"What a waste of time!"

Ephesians 5:11-17


Life is so short.  We are here today and gone tomorrow.  We are snowflakes that hit the ground and later become dissolved by salt.  Recently I was going to the grocery store to buy some silly item, my thoughts were to drive to the store, park the truck, go in the store, by the item, and come back home.  But that day it all changed for me.  When I pulled up the store ambulances and police cars were surrounding the parking lot.  The fire department even came out with their fire truck. I did not see any fire, see anyone being dragged to jail but I did see in the back of the ambulance.  The paramedics were performing CPR on someone.  The first thought that came to mind was that someone's grandfather who passed out or suffered a heart attack and the paramedics were trying to save him because I could see a family in the distance being comforted by the police.  I figured he was at least 60 to 70 years old.  But I wanted to make sure so I asked the gentleman, who was near where I parked, what happened.  He told me "A two-year old kid got run over by a truck.  The guy who hit him was 15 years old.  But there was nothing the teenager could do because he was not going fast but the little kid just ran out in front of the truck and before we could shout and try to stop him it was too late."  My heart dropped and I begin to pray, you see I was okay with a 60 to 70-year-old man dying but I was not okay with a two-year old dying.  I felt an older person has at least lived there life but a two-year old child doesn't know the meaning of life is, let alone lived it.  Before I could finish a breath I heard the ambulance doors close, a mother scream, and I knew the child was gone.  A that point I had forgotten my purpose from coming to the store or even cared about the silly item anymore.  All I could focus on was the family in need and the heartache they were feeling.

As I sit here now I think to myself how often people waste their lives.  I think about how many married couples spend more time in arguments than speaking words of love and affirmation to each other.  I think of how many parents spend more time focused on giving their child what they did not have growing up as opposed to spending time with their child.  I think of how much time Christians spend gossiping about other Christians instead of sharing the Gospel.  I think of how much time we spend chasing a lie and not submitting to the truth.  I think of how much time we spend investing in stock as opposed to investing in each other.  I think of how much time we spend hating someone as opposed to loving them.  I think of ho much time we spend trying to make sure we and our children will have a good education but we only spend an hour and thirty minutes every Sunday ensuring that someone else teaches them about Jesus.  I realize I will spend more time dead than I will alive.  So I understand my time is precious and my moment is only for a second in the eyes of God.  So how does this affect how I live my life?

Our life purpose is not please ourselves or others.  We put so much value on what we have, what we do, are how others perceive us that we lose sight of God.  When we understand that we are valuable in God's sight we don't waste time.  And we understand that we are valuable and are a great worth to Him we find an awesome JOY!  What I do, what you think of me, what I have does not, and the mistakes I have made does not define me.  But whose I am and where He has promised to take me when my life comes to an end defines me.  I am God's and He says that I am fearfully and wonderfully made (Psalm 139:14), I am not condemned and set free (Romans 8:1), I am God's Child, He loves me, and nothing can separate me from His Love (Romans 8:35-39, 1 John 3:1), I have security in knowing He will always be there (Hebrews 13:5), and I am fearless because God is with me (Hebrews 13:6).  So my contentment comes from Christ and not from anyone or anything in this life.

So now I live my life to please God and God alone.  My life now has become a living sacrifice to God because all I want to do is please Him by walking in His Will (Romans 12:1-3).  Now I want to spend time loving others despite how they treat me because loving others pleases God (1 John 3:21-24).  I want to spend time loving my wife and not spend time belittling her or mocking her because loving her pleases God and my wife desires to spend time respecting me as a man instead of treating me as a worthless boy because this pleases God ( Ephesians 5:22-33).  I want to spend time speaking words of affirmation to others instead of tearing the down because this pleases God (Ephesians 4:29, 5:19).  I want to spend my time bring others to know Jesus and teach them how live like a Christian instead of gossiping about their clear or private flaws because it will bring My God great delight (Matthew 28:16-20).  I want to spend time share the truth as opposed to partaking or promoting lies because I know that sharing the truth pleases God (Ephesians 5:11).  I want to spend time teaching my family God's Word because this pleases Him (Deuteronomy 11:18-19).  I want to spend time in prayer, praise, and studying God's Word because it pleases Him  (Psalm 119:9-15, 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18).  Essentially I want to spend whatever time I have left pleasing the Lord as opposed to pleasing myself or others around me (Ephesians 5:15-17).

