Where Are You Going?

OK, the gloves are off. No more Mr. Nice Guy.

I'll ask you point blank now, Where are you going?

My posts have led you on a path that I hope are resonating in your mind and heart to give serious consideration of where you are in your walk with Christ. Why is this so important to me? Well, I keep running into well intentioned "Christians" that are going through their lives with a lukewarm relationship with Christ. Now, please understand, I am the pot calling the kettle black! I am not saying a word to you that I am not giving serious consideration to myself. As I have said before, I want to be challenged and tested by you, my brothers. I need that accountability.

So far, our path has taken us through a new commitment in 2010 to be more intentional in our love for Christ, and our seeking of wisdom given by God. I then challenged you to recognize that you were chosen of Him. It was not an accident, and it's not some passing chance that you were called. Due to this calling, you have a further responsibility to be discipled and to be a discipler. I then posted about our focus; either temporal or eternal. Are we focused on our Creator or the stuff He created? Our lives are short and our tendencies are to take what we have for granted and never really look at the eternal impact of our choices. Ah...Choices! Yes, it does boil down to our choices. But how can we change our earthly, temporal perspective through our choices? Through the power of the Holy Spirit, our thinking can change as we understand that our thinking controls our emotions which control our behavior which control our habits which control our legacy.

Again I will point out that most of us have heard this most of our lives, or at least as long as we have been Christians. My fear; however, is that we accept all of this with a head knowledge yet never truly live it out in our lives. And if we never truly live it out in our lives, are we the ones Christ spoke of in Matthew 7:21-23?

"Not everyone who says to me. 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?' And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.'"

Earlier in Matthew, Christ warns us of false prophets and how to tell them from true prophets; through recognition of the fruit of their lives. But what I read in Matthew 7:21-23 is even a more stark warning that even those who believe they are faithful producers of "fruit;" doing what they feel is work of the Lord, yes even some of those will be denied life given by Christ. Why? Because those "believers" still didn't have their hearts right. Somewhere and some how, their lives were not Christ-focused in spite of their works.

Ephesians 2:8-10 tells us, "For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them."

Are we certain that we have our lives in this order? Faith > Salvation > Works? Is our heart in our works because it should be, or is our heart in our works because we can't breathe a breath without crying out for the will of God in our lives?

What about the wishy-washy Christian? What about the wet noodle Christian? Your heart is in the right place. You want to walk according to your calling by Christ. You want to get pumped up by something greater than yourself. What of you? Is Christ speaking of you in this dire warning? Does Christ know this Christian?

I fear the loss of these brothers more than any other. But why are we so lukewarm even though we have spent years of our life in church, in fellowship with other believers, and hearing the Gospel? Have our hearts been hardened? Have we allowed our own complacency to overcome our faith?

Maybe we are asking ourselves quietly, in our own private places, "Can I trust God?" Yes, we all battle the temporal and eternal value systems of existence. It is so easy for us to place our trust in what we can see, taste, smell, and feel; our temporal belief system. On the other side, we've read 2 Corinthians 5:7, "for we walk by faith, not by sight," and Romans 8:24-25, "For in hope we have been saved, but hope that is seen is not hope; for who hopes for what he already sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, with perseverance we wait eagerly for it."

You might be saying to yourself, "I get it...but I don't get it!"

Guys, I have to just lay it out all on the line....if this is you, you may still be fighting the temporal battle. You still may be battling with fully trusting God. If this is you, please drop to your knees right now and pray that God will soften your heart. Pray that He will give you the faith to trust Him fully and completely. He wants so badly to give you this trust!

This choice...this trust is spelled out so well in 1 Peter 1:8-9, "Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls."

Still struggling, well, let's dig a little deeper.

In his book, Conformed to His Image, Kenneth Boa outlines a practical way in which we can evaluate our mindset in regard to our trust in the Lord. He says, "Our presuppositions shape our perspective. Our perspective in turn shapes our priorities, and our priorities shape our practice."

First let's look at what a presupposition is. A presupposition is basically a nonnegotiable within our lives. A presupposition is a value or a character trait of which we base, as a foundational truth, for our lives. We would never compromise a foundational truth in our lives, right?

