Just think...what if...

Last night was a multi-state mega-millions lottery drawing with the winnings being $640,000,000! I was talking with a friend this morning about the drawing and they asked if I thought it was wrong to purchase a ticket. As the day went on I thought more about this.

I am not able to judge the motives and the hearts of the people that purchase lottery tickets
I am not in a position to tell people what is honorable to spend their money on and what is not.

Some claim that it is simply entertainment - it's not gambling.
Others argue "it's only a dollar or two" - it's no big deal. 

Tonight I looked up and found that over 1.5 billion tickets were sold for the drawing last night, that is 1,500,000,000 tickets and $1,500,000,000.

According to The Hunger Project 925 million people do not have enough to eat and 1.4 billion people live on $1.25 a day or less. Just think about that for a moment, if we were to spend that 1.5 billion on the 925 million people that don't have enough to eat, each would receive $1.62. That is enough to eat - enough to survive! And, if a dollar or two is "no big deal" why are we doing more?

Maybe this is a good opportunity for each of us to take a step back, to examine our hearts and our motives. Maybe this is a good opportunity for each of us to take an honest look at our priorities and determine what is important to us.

Just think...what if...

Everything about Jesus

I love the casual moments of chatting with my oldest children, now ages six and three. It is during these times that I gain insight into their young minds, gain access into their profound thoughts, and develop an understanding of what life looks from a small child's point of view.

Last Sunday I had one of these treasured moments with my children. As they sat and played together I mentioned that Easter Sunday was right around the corner, I told them that we would go to church and then travel to Grandpa and Grandma's house for the holiday. Then the three of us shared the following dialog:

Me: "You know what Easter is all about don't you?"
Three-year-old: "CANDY!"
Six-year-old: "No." (with a laugh and an eye roll)
Me: "No, it's not about candy."
Three-year-old: "The Easter bunny!?"
Six-year-old: "No." (with a laugh and an eye roll) 
Six-year-old: "It's about hiding eggs!"
Me: "No, we talk about those things at Easter but the real meaning is Jesus!"
Me: "Remember how we talk about Jesus dying on the cross?"
Six-year-old: "Yeah....?"
Me: "Well, Jesus died but then He came back to life three days later."
Me: "That is what we celebrate on Easter. Jesus is alive!"
Six-year-old: "Oh? Yeah!"
Three-year-old: "Daddy? Daddy?" (with a very serious tone and look he grabs me by the cheeks)
Me: "Yes?"
Three-year-old: "Does everything have to be about Jesus?"

"Does everything have to be about Jesus?"

Yes! Everything does have to be about Jesus! Not just everything at Christmas, everything at Easter, and everything at church. Everything that we do has to be about Jesus, everything must be focused toward and centered around Jesus Christ. Not only is this something that I hope to teach my children, this is something that I hope to teach every person that I meet and talk with and every person that sees me live my life.

But, I will never be successful - I will never teach my children or anyone else that EVERYTHING must be about Jesus - if I have not taught myself this first. That is, if I am not living my life in a way that honors, pleases, and glorifies Jesus Christ, nothing else that I do will matter.

So, ask yourself; Does everything have to be about Jesus? Are you living your life in a way that proves this to be true? Are you striving to teach others that everything must be about Jesus?

Such a Time As This

On Tuesday evenings my wife and I host a small group at our home and it is typical for us to prepare coffee for our guests. Last night I decided to prepare the coffee at the church rather than at our house and, for whatever reason, I decided to go over and start the coffee just as the rest of the family sat down for dinner.

As I was finishing the coffee I heard a pipe burst in the restroom and ran in to investigate. What I found was a toilet overflowing, water shooting into the air, and about an inch of water on the ground.

As I completed the cleanup it occurred to me how much damage this burst pipe would have caused of I had stuck to the normal routine. No one would have noticed the gushing water for 15 hours!

Then it struck me; I was here for such a time as this. The same can be said of each one of us, we are here at this time, in this place for such a time as this. Each of us has a purpose and a calling to fulfill. But, none of us will ever know what our purpose is unless we are listening for and listening to The One that had created us, determined our purpose, and guided our path.

Are you listening for and listening to The One that leads you to such a time as this?

When does worship become common?

Maybe you don't go to church on a regular basis. Maybe you, like many Americans, make it to church twice a year. If this is you, forget about reading this post.

The group I want to target with this post are the "regular attenders" and especially the "members" of our churches in America. See I grew up in the church and over the years I have been to a lot of churches and I have attended a lot of "worship services".

The issue I have is that some of the, so called, "worship services" forget the worship and when a person leaves they feel like they have done a service just by sitting through the hour.

THIS IS NOT THE WAY IT SHOULD BE!

The question I was struck with this evening; "when does worship become common". When does a person begin to take for granted the opportunity to stand before The God of all creation? And, the most important question; what does a person do about it? How does a person that finds themselves taking the presence of The Living God for granted get back to a state of authentic worship and a true awe of God?