You only have a two certainties in life, you know you were born and you know you will die.  10 out of 10 people who are born will die. When know the day we are born but are uncertain of the day we will die.  I tis a scary thing to think about but when you know you spend your time pleasing the one who created you and serving the one who died for you death is no longer a fear but a JOY!  Because all the time you spent on this Earth was not wasted and not in vain and your result is far better than your present condition (Romans 8:18-23).  So I ask you...how are you spending your time?

Stay focused you can do this!


"In His JOY!"

"Do what He wills not what you wilt"

Psalm 119:105, Matthew 7:24-27

We live in a world that tells us "Do what we will" as opposed to do what God wants. We hear the message of "self-satisfaction" over pleasing the Lord in music, movies, television, and our literature. The phrases "Do you Boo and I'm going do me", "It's your thing do what you want to do","I did it my way", and "this is me and this is who I am" scream of a destructive end. When we follow the idiocy of "Do what thou wilt" we are heading down a dangerous and deadly path. 

When we depend and rely on God's Word to lead and guide us His Word becomes a light to our feet and a light to the path that God has set out for us (Psalm 119:105). His words will make a our steps sure because we are standing on the truth of God's Word. And the direction we need to go becomes clear because we are trusting that God will guide us every step of the way. But there will be perilous times ahead on our journey. Matthew 7:14 tells us that we will face hard times when we choose to follow God's Direction. When we follow the word of the Lord we will have a firm foundation that enable us to stand against the struggles of life.

However if we choose to forsake God's Word and do what we want we will face destruction (Matthew 7:13) and will falter under the pains of life (Matthew 7:26-27). Following after our own evil desires gives us a false feeling that we obtained all we ever wanted but the temporary joy will quickly fade. And we will be left with the disappointment over a wasted life.

So I ask you where are you standing on the firm truth of God's Word or standing on loose foundation of your own desires? Are you walking down the narrow path that leads to life or are you sprinting down a path head towards destruction? Where are you? Don't waste your life, stay focused, you can do this!

"In His JOY!"

"Am I the youngest son"

Luke 15:11-32

Sin has no conscience.  The devil loves to tempt us to sin because when we are in sin we do not care who we hurt, what we do, or how often we sin.  All we care about it is the instant pleasure that sin offers us.  It leads us down a road of self destruction while all the time deceiving us.  We think we are embracing freedom and self expression but this is a lie.  Instead we are embracing bondage and promoting the devil with our sinful acts.  When we are deeply rooted in sin it becomes increasingly hard to hear God's Voice.

I am reminded of the prodigal son, he requested all of his inheritance from his father  (Luke 15:11-12).  The son received all of his inheritance and instead of remaining with his father he sold his share of the land and spent it all of reckless living ( Luke 15:13).  He did not care to how this made his father feel nor did he care what shame it brought to his family.  His only motivation was to enjoy the pleasures of life with his great wealth.  But in the end he gave his wealth to the world and gained nothing in return.  So it is safe to say that he obtained all the pleasures of life but lost his soul (Mark 8:36).  At his lowest moment he came to realize his need for help.  He had gotten himself into situation that he could not get out of.  The only one that could save him would be his father.  He needed a Savior because his sin had cost him everything (Luke 15:14-19).  He determined in his heart to return to his father as a slave and not a son.  His father saw him in the distance and rapped his arms around him.  His father returned his son to his former glory and threw a feast in his honor (Luke 15:24-20).  In anger the oldest son berated his father on why a feast was never given in his honor but the father simply replied you could have asked at any time for a feast at it would have been done but he should rejoice that his younger bother has returned.  (Luke 15:25-32)

