligned with Christ I know that my heart and mind is in the right spot. 

But how do we do that? I believe it's intentionality to please God. It's not just going to happen. For me to get my desires aligned with Christ, I need to spend time in the word before I get my day started. I want to give God my best, not my leftovers. Sure, when I do this, I still have days where my desires don't perfectly align with God, but it's a step in the right direction. 

Another thing I do, is that I am intentional about where my mind is at. Meaning, I want to be grateful and continuously express the things that I am grateful for. I believe that one of the best ways to please God is to express how grateful we are for everything we have been blessed with. It's hard to be grateful when you are stressed, just like how it's hard to be aligned with Christ when you are stressed or feeling anxious. Be extremely grateful. Take a gratefulness walk...It could be a walk to get your mail, or even just up the driveway, but when you intentionally spend time being grateful, everything about your day changes. 

Let those who love the Lord hate evil,

for he guards the lives on his faithful ones

and delivers them from the hand of the wicked. 

(Pslam 97:10)

A sincere purpose to please God will result in the alignment of your desires with God's desires. You will love what God loves and hate what God hates. If you love the Lord, you will hate evil. If you do not despise the actions of people who take advantage of others, if you admire people who look out for themselves, or if you envy those who get ahead using any means to accomplish their ends, then your primary desire in life is to please God. Learn to love God's ways and hate evil in every form - not only the obvious sins but also the socially acceptable ones. 

live it out

Some people talk a lot about their faith, but that's all it is-talk. 

They might know all the right words to say, but their lives don't reflect God's power. Paul says that the kingdom of God is to be lived, not just discussed. 

There is a big difference between knowing the right words and living them out. Don't be content to have the right answers about Christ. Let your life show that God's power is really working in you. 

My encouragement for you is just that, who cares about how much knowledge you have about God if you are not living it out. I remember times back in college where there were some people who seemed like they knew so much more than I did about God and it was probably true because they did. But I would always get so confused because how they were living didn't align with the words they say. I don't mean to sound judgmental when I make that comment, but don't let yourselves become deceived by how much knowledge someone else has. Don't let that make you feel down on yourself. 

Our walks with Christ are about living our faith out, not just being extremely wise. We can't just talk the talk, we must walk the walk. Have crazy faith! What matters more than anything else in our lives is our relationship with God and how we live it out. Remember that as you go into today.

"Some of you have become arrogant, as if I were not coming to you. But I will come to you very soon, if the Lord is willing, and then I will find out not only how these arrogant people are talking, but what power they have. For the kingdom of God is not a matter of talk, but of power." (1 Corinthians 4:18-20)

 

a sweet symphony

I don't have much experience going to any types of performances or shows where there are symphonies, but I do know that the best symphonies are when everyone plays their roles extremely well and together. If you think about it, we are all a part of God's symphony. Each and every person created by God is unique, special, and has gifts and talents like no one else.

I believe we are all called to be a part of the symphony to play God's music. Equally and untied as one. Everyone playing their own special instruments, meaning we are all using the gifts that God gave us to serve him and love others. 

So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow. The one who plants and the one who waters have one purpose, and they will each be rewarded according to their own labor. For we are co-workers in God's service; you are God's field, God's building. 

(1 Corinthians 3:7-9)

Only God can make things grow. 

God's work involves many different individuals with a variety of gifts and abilities. There are no superstars. in this task. No super believers. No one who stands out more than the others. There are only team members performing their own special roles 

We can all become useful team members of God's team by setting aside our desires to receive glory for what we do. We should never seek the praise that comes from people - it is comparatively worthless. Instead, seek approval from God.

My encouragement to you today is to play your part. You are so incredibly special. You are capable of things that other people aren't. You have gifts that other people don't. Be you and give God all the glory and I can assure you that you will make difference in the world, but even more important than that, you will feel self-worth and fulfillment. 

everyone wants to be wise

Everyone wants to be wise. But where does wisdom come from?

I know for me, discernment is something I ask God to give me nearly everyday. I know that any good decisions that I make, which I would like to think are most decisions, come from God and not myself. Without God's discernment I could still do the right thing, but perhaps with the wrong motives at heart. 

"This is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom but in words taught by the Spirit, explaining spiritual realities with Spirit-taught words." (1 Corinthians 2:13)

Everyone wants to be wise. Yet Paul taught the Corinthians that true wisdom and discernment requires believers to be guided by the Holy Spirt. Satan's greatest impact on us occurs when he deceives us, so that means we need the Holy Spirit's help. 