This is an important starting point for us. We must identify what our presuppositions are. If we are truly Christians, shouldn't one of our presuppositions be that the Word of God is the inerrant truth from cover to cover? If that is true, shouldn't everything in our lives and of our lives flow from this presupposition?

If it doesn't, what does that say about our presupposition; about our foundational truth of which we profess?

It's beginning to hurt a little, isn't it? It sure is for me. Kenneth Boa goes on to point out that few of us who profess a Christian-view of our life's presuppositions "have actually thought through the logical implications of these assumptions. And of this small fraction, only a handful have contrasted these logical implications with the way they live." He further argues that this is why we can live our lives with such a huge gap between our professed beliefs and our practice of these beliefs.

So, I'll ask you, how do your presuppositions shape your perspective?

Let me ask it a different way. Are you tolerant of things in your life and people in your life that go against your core beliefs? Do you water-down your core values in the workplace or with certain family members and friends? Do you vote according to your Biblical values?

No doubt these are difficult and challenging questions, so I will remind you that sanctification by Christ is a journey. No one goes from conversion to glory in an instant, but that doesn't free us from the calling of Scripture for a change of heart and a reaffirmation of living according to Christ's nonnegotiables!

So, our presuppositions shape our perspective, now our perspectives shape our priorities. This is where the heart of our daily walk finds its proving ground. This is where the action of our beliefs; either temporal or eternal, come into play. We must recognize that our stay on earth is but a whisper of time. Isaiah 40:6b-8 tells us, "All flesh is grass, and all its lovliness is like the flower in the field. The grass withers, the flower fades, when the breath of the Lord blows upon it; surely the people are grass. The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God stands forever.

If our presuppositions are right with God, then we can more readily (by faith) have an eternal perspective that is gripped by the Truth. Boa adds, "The more we align ourselves with this perspective, the more it will have an impact on our short-term and long-term priorities." And of course, the opposite is true; failing to to align our presuppositions on Scripture, we will lean toward focusing our priorities on things that have no eternal value.

What are your priorities? What do you spend your time on? Who do you choose to spend time with? Where is your legacy?

And finally, Boa says that our priorities shape our practice. Even the reverse is true; our practice will reveal our priorities. Consider it this way; we can all agree that life passes by so quickly. The older I get, the faster the years pass by. Well, that time passing by is our window of opportunity. You see, we only have our time on earth to live a life of impact and purpose. There is no dress rehearsal to eternity. (I don't know who said that, but they're not my original words)

This is your one shot...how are you going to take it? This is your one chance; given to you by God for a moment by moment chance to have your practice match your priorities and your priorities to match your presuppositions. Are you spending your time wisely? Does your life's practice include renewing your mind through consistent, diligent, intentional time in Scripture? Are you cultivating a growing intimacy with God through prayer? Are you seeking God's calling for opportunities to serve and love others unconditionally?

Where are you going Christian?

You have been given a gift; a gift of eternal life. Paid for in full by the murder of innocent life; the life of our Lord Jesus Christ. He took your sins to the cross. He endured all of your guilt and shame so that you do not have to. He called you to Himself. He gave you the opportunity to share His Message of hope.

What are you doing with your gift Christian?

Please, I ask you...I emplore you...get off the bench and get in the game. Make a difference. Impact others for Christ. Cast aside your fears. Do not allow Satan to keep you lukewarm and dead to the life that Christ promises. Do not go another day with a question in your heart....does the Lord know me?

(Much of the content of this blog comes from my study of Kenneth Boa's book, Conformed to His Image. I can't encourage you enough to get this book and read it carefully. Few books I have come across are as straightforward and thought provoking as this.)

Men on Fire

A very dear friend wrote this poem last week and shared it with me and other brothers at our recent Bible study. I just felt it was worth sharing to you all.

Men On Fire

Men on fire for the Lord are exciting to see

Ordinary men just like you and me

They come from all walks of life

From backgrounds of joy or pain and strife

You can see the fire in their eyes

As they continually seek their eternal prize

“Go Forth” is something they don’t have to be told

They are mighty warriors, strong and bold

From their mission they will not be deterred

Until the gospel everyone has heard

There is no challenge from which they will balk

These men truly “walk the talk”

Consider it a blessing if you know one of these

Life them up in prayer while on your knees

Lest somehow they stumble or tire

These Godly men on fire

Richard Herod – 1/10

What is your Focus?

