Daily Tasks

There are several tasks that I (try to) do every day. Some of these tasks are simple, others are more involved. Some of these tasks take only a moment or two, others are more drawn out. 

The most important - and most contemplative - task that I (try to) do every day is in regard to my time of prayer and a time of questioning. 

Every day I (try to) have three times of prayer; in the morning, at noon, and of an evening. In the morning my prayer focuses on me and my plea is "God, help me love You". At noon my prayer focuses on The Church and my plea is "God, help me love Your Church". Of an evening my prayer focuses on my family and my plea is "God, help me to love my family". 

The order of these prayers - to me - are important. If my day does not begin with the plea for God to help me love Him - and if I do not have a pure and true love for Him - the rest of my day is useless. At noon I focus on The Church - including my family, all those in our local church and those that our local church can minister to, and all those in The Church (worldwide) and those that The Church can witness to - because this is the point in the day when I am most focused on my calling as a pastor. Of an evening I focus on my family - my wife, my marriage, and my children - because this is the point in the day when I am most focused on my calling as a husband and a father. 

Every day I (try to) end my day asking - and mentally answering - three questions; (1) How did you prepare for the moment you will stand before God and answer to Him? (2) How did you prepare your family for the moment they will stand before God and answer to Him? (3) How did you prepare others for the moment they will stand before God and answer to Him?

I believe that the purpose of my life is to prepare - myself and others - for the moment that we stand before God and answer to Him and therefore I believe it is necessary to ask - and contemplate - these questions. Some days these questions bring to my mind exciting conversations and thoughts of development from the day. Other days I am met with discouragement and thoughts of failure to lead as I should. Yet - to me - this is a very important daily task. 

So, what is your purpose and how are you fulfilling it? Perhaps God has called you to a specific job. Are you doing it with all of your heart? Perhaps God has gifted you with talents or influence. Are you using them to your greatest ability? Perhaps God has trusted you with great resources or money. Are you being a good steward? Perhaps God has blessed you with family, friends, and relationships. Are you being the witness that You should be. 

Whatever your purpose is. Identify it and live it out. Only you can serve this mission that God has created you for and called you to. 

What If Your Purpose...

 

What is the purpose of your life?

Most hope, dream, pray that their life will impact many people.

At times I have listened to and watched well-known preachers, and pastors of mega-churches and thought; "what would it be like to be in such a place of influence. Challenging? Stressful? Perhaps.

Yesterday I stumbled upon another pastor's blog. I have never met this gentleman, I have never heard of him, his church, I can't even recall where he lived. But I did notice that he had more than 1,000 blog followers - people "subscribed" to his blog and who semi-regularly looked at the thoughts that he recorded on his blog. Then I thought of my own blog, I have several "regular readers", a couple "subscribers" - yet I still influence others.

Today I stopped by McDonald's to get a drink. While I was standing in line a man seemed to be peaking over my shoulder. I made eye contact with him and he apologized. Then he explained that he was trying to see the title of the book I was reading (Praying The Lord's Prayer for Spiritual Breakthrough). We had a brief conversation - in line and at the drink station - then we parted ways. 

What if your life came down to one "post", one thought? What if your life came down to one moment of encouragement? What if you were created to touch - to speak into - the life of one person for one moment?

What if my purpose on this earth was to preach one sermon? What if my life came down to one conversation in a line at McDonald's? What if I was created so that I could speak truth and love and encouragement and peace and encouragement into the life of one person or one small group of people?

By God, To God, For God

"Know that The Lord has set apart the godly for Himself" (Psalm 4:3)

We are chosen by God - from before the start of creation. 

We are called to God - through the love, grace, and mercy of Jesus Christ.

We are called to God - and only to God.

We are not to bow and worship anyone or anything except God - The Almighty God.

We belong to God - through the sacrifice and salvation of Jesus Christ.

We are consecrated for God - set apart to be used for His purpose.

Focused on the Purpose

Research shows that women are far better at multitasking than men are; that women can do multiple tasks at the same time and succeed while men struggle to and often must focus on one task at a time

And I often get distracted. When I am watching a program on television and my wife or one of our children begin to talk to me, I find it very difficult to concentrate on what they are saying and very difficult to turn the volume down or turn the program off. Other times I will go out to the garage to get something and find myself "tinkering" with a project or tool and before I know it I have forgotten all about my original intent. 

Sometimes it is convenient – easier – if we get distracted, and so we don't mind “allowing ourselves” to get distracted. And when we get distracted - when we loose focus on the task that we set out to accomplish or the task that we have been asked to accomplish, we have lost our purpose!

I believe that today much of the purpose of The Church has been lost; that we've lost focus of the task that we set set out to accomplish and we've lost focus of the task that we have been asked to accomplish

By many The Church is seen as a social club; a good place to go and meet other people, a good place to go to see our friends and fellow believers, or a good place to go for activities and events in the community. By many others The Church is seen as a religious organization; an organization that promotes rules and laws to be followed, or an organization that governs and judges those who are are and are not following these rules and laws. But this is not the purpose of The Church!

Jesus' words in Acts 1:8; “you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be My witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

This is the purpose of The Church - to be witnesses of Jesus Christ; to share the love of Jesus, to speak the message of Jesus, and to change lives for Jesus

This is the purpose of The Church as stated by Jesus; “you will be My witnesses...to the ends of the earth”. And if we lose focus of this purpose, we loose focus of all that Jesus has given to us to accomplish;

This is the purpose of The Church as established by The Holy Spirit; “you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you”. The power that we receive is power to be witnesses for Jesus.

We Ask "Why?"

Then the Lord said to Satan, “Have you considered my servant Job? There is no one on earth like him; he is blameless and upright, a man who fears God and shuns evil.” (Job 1:8)

This past Sunday evening I taught on the book of Job. Several thought come to mind as a person begins to read the book of Job. One question that I have been struck by time and time again; "What would come from a conversation between God and Satan concerning me?" Of Job God called him a servant, a blameless man, an upright man, a man who fears God and shuns evil, and said that there is no one like him in all the earth. 

If you have read the account of Job you know that this blameless, upright, God-fearing man was tested and tried - he lost his wealth, his home, his family, and his health. Yet, through all of this - even when his friends and his wife encouraged him to - Job did not lose his faith in God. 

There is an important thing to remember as we read the account of Job, we are privy to a conversation between God and Satan that Job never was. We see the details and hear the reasoning behind the suffering that perhaps Job never did. Perhaps Job felt as though God was cursing him and surely he felt as though the lot that life was giving him and the lot that God was allowing him to handle was not fair. Yet, he did not curse God and he did not lose his faith in Him. 

Looking at Job, watching him suffer and wrestle with the reality of his situation we find that it was because Job was "blameless and upright" and because he was "a man that fears God and shuns evil", this is why God chose Job to be the one to suffer - the one to face these cruel tests and unfair trials. 

Weekly I sit and hear of cruel tests that people are undergoing, horrible suffering that is going on, unfair trials that are being faced, burdens that seem almost unbearable. Daily we cry out to God, humbly bowing before His Almighty throne and boldly asking the question; "WHY?" And as we ask the question we are confronted with the truth; God is God and we are not. 

I know that you can do all things no purpose of yours can be thwarted. You asked, ‘Who is this that obscures my plans without knowledge?’ Surely I spoke of things I did not understand. things too wonderful for me to know. “You said, ‘Listen now, and I will speak; I will question you and you shall answer me.’ My ears had heard of you but now my eyes have seen you. (Job 42:2-5)

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?