Spiritual discernment enables us to draw conclusions based on God's perspective, make wise decisions in difficult circumstances, recognize the activities of God's Spirit, distinguish the correct and incorrect use of Scripture, and identify and expose false teachers.

As we serve God today, let's make sure we ask God to give us discernment and let that discernment guide you in your daily walk. 

simple salvation

It's quite easy to overcomplicate things...Nowadays for many things you do you must have certain things like knowledge, wisdom, and competence. Oftentimes people achieve something just because they believe. Which is flip-flopped right? Belief should be what ultimately leads to us accomplishing many things right? 

The power in truly believing in something is forgotten about. I am not really sure where that simple truth became so lost in translation and throughout life, but it has. We overcomplicate things that shouldn't be complicated at all. 

Are you a little confused by what I have wrote so far? Because I am. 

I did it on purpose. I did it to make you realize how crazy it is that we forget the power of believing. Such a simple truth.

There is a common misconception that goes around where you hear people say: "fake it to you make it." I've said that, and I have lived it. Especially for many months when I first started my career. We should be saying, "I believe it because I'm here." If I would've had that belief during the beginning months of my career, I can almost guarantee that I would've gotten off to a fast start. I was just faking it till I made it and pretended to know what I was doing and I thought that was what would lead to success. But I will tell you this, since I have truly started believing in the work I do and the value in I bring, everything is so much more fulfilling and rewarding to me.

How often are you like that in your faith? Do you coast? Try to fit in with other believers entirely based off of good deeds? I've tired that too, and have lived it. I never was fulfilled until I truly believed. All we have to do is believe that Christ Jesus died on the cross for our sins. 

We won't get to heaven by doing the right thing over and over again...we will spend eternity in heaven when we truly believe. A truth so simple, we forget about it all time. 

Oftentimes, when I sit down and spend time unpacking the word and seeing what I can learn, I feel like I need to find something that is going to make me feel good, or find something I can use to encourage other people. I am always trying to increase my knowledge and wisdom, and I overcomplicate it. I have read confusing things in my bible my entire life, and I always beat myself up over it because for some reason I overcomplicated my faith, and forgot about the simplicity of salvation...which is belief.

God chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things - and the things that are not - to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before him. It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God - that is, our righteousness, holiness, and redemption. Therefore, as it is written: "Let the one who boasts boast in the Lord."

(1 Corinthians 1:28-31)

In that scripture Paul continues to emphasize that the way to receive salvation is so simple that any person who wants to can understand it. Skill and wisdom do not get a person into God's kingdom - simple faith does - so no one can boast that his or her achievements helped him or her secure eternal life. 

There is nothing we can do to receive salvation, we just have to accept what Jesus has already done for us. 

my refuge

I want to start by asking this simple question, when times get tough, difficult, and you feel like all the cards in the deck are stacked against you, what is your first reaction?

Is it your phone? Social media? Do you call a friend? Call your parents? 

I am guilty of all those. Especially this week, I have not been doing a good job at having God be my refuge. I have been turning to what distracts me from what I am facing and that's typically my phone. Not to have a pity party, but I make a lot of phone calls everyday, and when people don't pick up, just aren't nice, or aren't interested in what I do, it's easy to get down. It's been a tough week and every time I feel like my back has been against the wall, I turn to my phone first, and not God. 

One of the best pieces of advice that I have ever heard, was that when you get rejected on the phone, or someone tells you they just aren't interested in what you do, to pray for them. Thank God for the opportunity you had to reach out to someone, and pray for that person and their future whether our paths cross or not. 

I write with complete honesty because I believe that's the best way to encourage, inspire, and to have an impact. 

If you say, "The Lord is my refuge," and you make the Most High your dwelling, no harm will overtake you, no disaster will come near your tent. (Psalm 91:9-10)

Why not turn to God first? God is our shelter. The writer of this Psalm had faith that will carry him through all dangers and fears of life. This should be a picture of our trust - trading all our fears of faith in him, no matter how intense our fears or how difficult our circumstances are. 

My one thing for you as we attack today, is to remember that God is our refuge. When things go your way, praise God, when things don't go your way praise God! Praise God always. Turn to him first. Pray for those who tell you no as much as you pray for those who tell you yes. 

rookie mindset

I've heard "rookie mindset" mentioned many times in podcasts that I have been listening to the past couple days. Each time, it's used in such a way to draw us back to our original ways. Oftentimes, as our lives, careers, and knowledge progress, we forget our simple ways that led us to get to that point.

