Value

Most of us would love to slow our lives down. We'd love to rest a little more, reflect a little more, savor the things we enjoy a little more. Yet, for many of us it's been a long time since we intentionally slowed down our lives, slow enough to ponder unthinkable size questions! Not unthinkable that we can't think about them, but unthinkable that when we do think about them they boggle the mind. And the truth is most of us try not to think about these life-size questions, in fact, the faster we do life the less time we'll have for our minds to wrestle these questions.

Questions that will takes us to overwhelming answers, answers that are completely life altering when we study and apply the truth of them to our lives. But I'm asking you to slow down long enough to wrestle with a question and then apply the answer to your life. 

What gives my life value?

Back many years ago when I completely my master's degree, my parents gave me a very special gift. Now, you need to know that my parents weren't banking on me ever finishing college. So, when I finished my master's degree it was a fairly big deal in our family. Leading my parents to give me a hand touched autographed painting by Thomas Kinkade. I love art that I understand, but what makes this painting valuable to me is that it has the artist hand touched signature on it, and even though it's from a series, because the artist hand touched it... it's unique. He signed it!

Not a stamp, it's not a copy, I know that the artist himself touched this painting and signed it. And it's his personal touches and signature that give this painting its value.

Yet, I've always been amazed by what gives something value.

Pursues, you can have the same name on them but one of them is real and comes from the designer while the other is a knock off (one purse a Coach and the other a "fo-ach"). One was dug out of the bottom of a pile and one was unlocked from a secure area. What's the difference? the value is from the designer, one is from his shop, with his seal of approval is on it. When I purchased one of these I haggled over the price and keep working him down. The other had a set price and they told me to take it or leave it. One had little to no value but the other had significant value.

But the value of stuff is not a life altering question. When we're talking about value I need to know what gives my life value!?!

Genesis 1:27

So God created man in His own image; He created him in the image of God; He created them male and female.

I am created by the hands of God and God's signature is all over my life! I have value because I am the unique, one of a kind creation of God. How does this answer change the way you see yourself? Don't let the world tell you what your worth when your designed, your Creator has already set the price!!!

Endurance verses Influence

Personally, as a husband and dad... I know, that I'll take a greater leap of faith with my own life than I ever will with the lives of my family. There are plenty of things I've done; and may do again, that I think long and hard about before I'd let my kids do it. There are also a lot of things I'll sit through before I'd ever recommend it to someone else. I mean, if I take a chance on something and it wasted my time then I've only blown a few hours in my day, but if I recommend something and it doesn't pan out like I said or the other person hates my recommendation, well then I've got my reputation on the line, our friendship might become strained, my word carries less weight. And what I've learned through this personality issue is the difference between endurance and influence! In other words...

I'm willing to endure much more chance than I'm willing to influence others to accept.

And spiritually, many people are caught right here. When it comes to faith, when it comes to asking someone to bring their pains and burdens before the Lord... we freeze, right here in this personality issue. When someone comes to you, as a friend, co-worker, family member and begins to share with you something that is overwhelming, or something that is going to leave a wound in their life... you come to this choice. Should I use my opinions? Or will I turn to God's wisdom and allow His truth to be spoken into their life?

This conflict begins for many people inside the church with this though, "Yes, I'm a Christian and I know that when someone gets sick that you pray and that God, the great physician, will heal them... (and publicly, we shout amen and tell the church about our faith and how we know God's going to heal them... but deep inside we wonder... is He going to heal them, is He going to answer my prayer the way I prayed it or will He do something else?!?)

So when someone from the community or the workplace has a sick loved one or is going through a tough time financially, or a crisis in their home life... we are caught deciding, do I really believe what I'm supposed to say?!? I know I'm suppose to tell them that God's in control, that God will heal or restore or fix whatever they have wrong in their life... but I've watched prayers go up and on one day the situation is completely restored... and the next day I watched prayers go up and the situation fall completely apart.

This internal conflicts creates the mindset, "I believe in God and I'm willing to endure what feels like chance when it comes to prayer but I can't influence someone to endure the same random level of chance in their time of crisis."

OR maybe the situation in front of you is a friend, co-workers, or family member who is making decisions contrary to God's word and then they come looking for your support?!? They want us to agree with their choices and choose them... over any moral convictions we may have due to our faith. Bringing us to the question...

Am I willing to trust God's wisdom and accept His authority enough to share His word with the world around me?

Father Knows Best!