I really and truly intended to post on my blog no less than every other day. What I have found is that it is incredibly time consuming to settle on a topic, do a little research, then lay out my thoughts in a manner that I hope is clear, articulate, accurate, and uplifting. Well, for me, that has not been easy this last week or so.

I want to ask you...what is your focus?

Consider this carefully, because I hope to provoke some thoughts that maybe you have not spent very much time on. In asking you what your focus is, I am asking you this:

When you wake in the morning, what all is on your mind within the first few minutes (pre-coffee)?

When you head off to work or school and someone nearly runs you off the road, what comes to your mind?

When someone close to you (a believer) goes off on you for some petty detail, and you lash back, what is on your mind?

When you settle into your recliner at night and turn on the TV, what images do you entertain yourself with?

When you close your eyes to go to sleep, what comes to your mind in your last few moments of consciousness?

Or shall I ask all of these again, but as Who comes to mind?

The Bible teaches that there are only two things that are eternal; God and people. People, whether believers or not, will last forever; either in the presence of God (Ph 3:20, Titus 1:1-3), or forever separated from God (Rev. 21:8). Since that is a Truth, then should not our focus be primarily on the two things that are eternal?

So, what does it look like for us to focus on things that are eternal and less on what is temporal?

Kenneth Boa, in his book Conformed to His Image, asks the question like this; if you had only one year to live, how would you choose to live your last 365 days? This can be a little too abstract for us, even though most of us can point to family, friend, or acquaintances that have been faced with exactly this kind of dilemma in their lives. Why is it that we just can't put ourselves into this perspective? We all know we are going to die. As George Bernard Shaw wrote, "The statistics of death are impressive; One out of one people dies." Why is that simple fact not enough to prod us to an eternal focus in our lives instead of a temporal focus?

I think it is for the same reason why I can choose to eat a super-sized burger deal at your local burger joint instead of a salad; because I have failed to understand, grasp, and accept through faith the core step in our spiritual walk; "God is...."

Genesis 1:1 starts us into this understanding with the first four words of God himself, "In the beginning God...."

What I am driving at is that we must put into perspective who God is first; then see our relationship with God and how we were created for His glory. That is the sole purpose of our lives. Anything beyond that purpose should be God-driven, not man-driven. This is the very first step in turning away from temporal focus and turning to eternal focus.

OK, we've heard this before. How do I apply this?

Choices.

Day-to-day, hour-by-hour, minute-by-minute choices.

God gave us a will and a desire; how we use these two key human characteristics comes down to choices.

So, how do we get help with our choices?

We must understand that the battle is in our mind. Satan attacks our mind, because our mind is weak. Our thinking controls our emotions and our emotions influence our behavior. Proverbs 23:7 tells us, "As he thinketh in his heart, so is he." As Chip Ingrams says, "The thoughts we have, the feelings we feel, the experiences that shape our understanding - these things steer the ship of our lives." We have to make a habit of filling our minds with things that are of God and not of man.

Paul tells us in Philippians 4:8 "Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things." The word dwell in the original Greek text is logizomai which literally means to deduce, to reason, to calculate, to ponder, to deliberate. How often do we deliberate and calculate and ponder the word of God? By contrast, how often do we deliberate, calculate, and ponder the statistics from yesterday's ballgame? Focus.

If it weren't true that we are a product of our thought life, why would advertisers spend millions of dollars for a 30 second commercial to be played on Super Bowl Sunday? It is an undeniable fact that you are what you think. My challenge to you is to develop habits of thinking that radically change the course you are on. How do you do that?

• Read, memorize, and meditate on God's word
• Use your drive time to listen to God's word and/or worship music
• Take a slow walk in nature and ponder the magnificance of God's creation
• Personalize Scripture and its promises through prayer in your personal areas of need
• Share your need to refocus your life with a fellow believer

I pray that you will spend more time focusing on your Creator.

It's Time to Fish or Cut Bait

As we all put the holidays behind us, box up the decorations, head off to work or school, or whatever your condition on this first full week of the New Year, I think it's appropriate that we now realize that in fact "It's Time to Fish or Cut Bait." Most statistics show that a New Year's resolution is probably already forgotten by January 4th, so if that's the case for you here's your friendly reminder to realign your priorities and to put your focus on God now more than ever.

