Living in the moment

I cannot remember a series of weeks more difficult, challenging or intense then these last 3.  Seems like everything from life to death has happened around me.  I can not remember a time in my life where I have been forced to deal with more emotions, thoughts or fears.  I could easily share the details of a very challenging few weeks but I would rather share some perspective instead.

One of the perspectives that has changed a lot for me is the love of my wife.  As much as I love and appreciate her, I can not fathom how anyone could live a live of heartfelt devotion to others the way she does.  What an amazing, Christ-like example she is.  As much as I may try, I will never be able to match her kindness and selfless giving.  She is such a blessing to this family.  Words just can not express how I feel about her.

Also, I have a greater appreciation for friends.  I am blessed with a few really close ones and I have learned that I have more people in my life who care for me then I thought I did. It means more then they know.

The crazy thing is, when I look back at it, I can see God filling every heartache with some kind of joy, everything impossible with purpose.  His ways are truly higher then ours.

So I realize more then ever that the journey of life is sometimes tainted with misery and loss.  That life itself it meant to be examined, refined and enjoyed like a fine wine.  I have learned not to put off living to next week, next month or next year.  The only time we ever live in is this moment.

Make every moment count!

~ dave

Life and Death

For whatever reason recently, life and death has come up many times.  Even last night at bible study we had a conversation with some amazing, strong ladies who are military wive's.  They have recently suffered the lose of many close friends due to the SEAL team tragedy.  While having coffee the other day I heard that a mutual friend had been dealing with cancer and was not doing well.  I was told that another friend who is losing his battle with cancer is in the hospital planning his own funeral.  All this while a life long friend has been dealing with her mother's cancer battle which had recently turned for the worse.

Then I was surprisingly emotional when I was praying for Stacey's surgery.  Even though her surgery was routine, I could not help but think about where I would be without her.  That same day my 80+ year old step Grandma fell and broke her pelvis.  She is not doing well with the recovery.  So you can understand why every time I pray lately my heart feels so very heavy.

I went to bed knowing that one friend had passed away yesterday, I woke up this morning to find out that another friend had passed last night.  This one is particularly tough for me because I lost my own mom to cancer many years ago.  Praying for my life long friend and her family while she watches her own mother lose her battle to cancel has honesty taken me back to a very dark time.  I feel pain like I have not felt in a long time.

Here are a few of the things that I realize more then ever this week ..........

We are only here for a little while > After all these years I still miss my Mom terribly > Cancer is a horrible, horrible thing > Our Military and their families are real heros > No matter what, I would be lost without my wife > death never gets any easier to deal with > Friends are meant to be cherished > I am better for having quality people in my life

I never understood God more then when I lost my own mother.  More importantly, I now have tons of motivation to keep on the right path so that I can make it home.  I was a complete mess when my mom died.  I was hardly following Jesus at all.  I remember looking into her casket promising her that I would figure this thing out so that one day we could be together again in paradise.  We have that promise, Jesus is always the answer.

Nancy Hanvey, Linda Criswell and David Bishop, look down and smile over us today.  We love you!

Follow God

What does it mean to follow God?  If you are like me you probably follow a ton of people on Facebook or Twitter.  And like me you probably see their updates and maybe even click on their page or pictures from time to time to keep in touch and see what they are up to.  What if God had a Facebook?  Would we treat Him the same way as everyone else we follow.  Would we "like" the pictures of the miracles that He posted or "block" Him if He posted too much annoying scripture?

How do we really follow God?  The crazy thing is, the Bible is very clear about this.  Jesus Himself said many things about what it really means to following Him.  Here are just a few .......


"Then Jesus said to his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me". Matt 16:24 

Jesus said, "I am the light of the world. If you follow me, you won’t have to walk in darkness, because you will have the light that leads to life". John 8:12

He went on to say "You are truly my disciples if you keep obeying my teachings". John 8:31

"Obey my teachings" He said.  There is a big difference between knowing what to do and actually doing it.  This is a dividing line for me.  So if we "obey" then Jesus himself would categorize us as His disciples, or followers.  I think Francis Chan said it best when he describes how our children obey us.  

What if you told you child, "go clean your room".  Then, what if you child came back a hour or two later and said, "Dad, I heard what you said and I studied room cleaning and I understand it now".  You would probably say, "yeah, but did you clean your room"?  Then you child says to you, "Dad, not only did I study room cleaning, but I even learned it in Greek and last week, several other kids got together and discussed it for an hour and half. At this point you would probably be a little confused if not a little angry at their answer.  Then to top it all off what if they added, "last weekend we heard a teacher cover the subject of room cleaning and a band even sang a few songs about it, it was awesome!  Get where I am going here?

To many times, this is we, as followers of Christ often respond to God.  As His children how do you think He feels when we understand, participate and are excited about His will but we don't actually live it out?  Many people check the box that says "Christian", but so few actually make the effort to learn and obey His holy commands.

He loves us all and he has a plan for us.  It is up to us to figure it out and with His help, abide in it.

blessings,

dave   

Do we assume that as a Christ follower that we are actively, passionately following God?  

Fear God

This past week at .NET we started a study by Francis Chan called “Basic”.  Right out of the gate the study asked an often overlooked question, why should we fear God?

It seems like the common answer, which would have been mine prior to this study, is that to fear God would mean, reverence, respect or honor towards God because of who He is. In other words we should honor His majesty.