In 1954 a popular radio show came to life in the hit sitcom "Father Knows Best," about a wise family man, Jim Anderson, his plain spoken wife Margaret and their children. The show was based around the idea that whenever the kids need advice on anything at all, they can always turn to their father, because as the title stated father knows best.

The show worked because the advice and wisdom from their Father always worked. You knew they trusted his wisdom and respected his authority. Today, when we look into our lives and our faith, and ask... does our Heavenly Father know best... and we come to a real answer when we see how we've either accepted or rejected His wisdom. Statically did you know that...

87% of Americans claim their religious faith is very important in their life today.

and 69% believe that God is the “all-knowing, all-powerful creator of the universe who still rules that world today."
 

while six out of ten adults (60%) believe the Bible is "totally accurate in all of its teachings." Yet, less than half of that 60% ... (44% actually) strongly agree with that notion.
 

But the stat I was the most struck by stated... that among those individuals who are associated with the Christian faith, only half (50%) rate themselves as being "absolutely committed" to the Christian faith.
 

The problem of spiritual influence is not a lack of people who are open to the Christian faith... it is the conviction of us who are already associated with the faith. Plenty of people believe in the existence of God but a much smaller amount trusted His wisdom and respected His authority!

Making the question that every believer ought to ask themselves... Do I believe that Father Know Best?

Because if we trust His wisdom and respect His authority or if we believe in His existence but with no conviction live under personal authority... either way, it will affect the way each of us hears scripture.

Romans 12:1-2

Therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, I urge you to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God; this is your spiritual worship. 2 Do not be conformed to this age, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may discern what is the good, pleasing, and perfect will of God.

The truth is... people don't lose trust in God's wisdom or respect for His authority because He makes flawed decisions. People question His wisdom and reject His authority because they have a different definition of good, pleasing, and perfect!

Can you risk everything for love?

Have you ever been afraid that you might waste this ONE life you've been given to live? Fear, and the desire for safety, keeps us from doing what we were designed to do.

Spiritually, the Apostle Paul wrestled with this same idea. He wasn't satisfied with just being saved. He knew God had called him to something greater. He knew salvation was the first step in a greater journey... a journey towards the image of Christ.

Romans 8:29
For those He foreknew He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brothers.

God has called us to something greater than our salvation... He'll called us to risk everything on a relationship. Today, risk is ugly concept in our culture (we live in the day of helmets and seatbelts) and a completely forgotten idea in our faith. Instead, we live in a generation where lives are dedicated to power... or work (or specifically the success that comes from work)... or wisdom... or even freedom. Honestly, in life... if and when safety becomes someone's chief goal, or need... then their life will naturally gravitate to either power, work, wisdom, or freedom as means to achieving their safety.

But here's the rub for those of us in Christ... God never called us to safety. In fact, sin took safety off the table. And truthfully, when it comes to God's plan to be in relationship with us... it was anything but safe. So let me show you the risk...
Look at the amazing imagery in...

Revelation 5:6
Then I saw one like a slaughtered lamb standing between the throne and the four living creatures and among the elders.

The slaughtered Lamb (Jesus) surrounded by four creatures. What four creatures?

Revelation 4:7
The first living creature was like a lion; the second living creature was like a calf; the third living creature had a face like a man; and the fourth living creature was like a flying eagle.

Lion = Power... Calf = work... Man = wisdom... Eagle = freedom

Revelation 5:8
When He took the scroll, the four living creatures and the 24 elders fell down before the Lamb.

Bowed before the Lamb... a slaughtered lamb. A lamb who was sacrificed out of love. And here's the amazing truth in the middle of this passage... One day, on this day, the most powerful, the most successful, the most wise, and the most free will all bow before the most loving. Power, success, wisdom, and freedom might be keys to safety but God hasn't called His children to be safe... He has called His children to be conformed to the sacrifice of love.

Everyone wants a piece of you

Manage your time or it will own you!

Every day we ask, or think, and check multiple times a day... "What time is it?" We surround ourselves with watches and clocks, reminders and alarms... We always want to know what time is it? Important information, but it's always old news, it's always changing, time is always moving to the next tick.

 Instead, I needed to get my minds wrapped around different question! I think we need to move from "what time is it" to asking ourselves "what am I doing with my time?" "What time is it" is a question of schedule, "what am I doing with my time" is a question of purpose.

