Things I regret

These are the things I regret:

  • Not developing healthy habits early on in my life
    • Good bedtimes
    • Starting each day with personal devotions
    • Ending each day with personal devotions
    • Kneeling beside my bed to pray
    • Leading my family in devotions
    • Leading my family to kneel before the Lord and pray out loud
    • Regular exercise routines
    • Regular checkbook balancing, specific routines for paying bills, praying for God’s provision
    • Healthy eating habits
  • Not practicing generosity
    • Intentionally giving to other people
    • Praying with other people when they expressed their need
  • Not being intentional and bold in witnessing
    • Sharing the hope of the gospel with others
    • Inviting people to church
    • Giving away Bibles and tracts 
  • Not discipling my kids well
    • Taking them out weekly to find out about their lives
    • Spending time weekly with them doing something they love
    • Sharing the Bible with them
    • Asking them discipleship, growth, accountability questions
    • Studying the Bible with them
    • Noticing what matters to them
    • Helping them memorize the Word
    • Praying regularly for them
  • Not nurturing my marriage or cherishing my wife well
    • More date nights
    • More words of affirmation
    • Keep the romance alive
    • Listen well and be present in sickness and in health
  • Not listening well
    • Speaking too much and too quickly
    • Thinking too highly of my own thoughts/words/agenda
    • Paying too much attention to self and feelings
    • Not loving well through sacrificial action
  • Not being present
    • Being too busy
    • Being too distracted
    • Believing the lie that there is not enough time
    • Thinking that the grass is greener somewhere else
    • Not being satisfied, contented with what I have
    • Not finding joy in this moment

These are things I regret. 

But since I don’t have a time machine, there is no way I can go back and change these things in the past.

I need the courage of the Lord to apologize to the people that these choices affected. I want and need to ask their forgiveness and make them aware that I am sorrowful over the impact of these choices (which were primarily made in selfishness, distraction or hurry, though some were made in ignorance).

I need to put these all under the blood of Jesus, so that He can forgive, cleanse and redeem. 

I cannot live in regret, which is basically placing myself under condemnation and walking around with guilt and shame. The Bible says there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. So I need to give these to God, trust Him to work the miracles of redemption in each of them and ask the Lord to change my present and future behavior to now address these things.

I don’t want to live with regret. I know that true regret is a form of godly conviction of guilt so that I will confess it to Him and then trust Him to help me repent and walk in the newness of life that He gives me. False regret is nothing more than the accusation and condemnation of Satan, and I must learn to say “Get thee behind me Satan. I have given that to God, it is redeemed by His blood and you have no place here.”

  • Do you have true regret as conviction from the Lord? Will you give it to Him and let Him redeem it?
  • Do you have false regret as condemnation from Satan? Will you reject those worthless accusations and walk away from the traps of the enemy?
  • Do you have new things that God is calling you to say and to do so that in the future you will not have regret? Please, get busy, today doing those things. 

What God calls you to, He will equip you to do. Today is a new day. Let us seek to live a life without regret.

Being present

Dear pastor,

What if your presence with them was enough?

  • Have you ever struggled with the idea that you have to have something super profound to say when you are meeting with people or preaching & teaching?
  • Have you ever felt like the only way to be a successful pastor is to be super creative?
  • Have you ever felt the pressure to measure up to some standard or live up to certain expectations that seem nearly impossible?

But what if your presence was enough?

What if God is simply asking you and me to be present to the person in front of us?

I believe that we set ourselves up for failure and place unnecessary, unrealistic and impossible expectations on ourselves because we think that if we are not clever, entrepreneurial, fascinating, fun, cool, engaging, etc then we will never succeed as a pastor.

But God really isn’t interested in our success (at least not the way we think of it).

God wants us to be available to Him and available to the people He places on our path.

God wants us to be present to His Spirit and present to His people.

And when we are present and available, God can use that. God will use that.

So when you are at church this week, or leading a Bible study, or listening to a parishioner, or making a phone call or grabbing lunch with someone…be present.

Be present by listening carefully. Be present by leaning in and noticing the person in front of you. Be present by speaking what God nudges you to say and by being silent until/unless He does nudge you.

I really think that in preaching, teaching and leading we “accomplish” far more by being present than by any number of other “impressive” things we think we could say or do.

Be present, be a conduit for God to flow through. And then watch God work!

God’s story

We are all characters in God’s story.

The Bible helps us to see that everything that is unfolding around us (on earth, throughout the cosmos) as well as all that has taken place throughout history, has not been the respective stories of billions of individual people but rather the one singular story of God’s love, creativity, grace and redemption.

So often it feels like we are each the main characters in the movies of our own lives. We are tempted to believe that the world revolves around us and that everything that happens either serves to help or hinder our forward progress towards our destiny.

But again, let us be reminded that everything that takes place is in fact a smaller story within the greater story of God’s existence, God’s character and God’s activity.

We get to be a part of His story, but we all have to choose what part we will play.

Will we be a part of His family? Will our story-line be aligned with the main plot of honoring and glorifying Him and seeing the world reconciled, redeemed and restored?