So what does Jeremiah 5:22 mean? It says “Should you not fear me?" declares the Lord. "Should you not tremble in my presence?" Tremble??

The Old Testament was written in Hebrew. So it is important to understand the actual words that were used. For example the English word “fear” used in Jonah 1:16 and Psalms 90:11 was the Hebrew word yirah. Words like yare (used in Mal 3:16) and pachad (found in Job 3:25a, Ps 119:120) all meant terror, or dread, normally translated simply as fear.  There are other words in Hebrew text that meant respect, reverence, or honor, such as kabad Exodus 20:12. Understand that the original text used very appropriate words to express what was meant.  In Greek fear or terror is phobo as seen in Matt 28:4 and 1 Pet 2:17. Where reverence or honor is timao like in 1 Peter 2:17.  Even with this distinction in both Hebrew and Greek, some people still try to say that the word “fear” merely means reverence.

With all of the scriptures seeming to agree that we should indeed fear the Lord, why do so many Christ followers not accept it? Why do we try to "explain away" the fear of God? Because we fear so many other things in stead of the one thing that really matters.  God is the only thing in all of existence that we truly should fear.  Don’t get me wrong, most of us would agree that the world can be a scary place to live in and Satan is a pretty scary dude. In fact, Hollywood has made an entire industry out of him. I would go so far as to say that fear is one of his greatest weapons.  Horror movies, anxieties, worries, nightmares, phobias, panic attacks, demons, etc.  Satan wants us to fear him rather than properly fearing God. But the Bible says this “Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the one who can destroy both soul and body in hell." Matt 10:28

So despite what many believe about honor, reverence and the fear of God, I am convinced that scripture is very clear about the actual fear of God.  Fear is fear.  And fear has its place. The Bible also says………..

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and they who live by it grow in understanding...  Psalms 111:10

The first step to wisdom is the fear of the Lord, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.  Proverbs 9:10

So if the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, then the end is love. Love is our hope, our goal, and our ultimate destiny as believers. If we are obedient to Him then we can get close to it in this life. But none of us are without sin or perfect in love.

The Bible says that “Love will come to its perfection in us when we can face the day of Judgment without fear; because even in this world we become as He is. In love there can be no fear, but fear is driven out by perfect love: because to fear is to expect punishment, and anyone who is afraid is still imperfect in love”. 1 John 4:17-18

So be encouraged, love will conquer all.  But in the mean time fear the Lord and love each other.

Blessings, dave

Published on: Sep 16, 2011

Accountability?

This topic literally came up today while I was reading Facebook this morning.  A very dear friend and trusted Christian writer that I know posted a comment about Christian Accountability and how the Holy Spirit is her primary source of accountability, a very true statement.

I simply could not resist the opportunity to jump in and hi jack her thread (a little acebook humor) with some thoughts of my own.  Accountability is absolutely essential for any group, organization or society to function.  And Christian accountability is no different. We are all held accountable in one way or another. After all, accountability is simply being responsible for your own actions.

There are even accountability groups that specialize in helping people overcome issues like addiction, or a destructive behavioral tendency.  There is little doubt that as human beings, we find support, comfort, and motivation from others who are struggling with similar circumstances.

But the need for Christian Accountability is great.  Christ followers need support and comfort and often find this through Christian Accountability. Christ alone is sufficient enough to comfort and support us by the power of His Holy Spirit but too often it sees like we don’t fully rely on Him.  When we say our strength comes from the Lord, do we really mean it? Too many times I would say no.  We want to believe and have the faith to “fully rely on God” but too often we turn to others for help. It is part of the human condition.  And knowing this, God’s word speaks directly to our need for human interaction.

Typically, we all have someone in our lives that we trust. That is the first element of Christian Accountability. Finding someone that you can trust can be difficult.  Developing trust is a slow process and it takes time to develop and grow.  As people meet together to share, they begin to establish a rapport with one another.  Trust is first.

Second is the ability to listen.  Accountability is a two way street.  Active listening is essential to developing trust.  James 1:19 says, "My dear brothers, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry."  Sometimes being there to listen is enough to help your brother or sister through.

Third, we all need to have a non-judgmental attitude toward each other. That is not only essential to Christian Accountability but also to life in general.  Remember, we can be accepting of an individual while being discerning of the situation. Matthew 7:1-2 says, "Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you."

Fourth, caring for each other is essential.  So whether you choose to pick up a phone, sit over a lunch table, take the time to reach out to your brothers and sisters in Christ.  1 John 4:21 says, "And he has given us this command: Whoever loves God must also love his brother."

And finally, commit to being available for one another, it is so important.  The Bible says that God holds us accountable. Romans 14:12 says, "So then each of us shall give account of himself to God." This is personal accountability.  Christ followers are also accountable to one another.  1 Corinthians chapter 12, Christians are all part of the same body - the body of Christ - and each member needs or belongs to the other.  This Scripture suggests the importance of strong accountability between Believers. It is important for every Believer to have at least one other person in which to confide, pray with, listen to, and encourage.

So let me close with this, I posted this scripture on Facebook today.  Galatians 6:1-2 "Brothers, if someone is caught in a sin, you who are spiritual should restore him gently. But watch yourself, or you also may be tempted. Carry each other's burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ."

So Trust, Listen, Don’t Judge and Be Available.

Blessings, dave

Published on: Aug 10, 2011