The hard truth about our time is the value of it to both the world and to God! And no matter how much we want it all we eventually come back to the reality that Life and God want to spend our time differently. Every voice in our lives is pulling us towards some goal, some purpose, some agenda... needing us, wanting us. Yet what we discover is that God is calling us towards a different set of goals, different purposes. Our time is valuable to God because His purpose for our lives is a small part of His greater story!

We are a small part of God's greater story.

The world tells us to live for the moment... enjoy the moment! There is no purpose in life it's all about our success, our enjoyment, our glory! And, the reason why we think our time and our lives should be all about "my" glory OR we begin thinking that there is no purpose... there is no point at all... is because we don't know the context for why God has given us these years on earth. We've never bothered to discover how we fit inside of God's story.

 It's the lure of the moment, of the flash and using that hook sin blinds us to God's will and uses time to keep out of God's will. How? ...by showing us that... There are no lasting benefits from an isolated act accomplished and there are no immediate consequences from an isolated exclusion of the act.

 A long sentence with real teeth. We run once and don't see the weight fall off. We eat a salad instead of a burger... no change. We prayer and don't see an immediate answer. We decide to sit and spend time together as a family but attitudes in the home don't change. One act, one isolated act and nothing happens so we don't think it's going to help. OR we do run, but miss a day and nothing bad happens. We miss a quiet time and nothing bad happens, later on we need to make a hard moral choice and last time we let our guard down spiritually nothing happened so it will be fine! Sin has sold us on the power of the moment!

But the true power of time is not in the moment but in the investment of a path... in our willingness to know God's plan and follow it in every good day and every bad day... for a lifetime.

Time

Ephesians 5:15-18

Pay careful attention, then, to how you walk—not as unwise people but as wise— 16 making the most of the time, because the days are evil. 17 So don't be foolish, but understand what the Lord's will is. 18 And don't get drunk with wine, which leads to reckless actions, but be filled with the Spirit:

Every day, our lives are filled with decisions that reflect our priorities, and the activities we consider essential for life. In Ephesians 5:15 Paul is telling the church in Ephesus to be careful... Pay careful attention because life will draw out our true priorities. He's telling us be careful how we live because we can't have it all.

Ladies, let me relieve frustration for some of you and totally send some of you over the edge. You can't get the kids everywhere, you can't get it all cleaned, you can't get it all balanced at work, and fix- cook- and serve every morning and night, then be able to kiss your husband good night. Super woman is a myth. To survive we must make hard choices and these choices will do two very real things... choices calm the chaos, and they reveal our priorities. 

Men, we can't work seventy hour weeks, coach the ball team, make repairs at the house, and then stress out hoping your wife kisses you good night.

BUT, we can't seem to choose... so, we're frustrated and tired! But, how, how did it happen? How did we get roped into such a frustrating "day to day" existence? ... caught up in such unreal expectations? ...left all alone with overwhelming responsibilities?

First, we exchanged the essential for the necessary. Time is limited, opportunity is limited...

16 making the most of the time, because the days are evil. Days are evil because time is limited, only so many days in a life, only so many hours in a day. Every day we run from activity to activity, from kids event to kids event, back and forth between parent and spouse, between employee and home maker. These are real conflicts, leading to frustrating decisions, and what we're discovering is that...

The necessity of everyday stuff can block us from the essentials of a healthy relationship with Christ.

We can't break free, we don't know what to drop, and we can't slow down enough to think about re-prioritizing... one, because it makes us feel guilty and two, we're scared, we're scared that we'll get run over, left behind, or simply let someone down. So what can we do?!?

1. Align your daily necessaries with God's essentials!

2. Step up and step into your Biblical covenant roles!

3. Everyday... be filled with the Spirit...by craving your relationship with Jesus!

Transitions

I can still remember people telling me as a young man that time will fly by and before I know it the children will be out of the house. I can still remember thinking... "Old people have lost their minds!" I can't get to success fast enough. I wanted bigger and better and it never seemed to get to me fast enough! NOW... in the middle of my life I have one child in college and one entering high school. I look at all the people with little babies and start to think about all the things already behind me. I can't believe the old people were right!!!!

I don't know if anyone will ever see this but I needed to say it, so I'm saying it, "Parents, success at work is wonderful but it's my family, our memories, my investment in their lives, dates with my wife, road trips with my family, simply games with the kids, and their passion for Jesus that I hold onto the tightest. Invest in your faith and family at every stage, or each transition in life will be moments of regret, rather than moments of celebration! Take it from an old person who has lost his mind!