I don't think it is by chance that one of Christ's first recorded conversations in Matthew is, "Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men." (Matthew 4: 19 ESV) This short, direct, and imperative statement from Christ is the subject of today's thought.

As I read this account in Matthew, I can visualize Christ on a mission.

As verse 18 reads, "While walking by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon (who is called Peter) and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen."

I don't think He was on a casual stroll across the shore and happened upon two fisherman...He was on a mission to find those who would lead the church after He was gone. He knew where they were, what they were doing, and he found them right where they were at this point of their lives.

He was searching for men of character, men of boldness, men of strength, and yes, men of honor. He came to find Simon Peter and Andrew. He knew where they were. He knew they were two men who would answer His call.

Allow me to ask you this question, when Christ called you, do you think that was by accident? Heck no! Christ called you because He has a plan for you! Well, next question, what the heck are you doing with that gift?

Guys, it is time to recognize that by being called by Him, we were given a gift of life. That gift comes with a responsibility. I like the fact that Christ's statement was an imperative..."Follow me," and a promise, "I will make you fishers of men." That means we have been issued a command to follow him, and we've been blessed with His promise that our obedience will glorify Him. Tell me that doesn't get your adrenalin pumping!! This is a call to discipleship. This simple statement is Christ telling each of us that a priority in our lives must be to share the Gospel with others; being "fishers of men."

OK, some may say that this was just something Christ said to Simon Peter and Andrew, right? He didn't mean everyone should follow him immediatley (dropping what they're doing), and serve him, actively seeking others to share the Gospel with. Is that what you're thinking? If so, I think you're wrong.

Dr. John Tolson makes the point in his book, The Four Priorities, in this way, "Discipling is a command by Jesus Christ to all Christians and not merely a gift to a select few." To back up this statement, Tolson refers to Matthew 28:16-20: "Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heavean and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."

So as you approach the first full week of the New Year, what is your focus? Where is your heart? What excuse are you going to allow you to be less of an impact for obeying God's call to "Follow me?"

Yes, I am intending to provoke you a bit as I provoke myself. I wallowed in enough self-pity last year and allowed Satan to defeat me time and time again because I took my focus off of Christ. In my own battles, I sat complacent so many times and did not take action. I don't want that to be the case for myself or for you. But the first call to action is to, "Follow me," as Christ commanded Simon Peter and Andrew, so He commands you and I. Want to know how, READ THE WORD! Stop making excuses. It doesn't matter how many times you've read the Bible, pick it up daily and read it again. What else can you do to follow Christ?

Pray. Really pray.
Serve others.
Give.
Love.
Work.
Learn.
Get involved.
Share.

I could go on all day with this, but I think it really boils down to this, are you going to fish or cut bait? You know what God wants for you. Put aside your excuses, your circumstances, your past, or whatever is holding you back and get in the game! Saddle up! I am sick and tired of my own excuses, aren't you sick and tired of yours? We all have them guys...so stop kidding yourself. In some aspect of our lives, we compromise on something, even if it's just a show we watch of TV that doesn't glorify Him.

My hope is that 2010 is a year that marks a change in each of our lives, our community, our church, our family, and eventually our world. We are all sick and tired of what's going on outside of our circle of influence, but what are we doing with what's inside our circle of influence? We can't change the outside until we change the inside. Praise be to God that He has provided the power to change the inside through the indwelling Holy Spirit in our lives. We can't do it on our own.

As for me, I'm going to fish. I hope you will join me in this resolve. I am asking that you stand beside me in this. Challenge me, test me, provoke me, push me, drag me. That's what Simon Peter and Adrew did. "Immediately they left their nets and followed Him." Matthew 4:20

In closing, I want to recognize a friend who shared something yesterday that I just can't get out of my mind. A brother who has a difficult past was applying for acceptance into a new apartment. Knowing his own past, he had to be nervous and concerend about being accepted, but yet his heart was to serve the people in this office, so he washed their windows! Some time later, after pulling his record, he was denied residency in this community. Was he angry? No. Did he falsify his testimony upon leaving? No. He called another brother and they went together to another apartment community at which he was accepted. Praise God that this friend is putting his past behind and moving forward actually living Paul's statement in Philippians 3:13-14, "Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus." Thank you for living this Vincent and sharing with us what a Christ-focused life can look like.

