Practical teachings from the Bible for every day living.
Appreciation is a learned trait so our goal should be to learn to live a lifestyle of appreciation, right where we are, on the way to where we are going. Now, we have all been on the wrong end of this issue. We have all felt at times like we are not being properly appreciated. Maybe even taken advantage of. How does that feel to not be appreciated? Now here are some thoughts and questions for you along this line.
The Bible admonishes us to adjust our lifestyle and to walk in a certain way, to walk worthy. Howard was a most talented church choir director. His life was filled with humble service to the Lord and to His church. He was truly a “glory-deflector”—one who was always careful to give God the glory. One afternoon before the Christmas cantata, a choir member approached Howard and said, “Tonight, all of the men are going to wear colorful bow-ties to celebrate the season. Do you want to wear one also”? 1 In a very loving but direct response, Howard said, “I do not want to do anything that would distract others from clearly hearing our message of the gospel.” Howard was demonstrating what walking worthy means? Are you walking worthy? Is your humility helping others to clearly hear the gospel?
How badly do you want to know God? Tim Hansel in his book “When I Relax I feel Guilty,” writes some insights of what most people want from God. “I would like to buy $3.00 worth of God, please. Not enough to explode my soul or disturb my sleep, but just enough to equal a cup of warm milk or a snooze in the sunshine. I don’t want enough of Him to make me love someone racially different or someone who is an immigrant. I want ecstasy, not transformation; I want the warmth of the womb, not a new birth. I want a pound of the Eternal in a paper sack. I would like to buy $3.00 worth of God, please.” How much of God do you want?
Josh McDowell told this great story. An executive hirer, a “headhunter” who goes out and hires corporation executives for other firms, once told me, “When I get an executive that I’m trying to hire for someone else, I like to disarm him. I offer him a drink, take my coat off, then my vest, undo my tie, throw up my feet and talk about baseball, football, family, whatever, until he’s all relaxed. Then, when I think I’ve got him relaxed, I lean over, look him square in the eye and say, “What’s your purpose in life?” It’s amazing how top executives fall apart at that question. “Well, I was interviewing this fellow the other day, had him all disarmed, with my feet up on his desk, talking about football. Then I leaned up and said, ‘What’s your purpose in life, Bob?’ And he said, without blinking an eye, ‘To go to heaven and take as many people with me as I can.’ For the first time in my career I was speechless.” What about you? Do you know what your place is in God? Do you know how to find it?
People identify with the noise of inferiority, with the noise of insecurity, with the noise of a lack of self-esteem. But, you don’t have to have that identity because God has carved one out especially for you. You have a choice about the voice in your head. You can choose to go with what God’s Word says about you.
Gideon felt inadequate, he felt insecure. He lacked confidence. His self-esteem was pretty low. If you will allow Him, God will never leave you in that low state. Inside noise puts you into the pit. Insecurity will leave you there to waste away your days. But, Jesus is here to lift you out of the pit and establish your goings.
Are you saved by grace or just a Christian performer? The story is told in Spain of a father and his teenage son who had a relationship that had become strained. So the son ran away from home. His father, however, began a journey in search of his rebellious son. Finally, in Madrid, in a last desperate effort to find him, the father put an ad in the newspaper. The ad read: “Dear Paco, meet me in front of the newspaper office at noon. All is forgiven. I love you. Your father.” The next day at noon in front of the newspaper office 800 “Pacos” showed up. They were all seeking acceptance from their fathers. A whole world of people are hungering for this basic idea of approval and acceptance. People have tried to acquire it though through an avenue other than the gospel of Jesus Christ. They have tried to attain it through performance thinking. Does it work? Are you accepted in the courts of heaven because of what you do?
In part one of this series Soaring with Eagles: How to Know You Are Destined for Greatness we mentioned there are clues about man in the creation of the eagle. We spoke about the ‘swiftness’ of the eagle and how Johnathan and Saul were designated eagles. But there are other ‘eagle’ clues about you. Let’s look at a second one.
Inside of you God has put seeds of greatness. Those seeds are to germinate and blossom, that’s the will of God for your life. Satan has tried to mess the harvest up by getting mankind off into sin. But Jesus has come! Now through the new birth those seeds are renewed in you. That’s the good news. Any man in Christ is destined for greatness.
Josh McDowell told this great story. An executive hirer, a “headhunter” who goes out and hires corporation executives for other firms, once told me, “When I get an executive that I’m trying to hire for someone else, I like to disarm him. I offer him a drink, take my coat off, then my vest, undo my tie, throw up my feet and talk about baseball, football, family, whatever, until he’s all relaxed. Then, when I think I’ve got him relaxed, I lean over, look him square in the eye and say, “What’s your purpose in life?” It’s amazing how top executives fall apart at that question. “Well, I was interviewing this fellow the other day, had him all disarmed, with my feet up on his desk, talking about football. Then I leaned up and said, ‘What’s your purpose in life, Bob?’ And he said, without blinking an eye, ‘To go to heaven and take as many people with me as I can.’ For the first time in my career I was speechless.” What about you? Do you know what your place is in God? Do you know how to find it?
Once while Francis of Assisi was hoeing his garden, he was asked, “What would you do if you suddenly learned that you where to die at sunset today?” He replied, “I would finish hoeing my garden.” – Francis of Assisi 1. This is the answer of man who knows he is in the place he should be in. You can gain this sense of peace. You can walk in this confidence. It comes by knowing how to find your place.
God is omni-‘many things’. He is omniscient, a fancy word for all-knowing. God knows everything about your life and everyone’s life on planet earth. God is also, omnipotent meaning there is no power greater than what God possesses. Lastly, God is omnipresent meaning He is everywhere present at the same time. Have you wondered how God does that? How can He be everywhere all of the time? Whether we understand it or not, it is still true which brings up yet another question. How do you come to a God who is already there?