This happens in business all the time. There are successful people who work extremely hard and build something amazing, and then it seems like something is missing for them. To really figure out what is missing, you have to go back to how things were when you first began. 

This even happens for athletes as well. I think back to my basketball journey. I had the exact same struggles playing college basketball sometimes as I did when I was playing in jr. high. For example, my shot was always off when I would watch the ball when I would release my jump shot, rather than keeping my eyes on the back of the rim. Something so small, affected the entire mechanics of my shot. I would do the same thing in jr. high. I didn't adjust my mechanics to something brand new, I had to remember how I would fix it years ago. How I fixed it was doing something as simple as form shooting right underneath the basket. 

Having a rookie mindset is also incredibly important in our faith in Christ Jesus. Not having a rookie mindset will allow you to overcomplicate things far behind what we could've imagined. With our faith, there are things that we first learn as believers that we must never forget. Like the life of Jesus and how God gave his one and only Son, so that whoever would believe in him, shall not perish, but have eternal life. We must always remember the life that Jesus lived. Without remembering that, what is there to really base our faith off of?

"Anyone who runs ahead and does not continue in the teaching of Christ does not have God; whoever continues in the teaching has both the Father and the Son." (2 John 9)

Continue in the teaching. 

I can't stress that enough. Although it's important to grow, and continue to learn new things, it's even more important to continue in the teaching that we already know. My encouragement to all of you who are trying to grow something special in your life, remember to have a rookie mindset. Remember what you learned when you started this journey on who you are becoming. 

it's not about how much, but how many

For me, one of the most difficult things as a believer is that I have always believed that to be obedient to Christ, I must go out and love every single person. I have always felt like I had to live that way, and I have never done a good job with it. Why? It's a bit exhausting.  

I felt like the only way to show others Christ's love, I had to go out and love on people I have no relationship with. No wonder I don't feel like I have done a good job with it. 

I read a verse, and understood it more clearly than I ever have this morning, and it completely changes everything. 

"No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us." (1 John 4:12)

What John means when he is writing this to us, is it's not how many people we should love, but how much we love the people that we already know. 

Who else needed to hear that this morning?

Before you get carried away, I want to be clear, just because this is what John meant when he wrote this doesn't mean we don't have to love others. We still need to love everybody. But are focus really shouldn't be on how many people we need to be loving, but on how much we need to love the people that we already know.

Our job is to love faithfully the people God has given us to love, whether there are two or two hundred of them. I challenge you to think about your life. Who is in it that you feel like you need to love for a reason and a purpose? A coach will love his family, and his team, a pastor will love his family and his or her congregation, a teacher will love their family and their students, a financial advisor will love their family and also their clients, etc.

I've been bent out of shape my entire life, and I hope with this post, God will bring you to the same revelation he just brought me to. I also encourage you to not take for granted the people in your life who are the closest to you because they are the ones that we can be and should be loving the most.

the carrot, egg, and coffee bean

I was inspired to share this post with you after I heard Jon Gordon explain this story on a podcast this afternoon..

My encouragement to you: be the coffee bean. 

The carrot, egg, and coffee bean represent the three types of people that there are and how they handle conflict and what is thrown at them in life. First, I want you to think of what happens when you put all of these things in boiling hot water. 

When you put a carrot in boiling hot water what happens to it? Well it gets softer, it gets weekend by its environment. 

When you put an egg in boiling hot water what happens to it? It gets hardened right? 

We can be like a carrot when we face difficult situations, like we are in right now, we can crumble from the inside out, we let the fear, stress, and anxiety get the best of us. We can be like an egg, and become hardened, bitter, angry, frustrated, and just not care anymore, and a lot of people right now are saying that they just don't care right now. 

We could be like both, but we don't want to be like either of those. We want to be like the coffee bean, when you put the coffee bean into boiling hot water, it transforms the water, it transforms the environment, it's not impacted by it's environment, but transforms. 

Being a coffee bean is our opportunity, it's our charge, our power, and it's our responsibility everyday as positive leaders here on earth. We can impact the environments that we are in, we don't have to be the victim of our circumstances. 

We can actually change our environment, and that's how we are going to change the world. Pessimists aren't going to change the world and naysayers are going to complain and say you can't do it. The believers, the dreamers, and the positive leaders are who have the greatest impact are like the coffee bean. 

Be the coffee bean.