Or will ours be a dead-end story-line where we partner with one or more of the enemies of the Lord and find ourselves defeated and ultimately removed from the “happily ever after” that is guaranteed to God and His beloved?

Please, remember that the story is all about God. He is the main character. He is the protagonist. He is the One who is working towards “happily ever after” with His beloved and truly every enemy that dares to come against Him will find themselves removed from the scene.

The privilege of declaring the gospel

What a joy it is to tell people of the peace and freedom that is available to them in Christ Jesus!

All of us have particular needs, and the amazing reality is that God wants to meet these needs. The good news of the gospel is that He longs and yearns to supply all that we need simply because of the overflow of His heart of love for us. 

When we love someone we don’t want to see them in pain or in lack and so whatever we can do to bring them through to a place of provision, healing, joy, peace and freedom, that is exactly what we will attempt. 

But in God’s case, He isn’t attempting anything. Instead He has already fully finished the work, and He has 100% availed salvation, provision, protection, deliverance and abundant life. It is all there simply for those will receive it. 

And here is the beautiful thing for Christians, pastors and evangelists: we all get to tell people, all the time, that God is able to save completely those who come to Him. 

We have the privilege and honor of sharing the Scriptures and pointing people to the benevolant heart of God. As we remind people of the promises and declarations of God and His unconditional love, sufficient grace and overflowing generosity, not only do we get to rejoice in Him but we also get to see other people discover the beauty and majesty and glory of our great God.

So please, this week, whenever you talk, but especially as you are giving testimony to what God has done or what God has offered and particularly if you are preaching or teaching the gospel of Jesus, make sure to declare joyfully and fully that God has everything we need for life and godliness. All we have to do is ask.

Can we trust Him?

Trusting means believing that someone will do something that they have said they would and that they have the capacity to do so. Trusting is about taking someone at their word and believing that they have the intellect, time, energy, strength and provision to make it happen. 

  • Do I trust God? 
  • Do I really take Him at His Word?
  • Do I believe that God is only and always a truth-teller so whatever He has declared I can bank on it happening, in His timing and in His way? 

This is the question of trust.

  • But furthermore, do I think God is wise enough to know how to address my problem?
  • Do I believe that God has sufficient provision for what I need?
  • Am I willing to rest in the certainty that God is strong enough to overcome anything that would come against His plan for me?

This is the question of trust. 

  • Finally, if I am trusting God, why then should I worry or fear?
  • If God is who He says He is and He will do what He says He will do, shouldn’t I be able to live ever and always in peace and calm assurance?
  • When the rubber meets the road, will I obey God rather than circumstances, feelings or the opposition? 

This is the question of trust.

Lord, I trust you today. I will obey you today. Lord, I will do what you want me to do. I will give up what  you tell me to surrender. Lord, I give you my sins for forgiveness, my heart for infilling, my problems for your Divine answer and my life for your use. Lord, I trust you!

What are you listening to?

I’m curious what are you listening to these days? 

In regards to music, I go back and forth from one style to another. I truly have eclectic taste. But above all I desire for the music to either accompany my times of prayer and thanksgiving to the Lord or remind me of the goodness of God and the wonderful gospel of Jesus Christ. 

In regards to public figures, I tend to listen to pastors, teachers and even the posthumous voices of those who served the Lord in faith and full surrender. What these people have to say has impacted my life in ways I can barely explain.

In regards to the “voices” that I hear in the inner recesses of my mind, though I hear many swirling and competing messages, I seek daily to tune out the selfish, worldly and wicked voices and tune my heart solely to hear the voice of the Lord, my Creator, Comforter, Healer and Savior.

Of course I can never go wrong listening to the still small voice of the Lord as He speaks by His Spirit through the Word of God and in the middle of my times of prayer, worship and meditation. The voice of the Lord speaks truth, love and light and when I listen it is as if He once again breathes life into my soul. 

I have found that what I listen to greatly affects what I believe, what I think about and in turn my attitudes, actions and reactions. 

Furthermore, it seems that the more I practice listening to the messages of God from His Word and from other people, I find peace, joy, and a sense of value and purpose. And when I listen to the Lord, I find that He has both a plan and provision for today. He gives me light for my path and strength for the journey.

What are you listening to?

I beg of you that you would listen to the Lord Jesus Christ above all the other competing voices and noises in your life.

Lingering

Dear pastor,

I want to ask you a unique and VERY important question…

Are you very good at lingering these days?

Let’s define the word:

  • “To remain or stay on in a place longer than is usual or expected, as if from reluctance to leave: ‘We lingered awhile after the party.’ 
  • Also: “to dwell in contemplation, thought, or enjoyment: to linger over the beauty of a painting.”

    – From Dictionary.com

You may be thinking to yourself: “What a strange question!”

But here is the point.

Pastors seem to be soooo busy (at least in America, much like the culture around us). But when we are the middle of prayer, worship, devotions, conversation, fellowship, etc are we good at lingering? Are we reluctant to leave because we are enjoying the beauty of the moment with God or with others?