Much like the youngest son we tend to get involved in sin and do not care who we hurt.  We spend all on money on sin.  We spend countless dollars at the strip clubs, on profane music, drugs, or alcohol.  We get deeply entrenched in sin and we don care how it destroys our lives.  Our families suffer and we suffer as well.  When others try to warn us and speak truth in our lives we take offense to it as opposed to accepting the truth and changing.  But God who loves us and cares for us knows how to get out attention.  He allows us to get to our lowest point to get our attention.  The prodigal did not realize his sin until circumstances put it in front of his eyes.  He could have been bitter and lashed out at God, blamed his father,  or even sinned some more.  But instead he took responsibility and repented of his sin. Godly sorrow lead him to repent.  When sin is brought in front of your eyes what do you do?  When poor choices cause horrible circumstances do you take responsibility or do you blame the devil and say "It's only a storm?"  or "This to shall pass?".

i implore you to look at your life and do a truthful self evaluation.  Are you growing in your spiritual walk or are you chasing after a secret sin?  Are your circumstances a direction effect of your sin?  Is God trying to get your attention or are you to focused on sinning to pay attention to truth?  Where you in your Christian Walk?  Are you living with the Father or are you in the city in sin?  This is my prayer, that we all truthfully answer theses questions and if we are far off that we would return to the Father and glorify His Name!

Stay focused you can do this.


In His JOY!

Dying to live

2 Corinthians 5:1-10

Death carries a heavy toll on the heart and mind. We try hard to fight off the feelings and the emotions that come from losing a loved one. We often try to mask the pain and ignore the injury. But the reality is death happens and comes for us all. 10 out of 10 people will die, it is something we cannot escape and something that we all face.

However for those who know Jes

us and long to be with Him, we embrace death because it is in our death we will finally wake up and experience true life (2 Corinthians 5:4). We know we are only "renting" these earthly homes we call a body. Because our true homes have been "bought" and paid in full. Our debt free homes are waiting for us in Heaven. (2 Corinthians 5:1)

And our home cannot be foreclosed on by the "bank of illness", it cannot be broken into and destroyed by our enemy, infested by worry, or rusted by time. Because our builder is our protector and His alarm system is our guarantee that the house is ours (2 Corinthians 5:5)

So we are in good courage, because we are the bride who is temporally separated from the groom. We are the prom date excitingly waiting for door bell to ring. We prepare ourselves to please our groom. We fix our clothing, clean our faces, and prepare our hearts for the eternal date that will begin never end (2 Corinthians 5:6-10).

So yes we may mourn for a while, we may cry and sob. But don't let our tears fool you. Don't let our anguish miss lead you. Because inside we rejoice. Inside we are celebrating. Inside pure JOY! is complete because we know where our sisters and brothers in Christ are. They are not in a casket, they are not in the ground, they are not here. For they are absent from us and present with our Lord! And this current suffering we are feeling is for outweighed by the future glory that awaits us (Romans 8:18).

Stay focused, you can do this.

"In His JOY!"

"In Season, Out of Season either way...God's Good"

Ecclesiastes 3:1-8, 12:13
Ecclesiastes starts off by telling us in Chapter 3 that everything has a season, a moment, or a purpose and concludes in Chapter 12 by saying that the ultimate purpose of man is to fear God and keep His commands.

I have come to understand that in whatever season or moment I am currently in my life, I am to glorify God. It does not matter if I agree or disagree with the season of my life, the location, or the current circumstances surrounding it. All that matters is His Glory. And God receives glory when we allow Him to be Lord over our lives (fear Him) and live according to His Word and Will (Keep His Commands).

So hang in there and keep fighting the good fight no matter how complex the battle, so God may receive His Glory. Stay focused, you can do this.

"In His JOY!"