Have a blessed day.

Happy New Year

Build it and they will come!

I honestly don't know what led me to start a blog on January 1, 2010, but here it is. Even more, I don't know where this will go or who it may reach. What I do know is that the purpose of this blog is to serve Him who has given so much to me. In the midst of what was a terrible year (2009) for me and my family, He has so graciously given to me time and time again. It's time that I give back.

It's worth noting first and foremost that I am just a layman, a sojourner, a servant. I have absolutely no theological training whatsoever, so I ask that any of my readers understand that my writings are simply a response to what the Lord places in my life as a husband, father, son, and friend.

So, with disclaimers in place, let's get started with this blog!

As it is New Year's Day, so many want to make their own list of resolutions. Well, my experience with resolutions has been very unimpressive! However, last year I made more than a resolution, I made a covenant to God to read the Bible cover to cover - or as Zig Ziglar so aptly puts it, "From Genesis to maps." Well, by God's persevering grace, I did it! Since I have a large study Bible, I decided that I wanted to read it in half a year. My version has about 1,800 pages, so I easily divided it up into a daily reading of 10 pages; ending on a chapter. That was my plan and it worked for me. Was it hard? Well, to be honest yes it was. The experience for me went kind of like this:

My first few days went pretty well...Genesis was interesting, so to it came fairly easy for me to read through Genesis as more of a history lesson. The same was true for Exodus. By the time I got into Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy, the habit was in place and I was able to get through the dreaded who begat whom! As I went through the historical books, again the enjoyment of history and the illumination of God's presence through history made these books an easy read. Yes, I stumbled through 1 & 2 Kings and Chronicles. Then came the poetical and wisdom books....again good reading that kept me engaged pretty well. About the time I thought I had the habit entrenched, then came the prophetic books. Man...those kind of kicked my tail a little. Hard reading...hard to understand. But then I read a quote from a book (The Spirit of Early Christian Thought) that a dear friend gave to me, "When Augustine was preparing for baptism he asked Ambrose what he should read 'to receive so great a grace.' Ambrose told him to read the prophet Isaiah, but when Augustine took up the book its meaning eluded him: "I did not understand the first passage of the book and thought the whole would be equally obscure." So he put it aside, he says, until "I had more practice in the Lord's style of language."" How appropriate that was to my reading of the prophetic books.

But then came the morning that I opened up Matthew and my journey through the New Testament began. I read through this in a matter of 45 days or so and completed my quest through the Bible in just over 4 months!

This journey was started and completed with a heavy reliance on God's direction, will, and desire in my life. Each daily reading started in the morning, often with me needing some worship music first to get my head in the game. I then read the Word seeking to have His will revealed to me through the reading. I completed my daily reading with prayer and thanksgiving. My goal was to simply read the Word. His goal for me was much, much greater. I received a context for His entire Word. I can't explain it, but so much became so much more clear for me. I still can't memorize verse very well and I still can't remember exactly where the "beattitudes" are, but I have a context of reference like I've never had before.

So where do I go from here? I've been pondering that for several weeks. I had already began last fall re-reading the Bible at the same pace, but only got through 2 Kings before I began wondering what I would do on January 1st. So, this is what I have decided to do. Since 2009 was a really crummy year on so many fronts, I decided to start 2010 with the Good News! Matthew 1. What a blessing to have God's Word in our hands and before our eyes. Taking another quote from The Spirit of Early Christian Thought, Augustine again said had this thought-provoking word, "For now treat the Scripture of God as the face of God. Melt in its presence."

I look forward to 2010 with eager anticipation of God's will for me in my life. So many of my Christian brothers have been such a foundation of hope in my life. I am so thankful for each of them. Over the last couple of days I have received many wishes for hope and success in 2010. If I had not one more humanly successful moment in 2010 the year would already be a huge success. For my wife, children, parents, and friends, I am such a blessed man. Thank you God for loving and entrusting these relationships to me.

May your New Year be blessed by your committment to know Him who saved you.