I fear that many of us, much of the time, are not tarrying in God’s presence much more than we are lingering in the presence of people. We are in hurry and we can’t seem to go slow. And as a result we aren’t able to savor the moment, be fully present in the moment, or find the fullness and enjoyment that God had planned for the moment.

More than able

Dear pastor,

Let us be reminded that God is more than able to handle whatever we face and whatever we give over to Him.

As a matter of fact He is more than able to handle it, keep it, bless it, beautify it and use it. We just have to give it to Him.

It’s kind of hard for me sometimes to see how God could possibly make anything good or beautiful out of the messes I see around me.

In ministry, it sometimes seems that churches and pastors are magnets for broken, hurting and hurtful people. But it makes sense: after all we have been sent to share the love, compassion and healing presence of Jesus with hurting people.

But when broken, and hurting people enter into our lives and churches, they also seem to bring a wake of hurt with them, impacting the people around them (including us!) And when we see how messed up their theology is, or how toxic their behavior, or how injurious their words, we might be tempted to think “nothing good can come of this” and perhaps in our humanness we even ask the Lord to lead them elsewhere.

Yet, is it possible, that God wants to show His glory and power, once again convincing you that nothing is impossible with Him?!

We remind our parishioners of this time and again, but we also need to be reminded ourselves that God is more than able.

So whatever is frustrating, angering, discouraging and overwhelming in your life and ministry, please take the opportunity this week to give it to God and ask Him for a miracle.

He has healed, resurrected, provided, delivered, saved, sanctified and revived in the past, we know He can do it again!

Peace that is beyond comprehension

There is a lot of noise and chaos in this world.

And even when we do get alone and quiet, it seems like technology or our own thoughts like to interrupt.

Fear is a loud and obnoxious voice that seems to invade our thoughts and any modicum of peace we might have had.

But God has given us in the Bible the way to have peace in our lives. The Prince of Peace Himself offers us perfect peace. All we have to do, is give to Him our burdens, cares and concerns along with thanksgiving (See Philippians 4:7).

Why would we give thanks in the middle of reflecting on and expressing our struggles? Primarily because we know that as we give our trials to God, He will handle them with His perfect strength, His perfect wisdom, His perfect provision and in His perfect timing. We can give thanks to God for His 100% track record in handling our problems in the past and for His promises that He will 100% handle everything that we fully surrender to Him in the present and in the future.

And when we do this: we will receive His peace. And it will be such a perfect peace that it will even guard and protect our hearts and our minds. It is such an amazing peace that our thought life and our emotional well-being will be safe-guarded by the Lord bringing us a calm assurance, a contentment and an abiding rest that nothing else in this world can afford.

So please remember to “Keep your mind steadfastly on Him” (Is 26:3) and “present your request to Him with thanksgiving” (Php 4:6-7) and to allow His “consolations to bring joy” and peace to your soul (Ps 94:19).

He is willing, ready and able. Will you let Him?

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. Romans 15:13

Lord, please, give us today…

Let me ask you a question: What do you need today?

I think that many of us know right away exactly what it is that we need today.

Whether it is more patience, more sleep, less stress, more energy, more money, or something else, I’m pretty sure you have a list of things that are needed.

And when we find ourselves in need, all manner of doubts, fears and questions may come up: “how will I ever make it?” or “what will happen if…” or even “I better figure something out!”

Let’s put that thought on hold for a second.

Do you remember how Jesus taught His disciples to pray: “Give us this day our daily bread.” Twice in the same request Jesus reminded us that the needs are specific to the day and so is God’s answer.

Jesus is teaching us to ask for our daily bread, our daily strength, our daily wisdom.

And of course Jesus is teaching us what to ask and how to ask it because He knows that His Father desires to answer and gift good gifts to those who ask of Him.

So what is the point?

Simply this:

There is sufficient grace for the day. We must pray for our daily bread, but then let us realize (and hold fast to the fact) that in Christ and from Christ we have enough for the day. There is enough wisdom for the day. God is giving us daily light for our path. He is pouring forth sufficient peace for the day. God is freely availing to us ample supply for our need.

So please, remember to humbly and reverently ask God daily to supply what is needed for that day. Be specific. Be bold. Have faith.

And then as you continue praying without ceasing over the course of the day simultaneously pray and give thanks for God supplying whatever is needed for the day:

  • Thank you God for the energy sufficient to the day
  • Thank you Lord for enough gentleness and patience to serve and help others
  • Thank you Lord for sufficient supply for my food and drink and bills for today
  • Thank you Lord ample patience, joy, peace, love for the situations and people I will be around today

Trust me, this will test your faith. And no, this is not a “name it and claim it” theology. This is simply trusting God to do what He said He would do and then asking, waiting and watching for the miraculous ways that God supplies.

If we look at the story of manna from the Lord we understand that rarely will God give us more than we need (in order to save for another day) but instead we just rest in the peace and assurance that there is enough for today coming from the heart and hands of our good God!

Lord, please give us this day our daily bread.