Living the New Life

Yesterday was my birthday so I spent most of the day doing some much needed homework.  I spent several hours in my office at the house just catching up on my filing.  It was a good day.

I began to think about weights and pressures that we all have.  I feel them.  You feel weights as well.  One of the primary weights that I feel is the pressure to perform.  What that means is that I feel that I must always be there, always make a call, always say the right thing.  What I have come to realize is that it is impossible for me to do everything.  Yes, I want to be able to do it all- but I can’t.  The weight, I believe that most pastors struggle with is the weight of balance.  The balance between our families and our church.  How much is too much, and how much is too little.  There are happy mediums in everything and we must find that happy medium.  You have to find them or you will lose everything. 

I have always struggled with one pressure in particular.  I put a certain amount of pressure on myself.  I realize that if I fail or if I do not achieve success in whatever it is that I am trying– then I have let myself down.  I constantly worry about letting people down- God, myself, my family, my church- the list goes on and on for me.

If we stay focused on the weights and pressures in our life, we miss out on the goals and dreams that God has for us.  The Bible tells us to “lay aside every weight and sin that does so easily beset us”.  I never want to be so focused on letting others down, that I let up on the dreams and victories that God has for me.

This was dropped in my spirit for someone this weekend, and I thought that I would share it here:

When the Lords begins to work in our lives and calls us to change our direction, we must be careful who we share that word with.  Not everyone will be happy about what God is doing in your life.  There are times that we have to keep what God has placed within us quiet, until the appointed time that we can release it.

Jesus was born as the Savior of the world, but they still had to hide Him because someone (Herod) was out to kill Him.  He gifts were kept hidden until the appointed time for His ministry to begin.  When a woman becomes pregnant with child, she has the child inside of her from the conception moment, but for the child to survive she must wait for the development process to take its course.

Be careful who you share what with.  There are Herod’s out there what want nothing more than to kill the vision and purpose that God has placed into your heart.  That is why you should keep your gifts hidden while they grow.

I want to challenge you to change the way you go about life.  Work less- seek God more.  The Bible tells us to give Him our firstfruits.  While I know that many of us are extremely busy, I dare you to take the first hour of your day and give it to Him (in worship, in study, and in prayer).  I believe that God will honor your offering to HIm and lighten the strain and burden of your day.  God Bless you in your adventure!

I was meeting with a couple this afternoon at the church when I suddenly thought about the time.  It was 3:14.  The problem with that time is that I am supposed to pick up my daughter at 2:30 from school.  The school had called my cell phone, my home, my office and still did not get in contact with me.  My secretary thought that I had left (my cell was on my desk) to pick her up.  When I realized what had happened a very sick feeling came over me. 

The sick feeling that I felt today does not compare to those who will one day realize that they followed after the wrong things, and have left behind the most important treasure of all—-Jesus.

One of the saddest scriptures to me is when Lot tries to warn his family to get out of Sodom.  Here is the passage:

Genesis 19:12 ”Do you have any other relatives here in the city?” the angels asked. “Get them out of this place – sons-in-law, sons, daughters, or anyone else. 13 For we will destroy the city completely. The stench of the place has reached the LORD, and he has sent us to destroy it.” 14 So Lot rushed out to tell his daughters’ fiancee’s, “Quick, get out of the city! The LORD is going to destroy it.” But the young men thought he was only joking. (NLT)

I am afraid that in many circles in this world, the church is looked at as nothing more than a joke.  Don’t lose your Christian influence.  Be careful who you hang around and the things that you allow to enter into your spirit.